Xabier Irigoien

Ikerbasque Research Professor, AZTI

Ikerbasque Research Professor at AZTI.

Research line:

Plankton ecology, planktonic trophic webs and factor affecting fish recruitment.

Founding Director of the Ocean Science and Solutions Applied Research Institute (OSSARI) at NEOM.

Previous research experience in “Instituto de Ciencias del Mar” (CSIC, Spain), “Plymouth Marine Laboratory” (1996-2000, United Kingdom) and “Southampton Oceanography Center” (2000-2002,United Kingdom) and AZTI (Spain) from 2002 to 2011 before joining King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST, Saudi Arabia) in 2011. Head of the Biological Oceanography & living resources section in AZTI from 2004 to 2011 and Director of the Red Sea Research Center in KAUST from 2011 to 2016.

PhD in Oceanography (1994) from the University of Bordeaux I (France).

Argitalpenak
Zuzendaritza ekintzak

2025

Article / Contrasting diversity patterns using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures deployed in pelagic vs. benthic environments

Continental Shelf Research

Villarino, E.; Lanzén, A.; Rodriguez-Ezpeleta, N.; Mendibil, I.; Borja, A.; Muxika, I.; Irigoien, X.; Garmendia, J.M.; Chust, G.

2024

Article / Identification of suspicious behavior through anomalies in the tracking data of fishing vessels

EPJ Data Science

Rodríguez, J.P.; Irigoien, X.; Duarte, C.M.; Eguíluz, V.M.

Article / Economic trade-offs of harvesting the ocean twilight zone: An ecosystem services approach

Ecosystem Services

Prellezo, R.; Corrales, X.; Andonegi, E.; Bald, C.; Fernandes-Salvador, J.A.; Iñarra, B.; Irigoien, X.; Martin, A.; Murillas-Maza, A.; Tasdemir, D.

2023

Article / Responses to organic pollutants in the tropical Pacific and subtropical Atlantic Oceans by pelagic marine bacteria

Frontiers in Environmental Science

Vila-Costa, M.; Lundin, D.; Fernández-Pinos, M.C.; Iriarte, J.; Irigoien, X.; Piña, B.; Dachs, J.

2022

Article / Plankton digital twins - a new research tool

Journal of Plankton Research

Flynn, K.J.; Torres, R.; Irigoien, X.; Blackford, J.C.; Dolan, J.

Article / Global beta diversity patterns of microbial communities in the surface and deep ocean

Global Ecology and Biogeography

Villarino, E.; Watson, J.R.; Chust, G.; Woodill, A.J.; Klempay, B.; Jonsson, B.; Gasol, J.M.; Logares, R.; Massana, R.; Giner, C.R.; Salazar, G.; Alvarez-Salgado, X.A.; Catala, T.S.; Duarte, C.M.; Agusti, S.; Mauro, F.; Irigoien, X.; Barton, A.D.

Article / Comparative metagenomics of phytoplankton blooms after nutrient enrichment of oligotrophic marine waters

Metabarcoding and Metagenomics

Pearman, J.K.; Casas, L.; Michell, C.; Aldanondo, N.; Mojib, N.; Holtermann, K.; Georgakakis, I.; Curdia, J.; Carvalho, S.; Gusti, A.; Irigoien, X.

2021

Article / Reply to: Shark mortality cannot be assessed by fishery overlap alone

Nature

Queiroz et al

Article / Reply to: Caution over the use of ecological big data for conservation

Nature

Queiroz et al

Article / Genomic landscape of geographically structured colour polymorphism in a temperate marine fish

Molecular Ecology

Casas, L.; Saenz-Agudelo, P.; Villegas-Ríos, D.; Irigoien, X.; Saborido-Rey, F.

Article / Subseafloor Archaea reflect 139 kyrs of paleodepositional changes in the northern Red Sea

Geobiology

More, K.D.; Wuchter, C.; Irigoien, X.; Tierney, J.E.; Giosan, L.; Grice, K.; Coolen, M.J.L.

Article / The global network of ports supporting high seas fishing

Science Advances

Rodríguez, J.P.; Fernández-Gracia, J.; Duarte, C.M.; Irigoien, X.; Eguíluz, V.M.

Data Paper / The Simrad EK60 echosounder dataset from the Malaspina circumnavigation

Scientific Data

Irigoien, X.; Klevjer, T.; Martinez, U.; Boyra, G.; Røstad, A.; Wittmann, A.C.; Duarte, C.M.; Kaartvedt, S.; Brierley, A.S.; Proud, R.

Letter / Vertical stratification of environmental DNA in the open ocean captures ecological patterns and behavior of deep-sea fishes

Limnology And Oceanography Letters

Canals, O.; Mendibil, I.; Santos, M.; Irigoien, X.; Rodríguez-Ezpeleta, N.

2020

Article / Subseafloor Archaea reflect 139 kyrs of paleo-depositional changes in the northern Red Sea.

Geobiology

More, K., C. Wuchter, X. Irigoien, J. Tierney, L. Giosan, K. Grice. M. J.L. Coolen

Article / Large deep-sea zooplankton biomass mirrors primary production in the global ocean

Nature Communications

HERNANDEZ-LEON, S., KOPPELMANN, R., FRAILE-NUEZ, E., BODE, A., MOMPEAN, C., IRIGOIEN, X., OLIVAR, P., ECHEVARRIA, F., FERNANDEZ DE PUELLES, M.L., GONZALEZ-GORDILLO, J., COZAR, A., ACUÑA, J.L., AGUSTI, S., DUARTE, C.

Article / Large deep-sea zooplankton biomass mirrors primary production in the global ocean

Nature Communications

Hernández-León, S.; Koppelmann, R.; Fraile-Nuez, E.; Bode, A.; Mompeán, C.; Irigoien, X.; Olivar, M.P.; Echevarría, F.; Fernández de Puelles, M.L.; González-Gordillo, J.I.; Cózar, A.; Acuña, J.L.; Agustí, S.; Duarte, C.M.

Article / Composition, uniqueness and connectivity across tropical coastal lagoon habitats in the Red Sea

BMC Ecology

Alsaffar, Z.; Cúrdia, J.; Irigoien, X.; Carvalho, S.

Article / Pan-regional marine benthic cryptobiome biodiversity patterns revealed by metabarcoding Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures

Molecular Ecology

Pearman, J.K.; Chust, G.; Aylagas, E.; Villarino, E.; Watson, J.R.; Chenuil, A.; Borja, A.; Cahill, A.E.; Carugati, L.; Danovaro, R.; David, R.; Irigoien, X.; Mendibil, I.; Moncheva, S.; Rodríguez-Ezpeleta, N.; Uyarra, M.C.; Carvalho, S.

Article / Marine water environmental DNA metabarcoding provides a comprehensive fish diversity assessment and reveals spatial patterns in a large oceanic area

Ecology and Evolution

Fraija-Fernández, N.; Bouquieaux, M.C.; Rey, A.; Mendibil, I.; Cotano, U.; Irigoien, X.; Santos, M.; Rodríguez-Ezpeleta, N.

Article / Picocyanobacteria Community and Cyanophage Infection Responses to Nutrient Enrichment in a Mesocosms Experiment in Oligotrophic Waters

Frontiers in Microbiology

Coello-Camba, A.; Diaz-Rua, R.; Duarte, C.M.; Irigoien, X.; Pearman, J.K.; Alam, I.S.; Agusti, S.

Article / Response of copepod communities to ocean warming in three time-series across the north atlantic and mediterranean sea

Marine Ecology Progress Series

Villarino, E.; Irigoien, X.; Villate, F.; Iriarte, A.; Uriarte, I.; Zervoudaki, S.; Carstensen, J.; O'Brien, T.D.; Chust, G.

Article / Seasonal variability and vertical distribution of autotrophic and heterotrophic picoplankton in the Central Red Sea

PeerJ

Al-Otaibi, N.; Huete-Stauffer, T.M.; Calleja, M.L.; Irigoien, X.; Morán, X.A.G.

2019

Book / Coral Reefs of the Red Sea

C.R. Voolstra, M.L. Berumen

BERUMEN, M.L, VOOLSTRA, C.R., DAFFONCHIO, D., AGUSTI, S., ARANDA, M., IRIGOIEN, X., JONES, B.H., MORAN, X.A.G., DUARTE, C.M.

Article / xLong?term impacts of the 1997?1998 bleaching event on the growth and resilience of massive Porites corals from the central Red Sea

Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems

D’OLIVO, J.P. , GEORGIOU, L., FALTER, J., DeCARLO T.M., IRIGOIEN, X, VOOLSTRA, C.R., RODER, C., TROTTER, J., McCULLOCH M

Article / Scaling of species distribution explains the vast potential marine prokaryote diversity

Scientific Reports

Eguíluz, V.M.; Salazar, G.; Fernández-Gracia, J.; Pearman, J.K.; Gasol, J.M.; Acinas, S.G.; Sunagawa, S.; Irigoien, X.; Duarte, C.M.

Article / Target Strength and swimbladder morphology of Mueller’s pearlside (Maurolicus muelleri)

Scientific Reports

Sobradillo, B.; Boyra, G.; Martinez, U.; Carrera, P.; Peña, M.; Irigoien, X.

Article / Food from the ocean; towards a research agenda for sustainable use of our oceans’ natural resources

Marine Policy

van Hoof, L.; Fabi, G.; Johansen, V.; Steenbergen, J.; Irigoien, X.; Smith, S.; Lisbjerg, D.; Kraus, G.

Article / Long-Term Impacts of the 1997–1998 Bleaching Event on the Growth and Resilience of Massive Porites Corals From the Central Red Sea

Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems

D'Olivo, J.P.; Georgiou, L.; Falter, J.; DeCarlo, T.M.; Irigoien, X.; Voolstra, C.R.; Roder, C.; Trotter, J.; McCulloch, M.T.

Article / Consistent variability in beta-diversity patterns contrasts with changes in alpha-diversity along an onshore to offshore environmental gradient: the case of Red Sea soft-bottom macrobenthos

Marine Biodiversity

Alsaffar, Z.; Cúrdia, J.; Borja, A.; Irigoien, X.; Carvalho, S.

Article / Zooplankton abundance and diversity in the tropical and subtropical ocean

Diversity

de Puelles, M.L.F.; Gazá, M.; Cabanellas-Reboredo, M.; Santandreu, M.d.M.; Irigoien, X.; González-Gordillo, J.I.; Duarte, C.M.; Hernández-León, S.

2018

Article / Remobilization of heavy metals by mangrove leaves

Frontiers in Marine Science

Almahasheer, H.; Serrano, O.; Duarte, C.M.; Irigoien, X.

Article / Carbon stocks and accumulation rates in Red Sea seagrass meadows

Scientific Reports

Serrano, O.; Almahasheer, H.; Duarte, C.M.; Irigoien, X.

Article / High-Throughput Sequencing and Linkage Mapping of a Clownfish Genome Provide Insights on the Distribution of Molecular Players Involved in Sex Change

Scientific Reports

Casas, L.; Saenz-Agudelo, P.; Irigoien, X.

Article / Large-scale ocean connectivity and planktonic body size

Nature Communications

Villarino, E.; Watson, J.R.; Jönsson, B.; Gasol, J.M.; Salazar, G.; Acinas, S.G.; Estrada, M.; Massana, R.; Logares, R.; Giner, C.R.; Pernice, M.C.; Olivar, M.P.; Citores, L.; Corell, J.; Rodríguez-Ezpeleta, N.; Acuña, J.L.; Molina-Ramírez, A.; González-Gordillo, J.I.; Cózar, A.; Martí, E.; Cuesta, J.A.; Agustí, S.; Fraile-Nuez, E.; Duarte, C.M.; Irigoien, X.; Chust, G.

Article / The mesopelagic scattering layer: A hotspot for heterotrophic prokaryotes in the Red Sea twilight zone

Frontiers in Marine Science

Calleja, M.L.; Ansari, M.I.; Røstad, A.; Silva, L.; Kaartvedt, S.; Irigoien, X.; Morán, X.A.G.

Article / Leaf nutrient resorption and export Fluxes of Avicennia marina in the Central Red Sea Area

Frontiers in Marine Science

Almahasheer, H.; Duarte, C.M.; Irigoien, X.

2017

Article / Low Carbon sink capacity of Red Sea mangroves

Scientific Reports

Almahasheer, H.; Serrano, O.; Duarte, C.M.; Arias-Ortiz, A.; Masque, P.; Irigoien, X.

Article / Climate oscillations reflected within the microbiome of Arabian Sea sediments

Scientific Reports

Orsi, W.D.; Coolen, M.J.L.; Wuchter, C.; He, L.; More, K.D.; Irigoien, X.; Chust, G.; Johnson, C.; Hemingway, J.D.; Lee, M.; Galy, V.; Giosan, L.

Article / Metabarcoding reveals seasonal and temperature-dependent succession of zooplankton communities in the red sea

Frontiers in Marine Science

Casas, L.; Pearman, J.K.; Irigoien, X.

Article / Exploring the larval fish community of the central Red Sea with an integrated morphological and molecular approach

PLoS ONE

Isari, S.; Pearman, J.K.; Casas, L.; Michell, C.T.; Curdia, J.; Berumen, M.L.; Irigoien, X.

Article / Global patterns in mangrove soil carbon stocks and losses

Nature Climate Change

Atwood, T.B.; Connolly, R.M.; Almahasheer, H.; Carnell, P.E.; Duarte, C.M.; Lewis, C.J.E.; Irigoien, X.; Kelleway, J.J.; Lavery, P.S.; Macreadie, P.I.; Serrano, O.; Sanders, C.J.; Santos, I.; Steven, A.D.L.; Lovelock, C.E.

Article / Light penetration structures the deep acoustic scattering layers in the global ocean

Science Advances

Aksnes, D.L.; Røstad, A.; Kaartvedt, S.; Martinez, U.; Duarte, C.M.; Irigoien, X.

Article / The Arctic Ocean as a dead end for floating plastics in the North Atlantic branch of the Thermohaline Circulation

Science Advances

Cózar, A.; Martí, E.; Duarte, C.M.; García-de-Lomas, J.; Van Sebille, E.; Ballatore, T.J.; Eguíluz, V.M.; Ignacio González-Gordillo, J.; Pedrotti, M.L.; Echevarría, F.; Troublè, R.; Irigoien, X.

Article / A bacterial community-based index to assess the ecological status of estuarine and coastal environments

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Aylagas, E.; Borja, Á.; Tangherlini, M.; Dell'Anno, A.; Corinaldesi, C.; Michell, C.T.; Irigoien, X.; Danovaro, R.; Rodríguez-Ezpeleta, N.

Article / Pushing the limits of photoreception in twilight conditions: The rod-like cone retina of the deep-sea pearlsides

Science Advances

De Busserolles, F.; Cortesi, F.; Helvik, J.V.; Davies, W.I.L.; Templin, R.M.; Sullivan, R.K.P.; Michell, C.T.; Mountford, J.K.; Collin, S.P.; Irigoien, X.; Kaartvedt, S.; Marshall, J.

2016

Article / Transcriptome analysis deciphers evolutionary mechanisms underlying genetic differentiation between coastal and offshore anchovy populations in the Bay of Biscay

Marine Biology

Montes, I.; Zarraonaindia, I.; Iriondo, M.; Grant, W.S.; Manzano, C.; Cotano, U.; Conklin, D.; Irigoien, X.; Estonba, A.

Article / No loss of genetic diversity in the exploited and recently collapsed population of Bay of Biscay anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus, L.)

Marine Biology

Montes, I.; Iriondo, M.; Manzano, C.; Santos, M.; Conklin, D.; Carvalho, G.R.; Irigoien, X.; Estonba, A.

Article / Phenology and Growth dynamics of Avicennia marina in the Central Red Sea

Scientific Reports

Almahasheer, H.; Duarte, C.M.; Irigoien, X.

Article / Sex Change in Clownfish: Molecular Insights from Transcriptome Analysis

Scientific Reports

Casas, L.; Saborido-Rey, F.; Ryu, T.; Michell, C.; Ravasi, T.; Irigoien, X.

Article / Nutrient limitation in central red sea mangroves

Frontiers in Marine Science

Almahasheer, H.; Duarte, C.M.; Irigoien, X.