Dr. Enrique García de la Riva
Team Leader
I am trained as a researcher of Plant Ecology, focusing particularly on the functioning and dynamics of Mediterranean ecosystems. My research is primarily based on functional traits approach, and deals with aspects of ecology ranging from ecophysiology to ecosystem ecology. I assess the functional structure of plant communities and its changes under different scenes, such as natural environmental gradients, invasive processes or extreme climatic events.
Sergio de Tomás Marín
PhD student
I am an ecologist interested on studying the effects of global change on vegetation in order to prevent potential negative impacts on natural communities causing loss of biodiversity and loss of ecosystem function and ecosystem service delivery. More concretely, I am interested in how biological invasions and climate change affect plant communities from an ecological and evolutionary perspective. I am currently studying patterns in the functional structure of plant communities in a sub-Mediterranean area located in northern Spain, with the goal of developing models forecasting potential changes in the functional composition of such communities under future scenarios of climate change.
Javier Galán Díaz
PhD student
Graduated in Biology from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) and studied an MSc in Plant and Fungal Taxonomy, Diversity and Conservation in the Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew) and QMUL. Currently, I am doing a PhD at Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, studying the impacts of invasive plants on Mediterranean plant communities.
Frederick Gyasi Damptey
PhD student
I am investigating arthropod community structure, the functional structure of plant community as well as the interaction between plants and arthropods in different land-use types (Forest, Agroforestry, Restored area, and abandoned post-mine landscapes) in Ghana. PhD funded by the Katholischer Akademischer Ausläander-Dienst (KAAD)
Dr. Ivan Prieto Aguilar
Collaborator
I am a plant ecologist interested in the ecology and ecophysiology of semiarid plant communities; the ecology of plant interactions; trait-based ecology applied to the belowground plant portion (roots) and stable isotope ecology. My previous work has focused mainly in the process of hydraulic redistribution within plant roots, its mechanisms and its effects on plant physiology and development in water-limited systems. Recently, I have gained interest in the study of functional traits to gain knowledge on the above- and belowground portion of plant communities and how these interact with soil processes (e.g. through decomposition of plant tissues). My recent research focuses on asessing the physiological and ecological responses of semiarid plant communities to global change and their effects on decomposition and soil processes.
http://www.soilwaterconservation.es/staff/post-doc-fellows/ivan-prieto-aguilar/
Prof. Dr. Klaus Birkhofer
Collaborator
I am an animal ecologist with a keen interest in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. I am a big fan of spiders, but also like other organisms, and often study predator-prey interactions in agricultural, forest and desert ecosystem in Europe and Southern Africa.
BTU: https://www.b-tu.de/en/ecology/team/team/prof-dr-klaus-birkhofer
Private: http://klaus-birkhofer.phphosting.eu.cm4all.net/Home/index.php/
Dr. Jesús Rodríguez-Calcerrada
Collaborator
I am a plant ecophysiologist. My main research interest is to understand the response of forest plant species to short- and long-term changes in abiotic and biotic factors (e.g. temperature, light, water, endophytes, pathogens and herbivores); the ultimate goal is to advance knowledge of plant ecology and provide managers with new information that may help in the adaptation of agroforestry systems to Global Change.
Dr. Enrique Andivia
Collaborator
I am a forest ecologist interested in: i) how forest ecosystems face ongoing global change drivers; ii) how plants interact with soil and other species in forest ecosystems; and iii) promoting the restoration of abandoned and degraded areas through active and passive measures. My ultimate goals are to improve our understanding on structural and functional responses of forest ecosystem to global change, and to enhance the success of forest restoration measures.
Diego Alejandro Prieto Melo
Lab assistant
I am a financer and master student of environmental and resource management interested in green and blue development, who studies the impacts of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) in environmental and social justice. My goal is to serve as a bridge between economics and nature to integrate these areas respecting nature while promoting biodiversity conservation.