Postdoc (UB/IRBIO)
Daniel is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Universitat de Barcelona (UB) and The Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), currently focusing on the characterization of the upper mesophotic coral assemblages in Santo Antão, Cabo Verde (Atlantic Ocean).
His research focuses broadly on exploring coral ecosystem biodiversity and understanding how these ecosystems respond to global change. To achieve this, he employs a multidisciplinary approach, integrating long-term field monitoring, aquaria experiments, ecological theory, and quantitative tools such as trait-based analyses. His work spans multiple levels of ecological organization, providing a comprehensive perspective on coral community dynamics. Daniel also coordinates the Class Octocorallia for the global CoralTrait database initiative (www.coraltraits.org).
He earned his PhD in 2021 at ICM-CSIC / UB, where he investigated the responses of Mediterranean coralligenous assemblages to climate change. He also spent a year as a postdoctoral researcher at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (University of Hawaii, USA), where he worked on developing a global octocoral trait database.
Selected articles:
- Gómez-Gras D, Linares C, Dornelas M, Madin JS, Brambilla V, et al. 2021a. Climate change transforms the functional identity of Mediterranean coralligenous assemblages. Ecol. Lett. 24:1038–51
- Gómez-Gras D, Linares C, López-Sanz A, Amate R, Ledoux JB, et al. 2021b. Population collapse of habitat- forming species in the Mediterranean: a long-term study of gorgonian populations affected by recurrentmarine heatwaves. Proc. R. Soc. B 288:20212384
Contact: danielgomezgras@ub.edu / danielgomezgras@gmail.com
Bluesky: @danigomezgras.bsky.social
ResearchGate: Daniel Gómez Gras