Lucía Pita

La Caixa Junior Group Leader fellow

Departament de Biologia Marina i Oceanografia
Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC
Pg. Marítim de la Barceloneta, 37-49
08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Tel: (34) 93 2309500 Ext: 445701
Fax: (34) 93 2309555
e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of animal-microbe-environment interactions from an evolutionary and ecological perspective. Humans and all animals outsource key functions like nutrition or defense to their microbial symbionts. I study marine sponges because they constitute a paradigm of marine symbiosis due to their ancient origin, their complexity, and their role in the ecosystem. Sponges function like a miniatured ecosystem of microbe-microbe and microbe-sponge interactions. Like a Russian doll, these interactions, occurring at the molecular and cellular level, ultimately determine how sponges shape the benthic pelagic coupling, but also how they survive under the current the climate crisis.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Find the scientific publications generated by this member and more information at Lucía's personal web page.