My track record
Mi investigación
ECOsystem FUnctioning of sub-Mediterranean Regions: the functional frontier among Mediterranean and Eurosiberian plant communities (ECOFUMER).
Code: 441909701; Funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation). 245.220 €.
Description
Mediterranean ecosystems are located in an intermediate position in the biogeographical gradient ranging from temperate to semi-arid forests. The Iberian Peninsula is one of the largest boundaries between Mediterranean and Eurosiberian vegetation (known as subMediterranean zone). In sub-Mediterranean zones, smallv ariations of the local environmental conditions may result in different species compositions and may create a mosaic of Mediterranean and Eurosiberian communities. Sub-Mediterranean zones are highly vulnerable ecosystems, making them a priority area of interest for applied and basic diversity research. The main goal of ECOFUMER is to understand patterns in the functional structure (trait diversity and composition) of plant communities and to identify processes that drive community assembly in one of the most important 'biodiversity hotspots' of Europe (sub-Mediterranean zones). Within this framework, the following specific objectives are:
Objective 1 “Time series on sub-Mediterranean forest” – Evaluate how sensitive woodlands from sub-Mediterranean zones are to climatic fluctuations.
Objective 2 “Grassland assembly in sub-Mediterranean Dehesas” - Evaluate the effect of environmental variables and biotic interactions on the functional diversity and distribution of Sub-Mediterranean grassland communities.
Objective 3 “Synthesis”– This study will provide insights into the biogeography of Mediterranean plants and ecosystem functioning with respect to water and carbon fluxes along the Iberia Peninsula.
Research team: Enrique G. de la Riva (PI), Ivan Prieto, Jesús Rodríguez-Calcerrada, Javier Galán Díaz, Sergio
FundProd: Relationships between functional diversi- ty and food production and quality under ecological intensification
Code: 441909701; Funded by the Biodiversa+ . 242,936 €.
Previous studies addressed the effects of ecological intensification on the func- tional diversity of single taxonomic groups in individual countries without consid- ering links between functional diversity and plant, animal or human health across different landscapes and climatic regions. FunProd will undertake the joint synthe- sis of existing databases on these aspects in organic agriculture and permanent grasslands in Europe to provide a significant contribution to the evidence base for such links across different climatic regions and a range of landscapes. Closing this knowledge gap will contribute to the development of nature-based agricultural systems that provide simultaneously high levels of plant protection and health, together with sufficient productivity and quality to support the global human popu- lation, all while reducing environmental impact of agriculture. To this end, FunProd will address the following specific questions:
• Does ecological intensification enhance the functional diversity of biotic com- munities across taxonomic groups compared to conventional intensification and does the effect depend on climatic conditions, landscape structure and/or agri- cultural system?
• Does the effect of ecological intensification on the functional diversity of local communities explain the observed effect of ecological intensification on crop protection, pollination and health?
Can a high functional diversity reduce the yield gap between agricultural produc- tion systems that focus on ecological and conventional intensification in Europe, and thereby contribute to future food security and quality?
ADAPTAtion of Mediterranean forests to climate change: the role of MIXed stands on promoting resilience to drought events (ADAPTAMIX).
Code: PID2019- 110470RA-I00; Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities. 105.270 €; 01/06/2020 – 31/05/2023.
Description
Our general objective is to investigate whether tree diversity enhances the productivity and stability of Mediterranean forest ecosystems in response to drought events. For that, we will combine field measurements and experiments in pine-oak mixed forests. We will build tree-ring chronologies to compare growth trends and growth resilience and resistance to drought events in mixed and monospecific forests. We will combine isotopic and nutrient analyses to determine physiological mechanisms underlying the positive diversity-productivity-stability relationship in forests. We will conduct field experiments to evaluate plant-plant interactions under a scenario of increased aridity.
Research team: Enrique Andivia (PI), Esther Pérez-Corona, Juan Antonio Delgado, María Dolores Jiménez, Jaime Madrigal-González, Asier Herrero, Paloma Ruiz-Benito, Paloma de las Heras, Javier Vázquez-Piqué, Quentin Ponette, Silvia Medina-Villar, Enrique G. de la Riva.
Variability in the water and nutrient use strategies in Mediterranean plant communities in response to climate change: diversity, regulation and ecosystem implications.
Code: 20654/JLI/18; Funded by Seneca Foundation of the Regional Ministry of Murcia. 49.052,00 €. 01/01/2019 y 30/06/2021.
Description
Mediterranean ecosystems are highly biodiverse and provide many goods and services essential for their well-being of societies (soil protection against erosion, primary production or carbon sequestration), but are also amongst the most vulnerable to global change (IPCC 2014). Especially, the predicted increase in aridity has serious implications for plant and soil resources and for many essential ecosystem services dependent on them, e.g. plant cover reduction and the alteration of nutrient cycles. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the relationship between the diversity of water use strategies across plant species and the environmental factors most affected by climate change (precipitation and temperature) to develop effective management strategies adapted to future climate changes; such as development of a vegetation cover able to reduce erosion and desertification processes, and to improve nutrient cycling and reduce carbon losses. The general objective is to quantify the impacts of climate change on plant water use strategies at a local level along an aridity gradient and at a global level in a semi-arid Mediterranean ecosystem. The ultimate goal is to evaluate how these strategies and adaptations influence the functional composition of plant communities and to evaluate their impact on certain ecosystem services (decrease in carbon losses and nutrient recycling). The specific objectives of the project are: 1) assess the diversity of water use strategies in plant communities along an aridity gradient and their relationships with the diversity of strategies in the use of resources (leaf economics spectrum) and evaluate the physiological and stoichiometric plasticity of species with a wide distribution range along the aridity gradient (common species) to assess the adaptation and modulation of their water and resource use strategies in response to increasing aridity; 2) evaluate and quantify how changes in water, and nutrient, use strategies along the aridity gradient, both at the species and community levels, affect soil organic matter decomposition processes, as well as carbon and nutrient flows between the plant and the soil; 4) to assemble a global database on plant-level isotopic composition (d13C and d18O), resource use plant traits (morphological, chemical and hydraulic) and site metadata; 5) analyze the main ecological drivers that determine the distribution of species and plant communities based on their water use efficiency (d13C and d18O) using the dryland global database and 6) analyze the covariation between water use traits (isotopes and physiological measurements) with hydraulic (stomatal traits and stem density) and resource use traits (morphological and chemical). The data generated by the project will be very useful for modeling the responses of these processes on a regional and global scale and will allow developing guidelines for an adaptive environmental management of Mediterranean ecosystems.
Research team: Ivan Prieto (PI), Enrique G. de la Riva, Ignacio Querejeta.
Ecología funcional de los bosques andaluces y predicciones sobre sus cambios futuros (FOR-CHANGE)
Code: 27943-R; Funded by the Economy, Innovation and Science Regional Ministry of Andalucia; 51.500 €; 01/01/2020 – 31/12/2021.
Forest ecosystems are a source of essential resources and providers of important ecosystem functions (regulation of atmospheric gases, influence on the water cycle, primary production, etc.) and cultural services (recreational, landscape, etc.). In recent decades, an enormous effort has been made to characterize the structure, density and composition of Spanish forests through the National Forest Inventories (IFN). Since the IFN is carried out every decade in the same plots, it is possible to estimate the tree growth. The general objective of this project is to know the functioning and structure of Andalusian forests and to predict their future changes through information on the functional ecology of the species, periodic forest inventories (IFN), and remote sensing information. The specific objectives are: 1) Characterization of functional traits of the main woody species of Andalusia. Functional traits (leaf, stem and root) of the main species of trees and shrubs of the Andalusian forests will be measured. 2) Abiotic factors, growth and functional traits of the forests of Andalusia. The availability of water and nutrients will be measured, as well as the growth in the different plots to know their importance in the growth of forests. 3) Relationships between remote sensing information and forest functioning. Predictive models of the functioning of Andalusian forests will be made with the use of remote sensing information. 4) Prediction of the functioning of forests in Andalusia. Predictive models of how the change in climatic conditions or composition of species in the functioning of Andalusian forests in the future will be made.
Team: Rafael Villar (PI), Salvador Arenas, Cristina C. Bastias, Francisco Conde, Enrique G. de la Riva, Diego Jordano, Teodoro Marañón, Manuel Olmo, Paloma Ruiz Benito.
Ecosystem functionality of Andalusian and North-Moroccan forests: plant
and soil biodiversity on the face of climate change.
Code: P18-RT-3455; Funded by the Economy, Innovation and Science Regional Ministry of Andalucia; 128.992€; 01/01/2020 – 31/12/2021.
Objetives
1) Plant functional diversity and forest structure: knowing the
variability in functional traits (leaves, stems and roots) and the
structure of the main Andalusian and North-Moroccan forests.
2) Soil functional diversity: knowing the functional diversity of the
entomofauna and the soil microbiota.
3) Ecosystem functions and services and their relationship with
diversity: determining above- and belowground diversity and their
relation to multifunctionality and ecosystem services. y los servicios ecosistémicos.
Research team: Jose L. Quero (PI), Rafael Villar (PI), Salvador Arenas, Enrique G. de la Riva; Hendrik Poorter, Lourens Poorte.
The operation of Mediterranean forests from the perspective of economic analysis of production.
Code: CGL2014- 53236-R; Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness; 106.480€, 01/01/2015 – 31/12/2017.
Research team: Rafael Villar (PI), Salvador Arenas, Enrique G. de la Riva; Manuel Olmo, Hendrik Poorter, Lourens Poorter.
Basic and applied aspects of impacts of invasive plants (IMPLANTIN)
Code: CGL2015-65346-R; Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness; 116.160 €, 01/01/2016 – 31/12/2018.
Habitat invasion by exotic plants constitutes a key component of global change widely recognized as having strong ecological and economic impacts. This project will focus on the impact of plant invasions on less studied attributes of biodiversity (i.e., diversity of functional traits, climatic niche diversity and phylogenetic diversity of invaded plant communities). This project will (1) identify which exotic plant species have the strongest impacts on invaded plant communities, (2) determine the vulnerability of native plant species to plant invasions in relation to their functional traits and climatic niche position. Therefore, it will (3) inform about changes in the co-evolutionary trajectories of plant species assemblages, and their vulnerability to climate change after invasion. Finally, (4) it will investigate if there is a relationship between the above-mentioned biodiversity indexes and impacts on ecosystem functioning.
Research team: Montserrat Vilà (PI); Pilar Castro, Asunción Saldaña, Paloma de las Heras, Esther Pérez, Oscar Godoy, José Herrera.
Enrique G. de la Riva (Post-doctoral Staff)
Functional diversity and resilience of Mediterranean forest (DIVERBOS).
Code: CGL2011–30285-C02-01, Spanish Ministry of Economy; 143.990 €, 01/01/2012 – 31/12/2014
Functional traits can be defined as the characteristics of organisms that allow them to persist in a given environment. The functional approach of Plant Ecology allows studying the interactions between individuals within a community, and the interactions of these individuals with their environment for a large number of species. Thus, the functional approach can be connected to issues related with functional strategies, assembly rules and species distribution along the landscape, as well as ecosystem processes. The overall aim of this project is to better understand the strategies developed by different species to persist in a given environment as well as the assembly rules of Mediterranean woody plant communities, within the conceptual framework of functional ecology.
Research team: Rafael Villar (PI), Teodoro Marañon (PI), Ignacio M. Pérez-Ramos.
Enrique G. de la Riva (PhD student-Staff)
Clean, efficient and environmentally friendly construction (CLEAM).
Founded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, 623.795 €, 01/01/2005 – 31/12/2012.
https://www.aecarretera.com/servicios/publicaciones/revista-carreteras/articulos-publicados/133-revista-carreteras-n-170/512-el-proyecto-cleam-construccion-limpia-eficiente-y-amigable-con-el-medio-ambiente
Research team: Luis Balaguer (PI), Iñaki Mola, Maria Dolores Jimenez, Miguel Angel Casado.
Enrique G. de la Riva (Research assistant)