In the last 8 years, Prof. Marcelo Moretti has been coordinating the Laboratory of Aquatic Insect Ecology (LEIA) of the Universidade Vila Velha (UVV). The projects developed by our research team have assessed the ecology of aquatic invertebrates, the behavior of typical insect shredders and ecological processes in streams of the Atlantic Forest biome (Espírito Santo, SE Brazil). We have sought to identify and understand the environmental factors that influence the distribution of invertebrate communities and their role in key ecosystem processes, including litter decomposition. These studies included functional characterizations of aquatic invertebrates and their trophic ecology and addressed the role of macroconsumers (e.g., freshwater crabs and shrimp) on aquatic invertebrate communities. More recently, we have also dedicated to the study of microbial decomposers. These research projects have been funded by the Research Foundation of the State of Espírito Santo (FAPES) and the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).

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Since 2014, Prof. Marcelo Moretti is part of the Editorial Board of the scientific journal Hydrobiologia - The International Journal of Aquatic Sciences, as well as acting as a reviewer of scientific journals and funding agencies. The applicant is also a CNPq Research Productivity Fellow (Level 2). In relation to the Management Activities developed at Universidade Vila Velha, the proponent was Coordinator of the Technological Undergraduate Course in Environmental Management from 2010 to 2012, Institutional Coordinator of Research and Postgraduate Studies at the Pro-Rectory of Research, Postgraduate Studies and Extension from 2016 to 2017 and currently holds the position of Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Ecosystem Ecology.