GIBE is a multidisciplinary group comprising research personnel with an extensive track record in molecular biology, genetics and ecology. The various competencies developed by the group members enable them to take on and resolve research projects applied to industry, the environment, biodiversity and conservation, fishing, agriculture and biomedicine.

The group’s basic research lines focus on: (1) the evolution of floral traits and the evolutionary history of populations and species of Gramineae, (2) the evolution of characters in the life history of amphibians and reptiles, (3) the genetic differentiation of populations of terrestrial and marine organisms, (4) the conservation and management of biological populations and communities, particularly birds, amphibians, reptiles and crustaceans (5) the interactions between hosts and guests, (6) the interactions between human society and wildlife, (7) the evolution of retroviral-type mobile elements in different species, including humans, (8) the structure and function of ribosomes, with particular attention to the pathogenic potential of mutations in human mitochondrial ribosomal protein genes, (9) the development of methodologies to elucidate the differences in the gene expression patterns in different individuals (ribosome profiling), (10) the phylogeny of the peroxidases responsible for lignification, as well as the regulation of their expression, and (11) the analysis and characterization of lignines in different taxonomic groups.

The GIBE is able to develop and apply different methodologies in the area of biotechnology: molecular cytogenetics, development of molecular markers, identification of organisms, sexing of poultry, in vitro plant cultures, plant transformation, purification of proteins and proteomic analyses, gene expression analysis.

In the last five years, the group has carried out and continues to conduct the following research projects:

1. Management of the exploitation of barnacles: study of the interaction between environmental factors and gene expression, and starting to draw up the linkage map.
   
2. Assessment of the impact of the fresh fish manipulation and conservation practices on post mortem parasite migrations: molecular analysis.
   
3. Development of markers and molecular diversity analysis in populations of the Palaemon serratus prawn: applications in the conservation and sustainable commercial exploitation.
   
4. Multi-genomic evolution of temperate Gramineae (Pooideae, Poaceae). Biogeography and phylogeography of model species of Pooideae (Festuca, Anthoxanthum, Brachypodium, Bromus) in the Old World.
   
5. Development and application of analytical and molecular techniques for the study of nutraceutic compounds in peppers and onions.
   
6. Improvement in the added value of traditional Galician varieties of peppers and onions, and analysis of their strategic and commercial potential as a local brand inherent to Galicia.
   
7. Genetics of the conservation of the protected moth Graellsia isabellae.
   
8. Development of a Pipeline to Monitor Global Gene Expression Via Ribosome Profiling, to measure the overall gene expression in cells infected by dengue fever virus, in collaboration with the Department of Virology and Infectious Diseases Naval Medical Unit nº 6 (NAMRU 6) of the United States Navy.
   
9. Use of the Ribosome Profiling technique for studying the gene expression patterns related to human diseases.
   
10. Analysis of mutations in mitochondrial RNAr genes associated with human diseases.

_{Este grupo de investigación participa en el Programa Oficial de Doctorado en "Biotecnología Avanzada"}