Ana Rita Lopes

I am a marine biologist fascinated by how marine life copes with a rapidly changing world.

My research explores how climate change and emerging contaminants shape the physiology and behaviour of marine organisms, with a particular focus on fishes.

Working at the intersection of ecophysiology, behavioural ecology, and molecular biology, I study how environmental stressors affect early fish development and reproductive success, two decisive bottlenecks that shape survival, adaptation, and long-term population resilience.

More recently, my research has expanded beyond species-level responses to explore how environmental stressors disrupt ecologically relevant interactions, particularly mutualistic symbioses across taxa.

By integrating physiology, behaviour, and ecological context, I aim to understand not only how organisms respond to environmental stress, but how these responses scale up to influence ecosystem stability and resilience.

I am currently the Principal Investigator of the FCT-funded MicroToxFish project.