Research
Invasive species
Knowing where each particular species live and localizing areas where numbers of invasive species are higher than others is a crucial first step to build global and regional strategies of management. I work in a European-scale project, focused on terrestrial vertebrates, at which we try to identify units of management according to invasive species richness, credibility of their distribution and stage of invasion.
Land-use change and biodiversity loss
Land-use change is the major threat for most animal species of our planet, even above climate change. Habitat loss, deterioration and fragmentation are their main effects on natural systems, which in turn would produce the decline of many populations that depend on it, with numerous associated cascade effects. Understanding the relationships between the different human uses of land, as well as the role of different intensities of use, and the conservation status of different species and ecosystems will improve our ability to act and efficiently manage the coexistence between humans and other living creatures.
- Polaina, E., González-Suárez, M. & Revilla, E. (2019) The legacy of past human land use in current patterns of mammal distribution. Ecography. DOI: 10.1111/ecog.04406.
- Polaina, E., González-Suárez, M., Kuemmerle, T., Kehoe, L. & Revilla, E. (2018) From tropical shelters to temperate defaunation: The relationship between agricultural transition stage and the distribution of threatened mammals. Global Ecology and Biogeography. DOI: 10.1111/geb.12725.
- Kehoe, L., Romero-Muñoz, A., Polaina, E., Estes, L., Kreft, H. & Kuemmerle, T. (2017) Biodiversity at risk under future cropland expansion and intensification. Nature Ecology and Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0234-3.
Socioeconomic drivers of biodiversity decline
Behind all threats that humans pose to biodiversity there is a socioeconomic shift that ultimately triggers that situation. Putting into context the human-wildlife conflicts that occur across the world may help to better interpret the ecosystems' responses and therefore, to better design conservation actions in to order to partially preserve some of the remaining natural values.
- Polaina, E., González-Suárez, M. & Revilla, E. (2015) Socioeconomic correlates of global mammalian conservation status. Ecosphere 6 (9): 146. DOI: 10.1890/ES14-00505.1
Extinction in the Anthropocene
Biodiversity as a whole is exposed to human activities in the entire Earth surface and, as a consequence, a generalized deterioration of its conservation status is taking place. Besides, the impact of humans on the biosphere keeps increasing given the present demand for food, fuels and other natural resources, resulting from population and consumption growth. Understanding which species and areas are most affected by these activities, and which are the main drivers of their current status is a crucial step to avoid further damages and preserve some of the remaining natural values.
- Polaina, E. & González-Suárez, M. (2017) Extinction Risk in the Anthropocene. Encyclopedia of the Anthropocene, Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. Elsevier. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.09842-0
- Polaina, E., Revilla, E. & González-Suárez, M. (2016) Putting susceptibility on the map to improve conservation planning, an example with terrestrial mammals. Diversity and Distributions 22 (8): 881-892. DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12452