The FPU activities target mainly the study the influence of solar radiation on aquatic organisms from an ecophysiological perspective. Other investigations are made about the potential effects of global change as the increase of temperature, ph and CO2 on these organisms and food relations.
Investigations include experiments, in situ field work in different latitudes, and under controlled conditions in the laboratory.
One of the lines of research refers to Animal Ecology, where the organisms that act as secondary consumers and / or producers, including their relations with the physical environment, and their potential predators and food are studied. Nowadays, studies are focused on fishes, zooplankton and zoobentos in sea/salt and fresh water environments.
The other line of research includes the Ecophysiology and Photobiology of Aquatic Autotrophic Organisms, where the effects of some variables associated with global change such as ultraviolet radiation, temperature and the increase of nutrients concentration on several metabolic processes of photosynthetic aquatic organisms, mainly phytoplankton are studied.
