Sofía Ruiz de Velasco

Ph.D. Students

PhD student

Active

Location:

Laboratorio de Biología Marina (Seville, Spain)

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Biography

I have been focused on marine invasion processes in port environments since my undergraduate studies in Biology at the University of Seville (Spain). My passion for marine biology, especially concerning human-altered ecosystems and the taxonomy of marine invertebrates, has guided my academic journey.

Currently, I am pursuing a PhD continuing my research in this field with a particular emphasis on bryozoans. My doctoral thesis explores the diversity of bryozoans associated with port environments in the Mediterranean and adjacent areas. I am investigating their ecology, including their role as basibionts for introduced species and their colonization dynamics.

Through my research, I aim to deepen our understanding of the bryozoan species within port environments, how they introduce to other areas and which dynamics they display on introduced areas.

Research Interests

I am very interested in the taxonomy of bryozoans of ports and marinas (focusing currently on a morphological approach), how they introduce to other areas and which dynamics they display with other organisms (mainly associated fauna).

Selected Publications

  • Ruiz-Velasco, S., Ros, M., Guerra-García, J.M., 2023. Estuarine versus coastal marinas: Influence of the habitat on the settlement of non-indigenous epibionts on the polychaete Sabella spallanzanii (Gmelin, 1791) Mar. Pollut. Bull. 197, 115740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115740
  • Guerra-García, J.M., Ruiz-Velasco, S., Navarro-Barranco, C., Moreira, J., Angulo, G., García-Domínguez, R., Amengual, J., Saenz-Arias, P., López-Fe, C.M., Martínez Pita, I., García-García, F.J., Ros, M., 2024. Facilitation of macrofaunal assemblages in marinas by the habitat-forming invader Amathia verticillata (Bryozoa: Gymnolaemata) across a spatiotemporal scale. Mar. Environ. Res. 193, 106256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106256
  • Ruiz-Velasco, S., Ros, M., Navarro-Barranco, C., Guerra-García, J.M., 2024. Is the invasive Caprella scaura Templeton, 1836 displacing its resident congener Caprella equilibra Say, 1818 in marinas of the South Iberian Peninsula? A long-term spatio-temporal approach. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 205, 116661. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116661

Education

  • M.Sc. in Marine Biology (Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain)
  • M. Sc. in Advanced Biology: integral management of natural resources (Universidad de Sevilla, Spain)

Professional Profile

  • 2022-currently: PhD student at Universidad de Sevilla (Spain)

KAUST Affiliations

  • Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE)
  • Red Sea Research Center (RSRC)
  • Marine Science Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

Non-KAUST Affiliations

  • Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla

Research Interests Keywords

Bryozoans Fouling Port Environments Non-Indigenous Species (NIS)