Professor of Ecology
My research is focused on the study of the ecology of zooplankton communities of aquatic continental systems. I realized my PhD on the trophic interactions between zooplankton populations of four reservoirs located in the south of Spain, centring essentially on the study of the competition between the cladoceran Daphnia and several populations of rotifers. Later, during my postdoctoral stay in the University of Ghent (Belgium), I took part in studies of biomanipulación of aquatic systems. I also started being interested for the effects of the nutritional quality of the phytoplankton on the zooplankton dynamic. After the latter studies, I returned to the University of Granada in which I continued those studies on nutricional quality of the zooplankton and also on the analysis of the competition and depredation between zooplankton populations. Later, biodiversity in lakes started to be a part of my reserch from the accomplishment of an European project. During this project, I also started being interested for the study of the zooplankton resting eggs buried in the lacustrine sediments. These eggs could be a useful tool to register the past of the aquatic systems and to know the possibilities of “resurrection” of those species that are not present in the active communities. In addition to these studies, I began to be interested for analyzing the role of the zooplankton resting eggs in the dispersion and capacity of settling of the zooplankton species, aspect in which I have got involved very recently.
Research group.
Global Ecology
Research interest.
- Zooplancton dynamic in Aquatic Systems (lakes and reservoirs): Predation and competition between zooplancton populations.
- Zooplankton-phytplankton interactions. Nutrient limitation and consequences on zooplancton populations.
- Biodiversity in lakes. Influence of environmental changes.
- Resurrection ecology: Zooplancton resting egg banks in lakes, population regeneration.
- Dispersal of zooplancton populations: paterns and colonization succes.
Publications.
- Declerck, S., J. Vandekerkhove, L. Johansson, K. Muylaert, J.M. Conde-Porcuna, K. Van der Gucht, C. Pérez-Martínez, T. Lauridsen, K. Schwenk, G. Zwart, W. Rommens, J. López-Ramos, E. Jeppesen, W. Vyverman, L. Brendonck & L. De Meester. 2005. Multi-group biodiversity in shallow lakes along gradients of phosphorus and water plant cover. Ecology 86: 1905-1915.
- Ramos-Rodríguez, E. & J.M. Conde-Porcuna. 2003. Nutrient limitation on a planktonic rotifer: Life history consequences and starvation resistance. Limnology and Oceanography 48: 933-938.
- Conde-Porcuna, J.M., E. Ramos-Rodríguez & C. Pérez-Martínez. 2002. Correlations between nutrient limitation and zooplankton populations in a mesotrophic reservoir. Freshwater Biology 47: 1463-1473.
- Conde-Porcuna, J.M. 2000. Relative importance of competition with Daphnia (Cladocera) and nutrient limitation on Anuraeopsis (Rotifera) population dynamic in a laboratory study. Freshwater Biology 44: 423-430.
- Conde-Porcuna, J.M. & S. Declerck. 1998. Regulation of rotifer species by invertebrate predators in a hypertrophic lake: selective predation on egg-bearing females and induction of morphological defences. Journal of Plankton Research 20: 605-618.