The transition towards a more sustainable society that helps mitigate global climate change is currently being led by the development of a bioeconomy based on the use of biomass as a basic and renewable raw material. In this context, our group's main line of research is to develop processes to obtain biofuels and value-added products from the main components of lignocellulosic biomass using not only wood and non-wood raw materials, but also forest and agricultural residues.

The main objective of our group is to understand the regulation mechanisms of the immune response in fish, especially those triggered in response to viral or parasitic infections. Our research pretends to use this increased knowledge of the resistance mechanisms in fish to design more effective antiviral vaccines, as well as novel molecular adjuvants. Specifically, we study the regulation of B lymphocytes, responsible for antibody production and dendritic cells implicated in the onset of adaptive immunity, as well as chemokines as mediators of leukocyte mobilization

We investigate the impact of management practices on agroecosystem services, including crop productivity, soil fertility and biodiversity, arable weed diversity, carbon and nitrogen sequestration, and the control of greenhouse gas emissions, supported by the application of precision agriculture and new technologies such as AI.

Comparative spermatology and cryobiology. In our work with wild species (mammal and avian species) our aims fall under the headings of their reproductive physiology and its application in conservation (germplasm banks) and sustainability. Bridges between wild animal reproduction and domestic animals reproductive technologies. Application in conservation of threatened breeds.

Our work is oriented towards ticks and tick-borne diseases. We advise on identification, sampling, design control protocols, study resistance to acaricides and the acaricidal or repellent effect of new natural products as well as their competence and vectorial capacity with alternative methods in animal experimentation. Our main contributions to society are the following: i. we have demonstrated the transmission of the nematode A. dracunculoides by R. sanguineus, of the protozoan T. equi by R. bursa, and of the zoonotic bacterium C. burnetii by H. lusitanicum, ii. We have identified D.

Group Leader Joaquin Medina In nature, plants usually grow in soil that contains very low amounts of macronutrients like Nitrogen and Sulphur or conditions with an unbalanced proportion of both macronutrients. To adapt and grow in nutrient-deprived environments, plants have developed sophisticated strategies and molecular mechanisms.

We study biodiversity all biological levels and spatial and temporal scales, with a special focus on mountain ecosystems and the impact of global change. We investigate the mechanisms of diversification of populations and species using genetic and phenotypic data, and community variability along elevational gradients, using long series and inventories of biodiversity data, both in the Cantabrian Mountains and in other European or extra-European mountain regions.

The group is mainly focused on agriculture in a broad sense, aiming at a multidisciplinary approach to specific problems in the agri-food industry. A plant breeding line based on the study of natural variability and the generation of mapping populations and saturated linkage maps of tomato devoted to improve fruit quality traits (organoleptic properties, nutraceuticals, external quality) and on resistance to several pests (spider mites, whiteflies) and diseases (insect-transmitted viruses). A second line is based on the study of the development of the epidermis and cuticle of tomato fruit and