Josep Piñol Pascual

I hold a Bachelor’s and PhD in Biology from the University of Barcelona and I am currently a Professor of Ecology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

In the past, my research focused on the hydrology and biogeochemistry of forest ecosystems, water transport in woody plants, forest fires, and trophic interactions in ecological communities. Today, my main interest is the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) for large-scale biodiversity assessment. I develop methods for the quantitative estimation of the relative abundance of species in complex ecological mixtures of eukaryotes using metabarcoding and metagenomics.

Currently, I am particularly interested in trophic interactions within terrestrial arthropod communities. Specifically, I aim to establish the trophic network of these communities. My methodology includes field experiments, modelling, and diet analysis using techniques such as stable isotopes and the identification of prey DNA fragments in predator guts. My teaching activity includes courses on ecology and modelling.

In 2006, I published a textbook combining these two topics, Ecología con números, co-authored with Jordi Martínez-Vilalta.