Paulo Geraldes

University of Minho · Department of Biology

Eutrophication is a major threat to freshwater ecosystems worldwide that affects aquatic biota and compromises ecosystem functioning. In this study, we assessed the potential use of leaf decomposition and associated decomposer communities to predict stream eutrophication. Because leaf quality is expected to affect leaf decomposition, we used five l...

As the use of copper oxide nanoparticles (nanoCuO) in consumer products grows, aquatic ecosystems are likely to receive increasing amounts of these nanomaterials. Dissolved organic matter ( DOM ) may interact with nanoparticles and reduce their reactive surface area, which, in turn, can influence the impact of nanoCuO on organisms and ecological pr...

Freshwater ecosystems are severely impacted by changes in riparian vegetation and eutrophication, but their interactive effects on litter decomposition and associated biota remain poorly understood. We placed 5 leaf species in coarse-mesh bags alone or in mixtures and immersed them in 6 low-order streams along a eutrophication gradient. Fungal and...

Nanoparticle size and the presence of natural organic matter (NOM) may influence the toxicity of nanoCuO to aquatic biota, but their interactive effects have been poorly investigated. We examined the feeding behaviour of the invertebrate shredder Allogamus ligonifer when exposed to sublethal concentrations of nanoCuO (50 and 100mgL(-1)) with three...

Climate warming and biodiversity loss are two major factors threatening freshwaters. Aquatic hyphomycetes are fungi that play a key role in organic matter turnover in streams. To assess the impacts of temperature increase and aquatic hyphomycete diversity on plant-litter decomposition, we manipulated fungal assemblage composition at two levels of d...