Célia Villac
Name
Célia Villac
Position
Research Scientist
Section
Ecosystem Assessment and Restoration – Harmful Algal Blooms
Education
B.S. Oceanography, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
M.S. Geography, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Ph.D. Oceanography, Texas A&M University
Research Interests
Phytoplankton diversity and ecology, with emphasis in HAB species
Current Activity
I am interested in species-oriented processes. I investigate the composition and abundance of microalgae species in nature and try to identify their distributional patterns, at various space-time scales, in association with likely environmental controlling factors. Understanding the phytoplankton population dynamics of a given region may become a powerful predictive tool, a key component in HAB-event response. The use of light and electron microscopes are part of my daily routine, which focus on morphological characters. The interpretation of these results, however, is greatly enlightened by cooperation with those of other researchers in our HAB group who investigate the molecular make-up of the species of interest, as well as their ecophysiology, toxin production, and life cycles under controlled conditions.