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Alberto Maceda-Veiga 

Dr Alberto Maceda Veiga
Department of Animal Biology
Faculty of Biology
University of Barcelona
Av. Diagonal, 645 
E-08028 Barcelona 
Spain
Tel: (+34)93 4021041
Fax: (+34)93 4034426
albertomaceda@gmail.com
RESEARCH INTERESTS

General topics:
Ecology of freshwater ecosystems, Biology and ecology of fish, Ecotoxicology, Biogeochemical tracers in ecological studies and Aquarium hobby

Particular interests:
- Environmental risk assessment studies from organism to ecosystem level integrating multidisciplinary approaches and tools (i.e. blood parameters, stable isotopes, parasitology, histopathology, morphometric parameters, pollutant levels and Index of Biotic Integrity). I am particularly interested in developing non-invasive tools in fish health assessment.

- The research on species introductions is focused on the role of aquarium trade as a source of new alien species, the susceptibility of native communities to invasion and on elucidating the ecological processess implied in an invasion (i.e. resilience and resistance of native species, trophic competition, hybridization, introduction of diseases, etc...)

- Aquarium hobby: keeping and breeding in captivity exotic and native (ex-situ conservation programs) aquatic (mainly fish) species, and pathology and treatment of diseases. I am interested in the ecological processes that happen in an aquarium rather than the aquarium as an "ornament".

Journal articles

2012
 
DOI 
A Maceda-Veiga, M Monroy, A De Sostoa (2012)  Metal bioaccumulation in the Mediterranean barbel (Barbus meridionalis) in a Mediterranean River receiving effluents from urban and industrial wastewater treatment plants   ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 76: 93-101  
Abstract: Although sewage treatment plants (STPs) play a crucial role in maintaining the water quality and flow of Mediterranean rivers, particularly during drought periods, few studies have addressed their impact on aquatic fauna. Here we analyzed the role of STPs as a source of metals in the Ripoll River, a heavily urbanized and industrialized watercourse with a long history of anthropogenic disturbance. For this purpose, we measured iron, mercury, cadmium, zinc, lead, nickel and copper accumulation in the liver and muscle of the Mediterranean barbel, Barbus meridionalis and also the concentrations of these metals in the river water. Industrial and urban sewage treatment plants are source of metals in Ripoll River but the former mainly increases Zn and Ni values. Significant differences in metal bioaccumulation between reference and polluted sites were detected. Nevertheless, there was only a significant positive relationship between bioaccumulation of Cu and Hg, and their concentration in water. In addition, the lead concentration in fish was not clearly associated with the presence of STPs. On the basis of morphometric parameters, the hepato-somatic index was the only one denoting significant differences between polluted and references sites. Given that fish are key elements in food webs, recreational fishing is practise in this area and that river water is used for agricultural purposes, we recommend long-term studies to analyze the impact of metal pollution in this river.
Notes:
L Benejam, C Alcaraz, J Benito, N Caiola, F Casals, A Maceda-Veiga, A De Sostoa, E GarcĂ­a-Berthou (2012)  Capturability and intercalibration of four electrofishing teams in Mediterranean streams   FISHERIES RESEARCH  
Abstract: The knowledge of capture efficiency and side effects of electrofishing is essential for research and monitoring of stream fish populations. Differences amongst electrofishing crews have hardly been investigated and are particularly important given the on-going implementation of the Water Framework Directive and wide-ranging exchange of data worldwide. We aimed to assess fish catchability in Mediterranean streams and to compare four electrofishing crews (with minor differences in gears used) and their shortterm effects on fish populations. In eight different sites, we compared two adjacent stations, one sampled with conventional single-pass catch-effort data and the other closed with block nets and with four-pass removal estimates. We used a Williams’ cross-over design to estimate the independent effects of repeated sampling in four consecutive days, site and crew and also to assess a potential carry-over effect. We modelled capture probability and estimated population size using program MARK and an informationtheoretic framework. Our results show that electrofishing was generally efficient in these reaches, with 50–100% of the species and of 40–60% of the individuals captured in a single pass. The CPUE was significantly higher at sites blocked with nets than at open sites, but observed richness was not significantly different. Capture probability was generally not constant along removal passes and increased with fish size. Observed fish richness and species composition did not depend on electrofishing crew and fishing day and there was no significant carryover effect. There were, however, significant differences in singlepass CPUE estimates amongst electrofishing crews, after accounting for other sources of variation. There was also a significant carry-over effect, surprisingly with increasing fish captured after fishing by specific crews. Overall, our results suggest that although capture probability depends heavily on a number of factors (such as species, size, and sampling site) and needs careful consideration, the effect of electrofishing crew is negligible for assessment of species richness and composition but considerable for fish abundance.
Notes:
2011
2010
2009

Book chapters

2010
2007
2006
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