Staff - Marcelo Pavez

MARCELO PAVÉZ is a marine biologist and PhD
student. He received his undergraduate degree in Marine
Biology from Universidad de Concepcion. His thesis was
focused on the trophic ecology of the ctenophore
Pleurobrachia bachei in the coastal upwelling area of
Mejillones Bay, Northern Chile. At present, he is working
on his PhD thesis on the role of gelatinous zooplankton in
the trophodynamic and biogeochemical cycles of carbon
and nitrogen in coastal upwelling areas. In his thesis,
Marcelo is developing different feeding experiments with
the siphonophores Muggiaea atlantica and
Sphaeronectes gracilis. A topic of major interest is to
establish the trophic impact of siphonophores and
ctenophores on omnivorous zooplankton, as well as the
interplay between gelatinous food web and
classical/microbial loop food web in coastal regions. Most
of his research was developed during the field and
laboratory campaigns of the FONDECYT PROJECT 3040034
(COPOX Project).

Laboratory Skills

- Phytoplankton and microbial analysis under inverted
and epifluorescence microscopy.
- Size-fractionated photosynthethic pigments by
fluorometry.
- Zooplankton identification and mesozooplankton
biomass estimations
- Experience with live animals for plankton experiments
- Predations experiments with gelatinous carnivorous
zooplankton.
- Respiration rate estimations in planktonic organisms

Publications

González, H.E.; R. Giesecke; C.A. Vargas; M. A. Pavéz;
J.L. Iriarte; P. Santibańez; L. Castro; R. Escribano & F.
Pagés (2004) Carbon cycling through the pelagic food web
in the northern Humboldt Current off Chile (23 °S). ICES
Journal of Marine Science 61 (4): 572 – 584

Pavéz, M.A.; Castro, L.R. & González, H.E. 2006.
Across-shelf predatory effect of Pleurobrachia bachei
(Ctenophora) on the small-copepod community in the
coastal upwelling zone off northern Chile (23ş S). Journal
of Plankton Research 28 (2): 115 – 129

Vargas, C.A.; Martínez, R.; Cuevas, L.A.; Pavéz, M.;
Cartes, C.; González, H.E.; Escribano, R. & Daneri, G.
(2006) The relative importance of microbial and classical
food webs in a highly productive coastal upwelling area.
Limnology & Oceanography 52(4): 1495-1510