Human activities such as farming and urbanization lead to changes in rivers’ morphologies, increasing water flow and nutrient concentrations. Under these conditions the continued existence of the biota depends on its potential to adapt to such changes. It has recently been suggested that environmental changes resulting from urban processes bring aboutrapidchanges in the biota’s phenotypic characteristics. However, not all species are able to absorb the speed of suchchanges. Recognizing which species can respond to and adjust to the new environments and how that happens is vital for the ecosystems’ management. We propose to develop models that can explain the means through which the ecosystems and the species’ phenotypic characteristics can respond to these changes. The limnological characteristics and the biota’s composition are the essential foundations for the understanding and modeling of the ecosystems’ maintenance and functioning.

Faculty from GPEE have been working along with otherprestigious institutions on international projects sponsored by fundingagencies. The research that is being conducted focuses in different aspects of River and Stream Ecology, especially fish and macroinvertebrates Ecology and theirrole in the nutrient, trophic chain, structure and functioning of ecosystems, as well as aspects of the life history and evolution of biological strategies of local species. An important collection of articles have already been published bythe groups involved with GPEE and our partnership maintained. Questions related to the first framework set use cutting edgemethodswhich involve stoichiometric analyses, nutrient concentration readings and the analysis of habitats’ physical structure, for which we havethe collaborative support of researchers from University of Victoria – Canada, Cornell University and University of Nebraska – USA. Studies on the second framework set focus on the understanding of issues related to reproduction, migration, behaviour and adaptation to environmental change and variation, for which we havethe collaborative support of a researchers from Museo de CienciasNaturales de Madrid – Spain.