Dr Marc Rius PhD

Research interests

Genetics and colonisation

Range-shifting species are often characterised by high levels of genetic diversity as a result of propagules from multiple sources, recurrent introductions and genetic admixture. Our research group develops novel genetic tools and implements innovative analytical techniques to understand how different genetic signatures influence range shifts.

Evolutionary history and speciation

Many of the world’s coastal regions contain a large proportion of marine species that cannot be clearly identified due to a lack of systematic, biogeographical and historical evidence. We combine genetic and taxonomic analyses to improve our understanding of phylogenetic relationships and cryptic marine biodiversity.

Community ecology and life cycles

Many organisms have complex life cycles whereby individuals undergo dramatic developmental transitions before reaching adulthood. Little is known about how multiple ecological and evolutionary mechanisms interact across the life cycle. We study interactions across multiple life-history stages to assess the relative role of these mechanisms in determining species distributions.

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Research group

Marine Biology and Ecology

Research project(s)

The role of habitat gaps and oceanography on the biogeography of rocky intertidal species over historic time scales

Environmental DNA and the study of marine biological invasions

The genomics of adaptation and its consequences for marine biological invasions

The role of climate change, species invasions and hybridisation in the redistribution of marine biodiversity

The influence of environmental variability on the ecological performance of native and non-native marine organisms

Hybridisation of marine biota on a changing planet

Building Resilience in Galápagos Ecosystem Management to Severe Climate Change (R-GEMS)

Development and application of molecular surveillance methods to facilitate the spatial mapping of marine invasive species in Irish nearshore and benthic habitats

Climate change and future marine ecosystem services and biodiversity (FUTUREMARES)

Designing climate policy requires understanding to what extent contemporary climate change jeopardizes ecosystem functioning and services. FutureMARES proposes to develop evidence-based guidance at appropriate spatial and temporal scales for nature-based solutions across a broad range of European and other marine and transitional systems.

A comprehensive framework to assess the effects of methane seeps activity on deep-sea assemblages

Methane seeps represent truly unique ecosystems and despite substantial research in recent years, a great deal of fundamental knowledge remains undiscovered. This collaborative project will provide the first comprehensive comparison of marine species richness patterns across seeps of different levels of activity.

Marine biodiversity and genomics: from Population to Communities (PopCOmics)

PopCOmics seeks to apply novel molecular techniques to address challenges in marine biology research with application to societal problems and conservation goals. We will focus on comparisons of natural and impacted benthic habitats and analyse changes symbiont communities in invertebrates as a response to anthropogenic perturbations.