João Cúrdia

Biography

For more than 25 years I have worked with biological samples spanning three continents and ranging from the deep sea (for the MSc thesis; Atlantic) to the upper levels or the shore (early career; Azores). From bare sediments (estuaries, coastal areas) to lavish coral areas (Red Sea). Disentangling the complexity of marine life along these gradients has been the main focus of my career. On the other hand, studying the ecology or biology of certain groups (such as gorgonians) or species has also been a constant, expanding my knowledge thorugh specialization.

Another part of my career is related to studying the effects of human activities and their interaction with the environment. Contributing to knowledge based management is the ultimate goal and pairs with current local and global needs.

Research Interests

The complexity of living organisms at different scales drives the curiosity to learn more about the ecology of organisms, especially animals. I am especially interested in the structure and composition of marine communities and predictors of observed changes. Lately I have focused my research on the drivers of changes in diversity within and between marine communities at different scales. I am also interested in data analysis of ecological datasets, namely community structure and the relation between the biological communities and the surrounding environment.

Selected Publications

CÚRDIA, J.; CARVALHO, S.; PEREIRA, F.; GUERRA-GARCÍA, J.M.; SANTOS, M.N. & CUNHA, M.R. (2015). Diversity and abundance of invertebrate epifaunal assemblages associated with gorgonians are driven by colony attributes. Coral Reefs, 34, 611–624
CÚRDIA, J.; MONTEIRO, P.; AFONSO, C.M.L.; SANTOS, M.N.; CUNHA, M.R. & GONÇALVES, J.M.S. (2012). Spatial and depth-associated distribution patterns of shallow gorgonians in the Algarve coast (Portugal, NE Atlantic). Helgoland Marine Research, 67, 521–534. DOI:10.1007/s10152-012-0340
CÚRDIA, J.; CARVALHO, S.; RAVARA, A.; GAGE, J.D.; RODRIGUES, A.M. & QUINTINO, V. (2004). Deep macrofaunal assemblages from Nazaré Submarine Canyon (N.W.Portugal). Scientia Marina, 68 (supplement 1), 171-180

Education

2012 Ph.D. Marine Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro 2001
MSc. Sciences of Coastal Zones, University of Aveiro, Aveiro 1998
Degree in Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro

Professional Profile

2019 - present Research specialist, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia

Research Interests Keywords

Bacterial Ecology Zoology Ecology of Macrobenthic Communities Succession in Ecology Data Analysis of Biological Datasets Marine Biodiversity