Anselm Rodrigo Domínguez
PhD in Biology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB, 1998). I am a Professor of Ecology at UAB and a researcher affiliated with CREAF. I have coordinated the Environmental Biology degree program on two occasions, the first being during its first three years of implementation at UAB. I teach courses in the Biology and Environmental Biology programs at UAB, and I currently coordinate the Environmental Biology Bachelor's theses.
I co-direct, alongside Jordi Bosch, the Insect Ecology and Pollination Group (GEIP) at CREAF. My research focuses on improving the understanding of the abundance and distribution of wild bee species in Catalonia, particularly in protected natural areas. Additionally, in coordination with other research groups from the Iberian Peninsula and Europe, we study the spatio-temporal variability of pollinator and ant communities, as well as their mutualistic and antagonistic interactions.
In this field, my research work is primarily focused on the effects of landscape heterogeneity, habitat fragmentation, disturbances, and interannual phenological variability. I also study which agricultural practices are most appropriate for the conservation of pollinator communities and their pollination functions in Mediterranean areas. Furthermore, I explore how to restore pollinator communities in intensively farmed areas.
Through various ecotoxicology studies on bees, we determine the lethal and sublethal effects of agrochemical products on bees in laboratory, semi-field, and field studies. Additionally, we investigate how these effects interact with other stressors affecting bee health, such as climate change.
Together with other members of our research group, we actively participate in the design and implementation of the Intersectoral Pollinator Conservation Plan for Catalonia, which proposes several measures until 2030 to reverse the decline of pollinators. This plan began with a diagnostic report on the state of pollinators in Catalonia, of which I am a co-author.