CREAF

PhD in Biological Sciences (UAB, 1992). I am a senior researcher at CREAF since 1998.

 

I have been always interested in forest ecology, particularly, in the factors and processes involved in forest dynamics across environmental gradients and in response to disturbances (e.g. wildfires, drought, herbivory). Currently, my main research interests focus on the interaction among land use and forest management changes, particularly forest expansion and regrowth after rural abandonment, and the impact of climate change. My aim is to investigate the influence of land use legacies in forest dynamics and whether recent forests are more or less resilient to climate change than long-existing ones. Under this uncertain ecological scenario, I am interested in the factors driving tree growth and their sensitivity to climate, the variability on seed production, the balance among positive and negative plant-animal interactions (seed predation or dispersal) and, finally, the determinants of tree recruitment. Ultimately, I would like my research contributed in designing more efficient and adaptive forestry practices to face climate change challenges.