Month: September 2016

Prof. Josep Peñuelas has received the Doctor Honoris causa degree by the Estonian University of Life Sciences

Professor Josep Peñuelas has been appointed by the Estonian University of Life Sciences as Doctor Honoris causa, in base to his outstanding merits. The ceremony was held the 23th September, at the Estonian University of Life Sciences.

The honorary doctorate recognized him as scientist in the field of global ecology who has contributed considerably to promoting international co-operation at Eesti Maaülikool.

Honorary doctorate is the highest recognition by the university rewarded for exceptional service to the University.

Pictures of the ceremony

http://www.emu.ee/ylikoolist/galerii/fotogalerii/akadeemiline-aktus-2016/#undefined

Video of the ceremony:

http://video.emu.ee/akadeemiline_aktus_2016.html

Tartu_2016_a Tartu_2016_n
Tartu_2016_e Tartu_2016_f
Tartu_2016_k Tartu_2016_g

 

(more…)

Redundancy in response to global change: Ecosystem processes buffered by functional diversity

A guest post from PLOS Ecology Reporting Fellow, Daniel Winkler on the 2015 PLOS One paper “Functional Resilience against Climate-Driven Extinctions – Comparing the Functional Diversity of European and North American Tree Floras” by Mario Liebergesell, Björn Reu, Ulrike Stahl, Martin Freiberg, Erik Welk, Jens Kattge, J. Hans C. Cornelissen , Josep Peñuelas , Christian Wirth featured in the PLOS Ecological Impacts of Climate Change Collection

A number of PLOS ONE and PLOS Biology’s papers illustrate that we can learn a lot about the future of global change dynamics by looking to the past. A recent study in PLOS ONE by Mario Liebergesell and colleagues did just that and is featured in the PLOS Ecological Impacts of Climate Change Collection 2015–2016. Liebergesell, from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) at the University of Leipzig, and his coauthors find evidence that climate-driven species loss at continental scales can be independent of changes in functional diversity; that species loss need not imply changes or declines in ecosystem processes. Their results have potentially dramatic implications for global change scenarios examining changes in ecosystem functioning.

(more…)

Imbalance-P participates in the 53rd ATBC 2016 Meeting

 Dr. Oriol Grau (CREAF) participated with a talk about his work on tropical forests in the 53rd meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (19-23 June 2016 – Montpellier, France).

The speach, entitled “Do soil characteristics determine forest structure and dynamics in poor Amazonian soils?” took place under the session “Management impacts on biodiversity and carbon/nutrient balances in the tropic” moderated by Prof. Stephan Pietch (IIASA).

 

Grau, O., Peñuelas, P., Ferry, B., Freycon, V., Lilian, B., Desprez, M., Baraloto, C., Chave, J., Descroix, L., Dourdain, A., Guitet, S., Janssens, I., Sardans, J., Herault, B. Do soil characteristics determine forest structure and dynamics in poor Amazonian soils? 53rd ATBC 2016, 19-23 June, Montellier, France.