Arias del Real Rebeca
- Investigador Postdoctoral
- Departamento: Biogeoquímica y Ecología Microbiana
- Email: rebeca.arias@mncn.csic.es
- Página web externa: https://rebecaariasreal.weebly.com/
- Número ORCID: 0000-0002-9504-9418
- Palabras clave:

Investigación
I investigate how desiccation of fluvial ecosystems alters their biodiversity and functioning. My research is carried out in highly dynamic ecosystems, such as intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams. In these ecosystems, I explore the relationship between drying duration and frequency, aquatic and sediment biodiversity (microbes and invertebrates), and their contribution to ecosystem functioning (organic matter decomposition, enzymatic activities, and energy transfer to higher trophic levels).To accomplish this, I combine extensive fieldwork (>50 sites across the Iberian Peninsula) with laboratory manipulative experiments. In the lab, I study the eco-physiological responses of aquatic fungi to drying, as well as the feeding preferences and growth of invertebrates in food webs.
Additionally, I am currently using state-of-the-art molecular techniques to investigate the abiotic factors that determine microbial biodiversity in extreme environments, such as ice streams, and their contribution to global biogeochemical cycles.
Research projects as PI:
2023. TEBUFUN: Unraveling the impact of TEBUconazole on aquatic fungal communities and ecosystem FUNctioning. Transnational Access program of the EU H2020-INFRAIA project (No. 871081) AQUACOSM-plus. PI: Rebeca Arias-Real.
2022-2024. Are ephemeral streams early-stage soils or fluvial ecosystems? The role of biocrusts to maintain their functioning”. Iberian Society of Ecology (SIBECOL). PI: Rebeca Arias-Real and Pilar Hurtado.
Publicaciones relevantes
- Colls, M., Viza, A., Zufiarre, A., .... Arias-Real, R., ..... and Romero, F. (2023). Impacts of diffuse urban stressors on stream benthic communities and ecosystem functioning: A review. Limnetica, Online first article.
- Arias-Real, R., Hurtado, P., Gionchetta, G. and Gutiérrez-Cánovas, C. (2023). Drying shapes aquatic fungal community assembly by reducing functional diversity. Diversity 15(2), 289
- Arias-Real, R., Menéndez, M., Muñoz, I. and Pascoal, C. (2023). Drying shapes the ecological niche of aquatic fungi with implications on ecosystem functioning. Science of The Total Environment, 859: 160374.
- Arias-Real, R., Gutiérrez-Cánovas, C., Menéndez, M. and Muñoz, I. (2022). Drying niches of aquatic macroinvertebrates identify potential biomonitoring indicators for intermittent and ephemeral streams. Ecological Indicators, 142: 109263.
- *Granados, V., *Arias-Real, R., Gutiérrez-Cánovas, C., Obrador, B. and Butturini, A. (2022). Multiple drying aspects shape dissolved organic matter composition in intermittent streams. Science of The Total Environment, 852: 158376. * Contributed equally t
- Gutiérrez-Cánovas, C., Arias-Real, R., Bruno, D…..and Pallarés, S. (2022). Multiple-stressors effects on Iberian freshwaters: A review of current knowledge and future research priorities. Limnetica, 41(2): 245-268.
- Arias-Real, R., Gutiérrez-Cánovas, C., Muñoz, I., Pascoal, C. and Menéndez, M. (2022). Fungal Biodiversity Mediates the Effects of Drying on Freshwater Ecosystem Functioning. Ecosystems, 25: 780–794.
- Arias-Real, R., Gutiérrez-Cánovas, C., Menéndez, M., Granados, V. and Muñoz, I. (2021). Diversity mediates the responses of invertebrate density to duration and frequency of rivers’ annual drying regime. Oikos, 130 (12): 2148-2160.
- Gionchetta, G., Artigas, J., Arias-Real, R., Oliva, F. and Romaní, A. M. (2020). Multi-model assessment of hydrological and environmental impacts on streambed microbes in Mediterranean catchments. Environmental Microbiology, 22 (6): 2213-2229.
- Granados, V., Gutiérrez-Cánovas, C., Arias-Real, R., Obrador, B., Harjung A. and Butturini A. (2020). The interruption of longitudinal hydrological connectivity causes delayed responses in dissolved organic matter. Science of The Total Environment, 713: 1
- Arias-Real, R., Muñoz, I., Gutiérrez-Cánovas, C., Granados, V., Lopez-Laseras, P. and Menéndez, M. (2020). Subsurface zones in intermittent streams are hotspots of microbial decomposition during the non-flow period. Science of The Total Environment, 703:
- Castro-López, D., Rodríguez-Lozano, P., Arias-Real, R., Guerra-Cobián, V. and Prat, N. (2019). The Influence of Riparian Corridor Land Use on the Pesquería River’s Macroinvertebrate Community (NE Mexico). Water, 11 (9): 1930.
- Arias-Real, R., Menéndez, M., Abril, M., Oliva, F. and Muñoz, I. (2018). Quality and quantity of leaf litter: Both are important for feeding preferences and growth of an aquatic shredder. PLoS ONE, 13(12): e0208272.