Dr. Alvaro Cabezas Functional Ecology & Biodiversity IPE-CSIC Av. Montañana 1005 50059 Zaragoza Spain			Tel: +34 976 716031 Fax: +34 976 716019 E-mail: acabezas@ipe.csic.es   Private homepage Blog
Research background   My research focuses on understanding the relationship between the river disturbance regime and different aspects of large river floodplains as landscape changes, hydrogeochemistry of surface waters, sediment, understory structure, wetland hydroperiod and accumulation of organic matter on the substrates.  All my research aims to understand how this systems work to suggest guidelines for a proper implementation of ecological restoration.   I am also interested on created wetlands for water quality enhancement and the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nitrogen in floodplains, including the emission of greenhouse gasses (CH4, CO2, NOx).   My main study methods include field surveys, GIS techniques for Landscape analyses, soil and water physico-chemical analyses, Cs-137 dating and multivariate statistics.
Academic milestones   - 2009. Department of Ecohydrology, IGB-Berlin (Germany). Grant: Caja de Ahorros de la Inmaculada (Programa Europa). Phosphorus dynamics at the subsurface of riparian areas: The floodplain of the river Spree (NE Germany). 6 months   - 2008. Department of Geography, University of Exeter (UK). Grant: Caja de Ahorros de la Inmaculada (Programa Europa). Carbon and Nitrogen accumulation using environmental radionuclides (Cs-137) and its relationship with hydrological dynamic at the Floodplains of Galachoz Natural Reserve (Zaragoza). 3 months.   - 2006. Department of Geography, Univeristy of Exeter (UK). Grant: Caja de Ahorros de la Inmaculada (Programa Europa). Historical sedimentation rates using environmental radionuclides (Cs-137) and its relationship with hydrological dynamic at the Floodplains of Galachoz Natural Reserve (Zaragoza). 1 week.
Selected publications   PAPERS IN PEER-REVIEWD INTERNATIONAL JOURNALS   - Cabezas A., Gonzalez-Sanchis M., Comín F.A. IN PREPARATION. Using continuous water level and temperature records to characterize hydrological connectivity at riparian wetlands.   - Cabezas A., Comín, FA., Walling D.E. UNDER REVIEW. Changing patterns of organic carbon and nitrogen accretion on the Middle Ebro floodplain (NE Spain). River research and applications.   - Gallardo B., González M., Cabezas A., Comín F.A., Gascón S. UNDER REVIEW. Modelling the response of floodplain aquatic communities across the lateral hydrological gradient. Marine and Freshwater Research.   - Cabezas A., Beguería S., Trabucchi M., Comín, F.A. IN PRESS. Hydrologic and Landscape changes in the Middle Ebro River: Implications for restoration and management. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences.   - Gallardo B., Gascón S., Cabezas A., García M., Comín F.A. IN PRESS. Relationship between macroinvertebrate traits and lateral environmental gradients in a regulated Mediterranean floodplain. Fundamental and Applied Limnology.   -  Cabezas A., Comín, FA. IN PRESS. Carbon and Nitrogen accretion at the top-soil of the middle Ebro floodplains: Implications for restoration and management. Ecological Engineering.   - Cabezas A., García M., Gallardo B., González E., González M., Comín, F.A. 2009. The effect of anthropogenic disturbance on the hydrochemical characteristics of riparian wetlands at the Middle Ebro River (NE Spain). Hidrobiologia. 617 (1): 101-116. (DOI: 10.1007/s10750-008-9531-9).   - Cabezas A., Comín FA., García M., Gallardo B., González E., González M. 2008. Effects of hydrological connectivity on the substrate and understory structure of riparian wetlands in the Middle Ebro River (NE Spain): Implications for restoration and management. Aquatic Sciences. 70:361-376 (DOI: 10.1007/s00027-008-8059-4).   - Gallardo, B., García M., Cabezas A., Ciancarelli, C., González, M., González E., Comín FA. 2008. Macroinvertebrate patterns along environmental and hydrological gradients within a regulated river floodplain. Aquatic Sciences. 70: 248-258.   -  Moreno D., Pedrocchi C., Comín F.A., García M., Cabezas A. 2007. “Creating wetlands for the improvement of water quality and landscape patterns restoration of degraded habitats in semi-arid environments”. Ecological engineering. 30(2), 103-111.     CONFERENCE ATTENDED   - INTECOL, International Wetlands Conference. Utrecht, The Netherlands. 25-30 July 2004. - WORLD CONFERENCE ON ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION. Zaragoza, Spain. 12-18 September 2005. - HYDROECHO: The Groundwater-Ecology connection. Karlovy-Bary (Check Republic), 11-14 September 2006. - WETPOL: Wetland pollution dynamics and control. Tartu, (Estonia) 16-20 september 2007. - INTECOL, Big Wetlands, Big Concerns. Cuiaba (Brasil). 25-30 July 2008.