Facilities

Space authorized by the Nuclear Safety Council (code IRA-3529) as a third-category radioactive facility, equipped with a portable X-ray generator and an area monitor with acoustic and visual alarms. X-rays are performed here to obtain high-resolution morphological profiles of vertebrate species studied by the animal behavior research group, such as medium- and small-sized reptiles, as well as radiographic monitoring of solitary bee nest development by the pollinator networks research group.

Space dedicated to the visualization and analysis of biological samples, equipped with binocular magnifiers and general-use optical microscopes, some of which have cameras attached for image documentation and analysis. These instruments are essential for species identification and their remains.

The laboratory is complemented by an additional space equipped with more specialized microscopes, such as an immersion and phase-contrast optical microscope and an inverted microscope, designed for the detailed study of aquatic microorganisms and their remains present in sediments. The microscopy equipment is also used for the identification of different types of fossil remains (macrofossils, pollen grains) and charcoals from ancient sediments, within the framework of paleoecological research.

This space also has two incubators intended for the culture of aquatic microorganisms, which allow controlled assays and experimental studies with the species maintained in them. In addition, it is equipped with a portable Nikon XRF (X-ray fluorescence) analyzer, which enables non-destructive geochemical analysis of sediments (such as heavy metals) for paleoecology studies, as well as applications in soil science and in the exploration and assessment of environmental contamination.

The chemistry laboratory is specialized in the extraction and analysis of various chemical components. It is equipped with key instruments, such as two lyophilizers, which allow the dehydration of samples while preserving their chemical composition; a sonicator, which uses ultrasounds to break cell membranes or disperse solid particles; a spectrophotometer; a muffle furnace; and a fume hood. It is also the space where most of the center’s chemical reagents are stored, with safety cabinets and centralized extraction systems.

One of the main activities of the laboratory is the extraction of cellulose from wood samples, an essential technique in dendrochronology studies and in paleoclimate reconstruction through isotopic analysis.

The laboratory has an additional space equipped with two fume hoods specifically designed for acid digestions with strong acids, such as nitric, perchloric, or sulfuric acid. These digestions are used to mineralize solid samples and analyze nutrients or heavy metals, in the context of biogeochemistry and environmental contamination studies, ensuring safety during the handling of highly corrosive substances and containment of generated vapors. The space also includes digestion blocks to facilitate these processes, a conventional distiller, and a Kjeldahl distiller, useful for determining nitrogen in soils and waters.

This space is dedicated to the analysis of biogenic or environmental gases and volatile compounds. It has a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC/MS), with injectors for liquid and gaseous samples and a capacity for 98 vials, ideal for the detailed analysis of complex mixtures of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The laboratory also has a Proton Transfer Reaction – Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) system, a highly sensitive mass spectrometry technique that allows the detection and quantification of VOCs in real time with minimal sample preparation. This technology is especially useful in the study of plant–plant, plant–animal, and plant–atmosphere interactions, and in the analysis of ecophysiological and biogeochemical processes such as plant or microbial emissions, air quality, and gas fluxes in ecosystems.

This laboratory specializes in analyzing the quality of rainwater, rivers, freshwater bodies, spring ecosystems, and soil leachates. It is equipped with an anion and cation chromatograph to determine concentrations of nutrients and contaminants, as well as instruments such as pH meters, conductivity meters, orbital shakers, sample processing ovens, and a multimodal spectrophotometer with a plate reader. The latter allows absorbance, fluorescence, and luminescence detection, remotely controlled via web software, and is ideal for ELISA assays, biomolecule quantification, and cellular or enzymatic activity studies. Together, these instruments allow the analysis of key biochemical and physicochemical parameters for the characterization and monitoring of ecosystems in environmental studies.

Additionally, the laboratory has a space for experimental bryophyte cultivation, used as models to study competition and colonization by vascular plants in terrestrial ecosystems, providing relevant data in plant ecology.

The CREAF also has a system of passive rain and snow collectors, equipped with ion-exchange resin cartridges, designed to estimate atmospheric deposition of pollutants in remote areas, especially in the Pyrenees. These data are key to understanding atmospheric pollution and its effects on natural ecosystems.

This laboratory is a small space with controlled positive pressure and air conditioning, dedicated exclusively to stable isotope analysis using a high-precision, high-sensitivity PICARRO system. The G2201-i Cavity Ring-Down Spectrometer simultaneously measures the concentration and isotopic composition of CO₂ and CH₄ (δ¹³C and δD) in continuous real-time flow, allowing the study of greenhouse gas fluxes, biogeochemical processes, and respiration dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems.

This laboratory has the infrastructure necessary to apply molecular techniques in the study of ecological and evolutionary questions. The equipment and facilities are constantly adapted to the needs of the users, with common activities including DNA and RNA extraction and DNA amplification through PCR.

The laboratory is equipped with key molecular biology instruments, such as a thermocycler for 96-well plates, three centrifuges (two refrigerated with interchangeable rotors), and a precision balance for sample preparation. It also has a laminar flow hood ensuring sterile conditions, vortex mixers, a metal-block thermostatic bath for incubations, a 12 L benchtop autoclave for material sterilization, and horizontal electrophoresis systems for DNA fragment separation.

This laboratory is complemented by a space maintained at 20 °C, equipped with freezers and ultrafreezers for long-term storage of biological samples.

Subsequent analyses using sequencing or genotyping techniques are carried out in collaboration with external platforms specialized in genomic research.

This laboratory focuses on the study of biological attributes that determine the structure of plant–pollinator ecological networks and how their composition, function, and resilience are affected by landscape heterogeneity, interannual phenological variability, and global change disturbances, such as habitat fragmentation or temperature increases.

Methodologies used include the identification of pollinating insects with binocular magnifiers and the development of ecotoxicity assays under controlled laboratory, semi-field, and field conditions. These assays evaluate both lethal and sublethal effects of agrochemicals on bees in Mediterranean agricultural environments.

The laboratory also has five controlled-condition incubators, where bees are exposed to variable temperature cycles to simulate changing environmental scenarios. In addition, it has a dedicated climate-controlled space for the preservation of the research group’s pollinator insect collection, which contains thousands of specimens representing around 1,400 species.

This laboratory is dedicated to studying forest–environment interactions and reconstructing past climatic conditions through tree-ring analysis and isotopic chemistry. Using wood samples extracted with Pressler borers or cross-sections, the laboratory evaluates forest responses to climatic changes—both natural and anthropogenic—and reconstructs climate scenarios prior to instrumental records. Methodologies include measuring ring widths, analyzing wood density, and studying cellulose isotopic composition (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O), key indicators for understanding environmental processes such as water stress or resource availability.

The laboratory is equipped with stereomicroscopes (binocular magnifiers) for detailed ring observation, high-resolution image capture systems (scanner and camera), and infrastructure for large-scale data storage. It includes a wood sample preparation room with polishers of different sizes, allowing work on small cylindrical cores or complete trunk sections. Dendroarchaeology studies are also conducted to date beams and historical structures, determining wood origin and providing chronological and environmental context for ancient constructions.

Additionally, the laboratory has a humidity-controlled space for preserving over 7,500 cores of Mediterranean tree species, a fundamental collection for ecological and climatic research in the region.

This laboratory studies plant and ecosystem functional responses to environmental disturbances associated with global change, such as drought or extreme temperatures. Measures of plant water status are conducted, including water potentials (using Scholander-type pressure chambers or Meter WP4C hygrometers), osmotic potentials (with osmometers), as well as conductivity and vulnerability to embolism in vascular tissues using the Xyl’EM system. Specialized data acquisition systems and sensors are also prepared to continuously monitor eco-physiological variables under field conditions, such as sap flow or microvariations in trunk radius.

The laboratory is equipped with portable gas exchange systems LI-COR LI-6400XT, LI-COR LI-6800, and LI-COR LI-600, which allow highly precise measurements of stomatal conductance, carbon assimilation, transpiration, and respiration at the leaf-level.

This laboratory investigates the ecological and evolutionary consequences of predator invasions, integrating analysis scales from genetic modifications to ecosystem-level changes. The arrival of alien predator species can transform how native prey interact with their environment, causing alterations in diet, morphology, behavior, and cognition.

Part of the research takes advantage of a unique “natural experiment” on the island of Ibiza, where the recent invasion of exotic snakes provides an opportunity to understand how predation pressure affects cognitive evolution and the behavior of endemic lizards. The research combines high-resolution morphological profiles obtained with X-ray radiographs, behavioral tests, and state-of-the-art genomic tools, in collaboration with specialized external platforms.

The laboratory also conducts dissections of predator and prey species, some under binocular magnifiers, to assess the size and structure of specific organs, such as the brain, and to obtain samples for genomic analyses.