LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés (LIENSs) - UMR 7266

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Mendez-Fernandez Paula

Université de La Rochelle
Section de Recherche : CNU 67 et 68
Institut référent : INEE

(2008-2012)
Feeding Ecology and Bioaccumulation status of Marine Mammal community from Galicia and Northern Portugal waters from Fatty acid, Trace element, Stable isotope and Organochlorines analyses.

(Curriculum vitae)
(Curriculum vitae)
Mots clés : Foraging ecology of top predators, Ecological niche, Chemical tracers, Persistent organic pollutants, Transfer of contaminants
Thèmes de Recherche.
My current research is mainly in marine biology and particularly on the foraging ecology of top predators, such as marine mammals and seabirds, but also on pollution, transfer of contaminants within food webs and bioaccumulation in marine animals. At the moment the geographical focus of my work includes NE Atlantic waters, especially the Iberian Peninsula and the Bay of Biscay, the English Channel and the island of Mayotte (SW Indian Ocean).

Principales collaborations

  • Graham John Pierce, Université d’Aberdeen, Oceanlab, UK
  • Maria Begoña Santos, Instituto Español de Oceanografia, Spain
  • Colin F. Moffat, Marine Laboratory Scotland, UK
  • Jeremy J. Kiszka, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, USA
  • SPVS, Sociedade Portuguesa de Vida Selvagem, Portugal
  • CEMMA, Coordinadora para o estudo dos Mamiferos Mariños, Spain
  • Observatoire Pelagis, UMS 3419, La Rochelle

    Publications représentatives de l’activité de Recherche :
  • Méndez-Fernandez P, Pierce GJ, Bustamante P, Chouvelon T, Ferreira M, González A, López A, Read F, Santos MB, Spitz J, Vingada JV, Caurant F (in press) Ecological niche segregation among five toothed whale species off the NW Iberian Peninsula using ecological tracers as multi-approach. Mar Biol
  • Méndez-Fernandez P, Bustamante P, Bode A, Chouvelon T, Ferreira M, López A, Pierce GJ, Santos MB, Spitz J, Vingada JV, Caurant F (2012) Foraging ecology of five toothed whale species in the Northwest Iberian Peninsula, inferred using carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 413 : 180-158
  • Chouvelon T, Spitz J, Caurant F, Méndez-Fernandez P, Chappuis A, Laugier F, Le Goff E, Bustamante P (2012) Revisiting the use of δ15N in meso-scale studies of marine food webs by considering spatio-temporal variations in stable isotopic signatures – The case of an open ecosystem : The Bay of Biscay (North-East Atlantic). Progr Oceanog 101 : 92-105
  • Caurant F, Chouvelon T, Lahaye V, Méndez-Fernandez P, Rogan E, Spitz J, Ridoux V (2009). The use of ecological tracers for discriminating populations : the case of the short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis in the European Atlantic waters. International Whaling Commission, SC61/SM/34 : 17 p
  • Diaz-Lopez B, Bernal-Shirai Ja, Bilbao-prieto A, Méndez-Fernandez P (2008) Diving activity of a solitary wild free ranging bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). J Mar Biol Assoc U K 88 : 1153-1157