Research
Mechanisms of abiotic plant stress tolerance
With an ever-changing environment plants have to adapt their function and structure to optimize growth and reproduction. One way plants have to cope with these changes is through phenotypic plasticity, which includes a range of mechanisms that vary not only between species but also within-species. I focus my research on the study of the mechanisms and phenotypic responses underlying tolerance to several abiotic stresses alone and their cross-talk, including drought, temperature, and high light stress from plants at different ecosystems, including terrestrial and aquatic plant species, with special focus on plants from the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot.
Ecophysiology of invasive plants
Invasive plants consitute an important threat to global biodiversity, impacting on several systems and levels. Since these species show an increased vigor, physiology markers constitute an essential tool to understand and model the invasion process. Through the characterisation of ecophysiological processes and traits such as competition, stress responses, growth and senescence cycles, clonal growth and plasticity I try to understand which mechanisms confer invasion success. The understanding of the physiological constrains behind invasive success contributes to generate combined approaches to develop effective management strategies.
Ecological modelling of invasive success
Several technical advances as well as data collection by the citizens (citizen science) have facilitated massive data acquisition and sharing, with multiple global datasets including invasive plant attributes, demographics and geospatial data being accessible for a broad audience. Biostatistical techniques including machine learning algorithms and offer the opportunity to integrate this information including their spatio-temporal complexity. Ecological modelling of invasive plants distribution, biotic interactions, traits and stress responses constitute essential tools to evaluate invasive risk, project species expansion and understand the mechanisms behind biological invasions.
Imaging for ecological monitoring
Multispectral, hyperspectral and even RGB images can be used to observe and analyze plant physiological responses, population dynamics and monitor ecological processes. By utilizing these advanced imaging techniques, valuable data on various ecological parameters can be obtained, such as plant health, stress levels, and environmental changes. Through the use of convential cameras or multispectral cameras attached to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV, i.e. drones) this approach offers a non-intrusive, fast, and efficient way to monitor ecosystems and assess the impact of external factors on vegetation, aiding in ecological conservation and sustainable land management practices. Ultimately, the integration of imaging technology and plant physiology allows for a comprehensive understanding of ecological dynamics and informs decision-making for environmental preservation.
Seed longevity and ageing
Seeds play a crucial role on species persistence among ages. This reproductive structures resulting from the sexual reproduction in spermatophytes are fragile elements that guarantee species survivance, genetic variability, and species expansion. Seed longevity represents a crucial trait determining species persistence but its measurement is so far an easy task. Accelerated ageing tests may allow us to obtain a fast estimation of seed longevity and assess species persistence in a particular location.
See here a list of publications, and materials uploaded in my GitHub profile.
With an ever-changing environment plants have to adapt their function and structure to optimize growth and reproduction. One way plants have to cope with these changes is through phenotypic plasticity, which includes a range of mechanisms that vary not only between species but also within-species. I focus my research on the study of the mechanisms and phenotypic responses underlying tolerance to several abiotic stresses alone and their cross-talk, including drought, temperature, and high light stress from plants at different ecosystems, including terrestrial and aquatic plant species, with special focus on plants from the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot.
Ecophysiology of invasive plants
Invasive plants consitute an important threat to global biodiversity, impacting on several systems and levels. Since these species show an increased vigor, physiology markers constitute an essential tool to understand and model the invasion process. Through the characterisation of ecophysiological processes and traits such as competition, stress responses, growth and senescence cycles, clonal growth and plasticity I try to understand which mechanisms confer invasion success. The understanding of the physiological constrains behind invasive success contributes to generate combined approaches to develop effective management strategies.
Ecological modelling of invasive success
Several technical advances as well as data collection by the citizens (citizen science) have facilitated massive data acquisition and sharing, with multiple global datasets including invasive plant attributes, demographics and geospatial data being accessible for a broad audience. Biostatistical techniques including machine learning algorithms and offer the opportunity to integrate this information including their spatio-temporal complexity. Ecological modelling of invasive plants distribution, biotic interactions, traits and stress responses constitute essential tools to evaluate invasive risk, project species expansion and understand the mechanisms behind biological invasions.
Imaging for ecological monitoring
Multispectral, hyperspectral and even RGB images can be used to observe and analyze plant physiological responses, population dynamics and monitor ecological processes. By utilizing these advanced imaging techniques, valuable data on various ecological parameters can be obtained, such as plant health, stress levels, and environmental changes. Through the use of convential cameras or multispectral cameras attached to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV, i.e. drones) this approach offers a non-intrusive, fast, and efficient way to monitor ecosystems and assess the impact of external factors on vegetation, aiding in ecological conservation and sustainable land management practices. Ultimately, the integration of imaging technology and plant physiology allows for a comprehensive understanding of ecological dynamics and informs decision-making for environmental preservation.
Seed longevity and ageing
Seeds play a crucial role on species persistence among ages. This reproductive structures resulting from the sexual reproduction in spermatophytes are fragile elements that guarantee species survivance, genetic variability, and species expansion. Seed longevity represents a crucial trait determining species persistence but its measurement is so far an easy task. Accelerated ageing tests may allow us to obtain a fast estimation of seed longevity and assess species persistence in a particular location.
See here a list of publications, and materials uploaded in my GitHub profile.