My research lines are the following:
Assess how global change affects the structure and function of dryland ecosystems
To achieve this goal, my research focuses on the effect of environmental changes on the structure of communities (vascular plants, biological soil crust and/or microorganisms), and how these changes ultimately affect the functioning of the ecosystem, which requires the evaluation of the functional features of the species involved. Currently my work deals with different study scales: individual, community and ecosystem levels, and I am working using observational and experimental approaches.
Evaluate and identify the main drivers of biodiversity, temporal synchrony and stability
To achieve this aim, we are using globally available long-term datasets (78 locations with ~8000 permanent semi-natural vegetation plots, sampled for at least 6 years; which we call database LOTVS, LOng Term Vegetation Sampling). We use this database to answer different ecological questions, for instance, we evaluate: i) the interplay between synchrony and richness on community stability, ii) the links between the temporal stability of species populations and the species’ functional traits, and iii) the relation between changes in community functional structure among years and community stability.
Research Projects:
Contribuciones para un análisis de tendencias e identificación de prioridades sobre la conservación vegetal en la Red de Parques Nacionales (3058/2023). Funding Agency: Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico. Duration: 2024-2027.
Hacia una evaluación multiFUNcional de las estrategias de gestión FORESTal para la adaptación de los bosques al cambio climático (FUNFOREST, 3060/2023). Funding Agency: Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico. Duration: 2024-2027.
An evaluation of the main underlying mechanisms of the biodiversity–stability relationship across scales (BIOSTAR: BIOdiversity STAbility Relationships, PID2022-140398NA-I00). Funding Agency: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. Duration: 2013-2027.
Harnessing the dual role of soil organic matter in crop production and climate change mitigation (DUALSOM, PID2020-113021RA-I00). Funding Agency: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Duration: 2021-2024 .
United we persist: Causes and consequences of the associations of rare species to unravel their persistence in biological communities (UNIPER, PID2020-114851GA-I00). Funding Agency: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Duration: 2021-2024.
Efectos de la intransitividad en la estructura funcional de la comunidad y en la multifuncionalidad: Un estudio a través del espacio y el tiempo (INTRANESTI). Funding Agency: Comunidad de Madrid and Rey Juan Carlos University. Duration: 2020-2021.
Linking functional traits and the stability of plant communities (TRAST, PGC2018-099027-B-I00). Funding Agency: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. Duration: 2019-2022.
Biological feedbacks and ecosystem resilience under global change: a new perspective on dryland desertification (BIODESERT, ERC Grant agreement N° 647038). Funding Agency: European Research Council. Duration: 2016-2022
Effects of functional and phylogenetic diversity on ecosystem processes and functions (Small Research 2016, RE: SR16/1364). Funding Agency: British Ecological Society (BES). Duration: 2016-2017.
Drivers of communities' temporal stability: the role of functional differences between and within species (GA16-15012S). Funding Agency: National grant projects (GA CR, GA AVCR). Duration: 2016-2018.
Biotic community attributes and ecosystem functioning: implications for predicting and mitigating global change impacts (BIOCOM, ERC Grant agreement n° 242658). Funding Agency: European Research Council. Institutions involved: Rey Juan Carlos University. Duration: 2010-2015.
Editorial Responsibilities:
Research papers (Referee): Ecological research, Ecology, Functional Ecology, Journal of Arid Ecology, Journal of Ecology, Journal of Plant Ecology, Journal of Vegetation Science, Nature Communication, Plant and Soil, Plant Biology, Revista Bosque, Science of the Total Environment.
Special Issue in Journal of Vegetation Science (Editor)