Acknowledgments

Afinal decidi não apagar e vou so substituir os nomes por iniciais!

This is a place of acknowledgement where it is always difficult to express our true feelings. Nevertheless…

I would like to acknowledge my supervisor Dr. MC, for believing in me, for providing me guidance during the last years and for sharing her enthusiasm for deep-sea marine ecology with me. Thank you for all the opportunities to learn and travel and for your support…

Three persons were fundamental during this thesis: Dr. GO (National Museum of Wales) Dr. GP(Natural History Museum - London) and Dr. AW (Cardiff University) Thanks for everything, the discussion, the share ok knowledge, for being there and allowed me to enter in your world.

From Cardiff University I would like to acknowledge Dr. GW my microbiology teacher, for all the patience, all the chocolate, and all the Dr. Who DVD series and for his friendship.
From National Museum of Wales, thanks to Anna Holmes for all her availability and help.

From University of Aveiro I would like to thank Dr. AH, for all the enthusiasm, discussion and tennis lesson; AR for helping me with the worms; NP for being himself on each and every moment; to all the people working or that have worked at LEME during these years, specially ACS, P, B and SGO for listening me when I was talking with the vials and the animals…

During the last years I had the chance to participate on several cruises, which allowed me to collect samples but most important to grow as a marine biologist.
- Thanks to Dr. MI and the TTR programme that saw my first dives on the mud. From TTR cruises I also would like to acknowledge Dr. LP, Dr. VB and all the students that helped me searching the living creatures… 4 pm or 4 am they where there and I will not forget it. And of course I must ackowledge Dr. VM for introducing me to the GIS world and for the night classes and for his constant support.
- Bedankt naar Dr. HH de Kapitein KG en Meere medeStevens en van de studenten: BC, CVL, IR, KK, MR, M, MR en ST die mij boord helpen en maakte die onvergetelijk rondrijden.
- Merci a Dr. JS et Dr. KO par le opportunité de participer dans une “cinq-étoile” campagne océanographique avec le bateau Porquoi’pas (IFREMER) et regarder VICTOR ROV dans action. Merci aussi a BR, MB, AC et EB.
We shouldn’t thank a friendship; we should give it back… Nevertheless there are some persons that I cannot forget and I should mention here:
- AMS for listening all my complains and for her constant support, my first steps as a scientist were next to her and her friendship is very important to me;
- JB than even emigrant follow the process and was always there to say a comfort word;
- Leiria team: AO, AR, TV and VD, distance separated us but friendship maintain us together;
- And also CA, JP and JM for simply being there during this long process.

Thanks to all that somehow help me along these years personally and/or professionally…

Thank you to all the anonymous reviewers that commented/made suggestions to the papers here included.

Thanks to the FCT and the HERMES programme… my money friends!

Aos meus pais e ao melhor irmão do mundo (o meu) que me acompanham há 29 anos e que apesar dos momentos menos bons e das dificuldades nunca desistiram de mim e me apoiaram sempre, esta tese também é deles…