Elena Granda
Period: 2025-2029
Principal Investigator: Pilar Castro-Díez
Co-PI and collaborators: Álvaro Alonso, Asunción Saldaña, Elena Granda, Julia Clemente, Jorge Guillén, Laura Hernández, Isabel Aulló
Funding: Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento”, en el marco del Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica, Técnica y de Innovación 2024-2027: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. Referencia: PID2024-159150OB-I00
DINOFORES - Diagnosis of novel forests ecosystems in Spain (Diagnóstico de neo-ecosistemas forestales en España)-
Novel forest ecosystems (NFEs), arising from the spread and persistence of non-native tree species following plantation abandonment or biological invasions, are becoming an increasingly common component of landscapes under global change. Despite their growing extent, their distribution, functioning, and ecological trajectories remain poorly understood. This lack of knowledge limits our ability to assess their risks—such as increased vulnerability to disturbances—or to harness their potential contributions to biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and climate change mitigation.
DINOFORES aims to provide a comprehensive scientific basis to support forest management and policy by improving our understanding of NFEs in Spain. The project seeks to identify both the environmental risks associated with these systems and the opportunities they offer for ecological restoration and the provision of ecosystem services.
To achieve this, DINOFORES will:
(1) map the distribution and assess past and future trends of non-native tree species using national inventories, citizen science, and modelling approaches;
(2) characterize and classify NFEs, and analyse their successional trajectories to understand their potential future dynamics; and
(3) evaluate forest health and ecological integrity by comparing NFEs with coexisting native forests, focusing on aspects such as structure, productivity, resilience, disturbances, and soil functioning.
By integrating these approaches, DINOFORES will generate key knowledge to guide adaptive forest management and inform strategies aimed at maintaining resilient, functional, and biodiverse forest ecosystems in a changing world.
PROGRESA - Evaluación de la estructura, funciones y servicios ecosistémicos de eucaliptales abandonados para su restauración ecológica-
Climate change poses serious threats to human well-being. To mitigate it, European policies aim to promote an ecological transition by enhancing natural carbon sinks such as forests. However, large-scale plantations often fail to meet expectations due to several factors: (1) climate change increases drought, turning forests into CO₂ sources; (2) the abandonment of management leads to greater competition and forest stress; (3) non-native trees, such as eucalyptus, may store more carbon aboveground but less in the soil; and (4) forests provide other functions related to biodiversity and resource provision that are often overlooked.
The PROGRESA project aims to evaluate the structure, functioning, and ecosystem services across different stages of eucalyptus plantation abandonment in order to develop management strategies that enable successful and climate-resilient transitions. The project will assess the impact of eucalyptus and its abandonment in relation to carbon accumulation, water resources, and plant and microbial functional diversity, comparing them with native forests.
Specifically, the study will address:
(1) carbon storage in aboveground and belowground compartments;
(2) soil moisture and the depth of water uptake by coexisting woody species; and
(3) the recovery of functional diversity in woody plants and soil microorganisms.
Effective forest policies must consider these aspects to maintain forests as carbon sinks with high biodiversity, thereby enhancing ecosystem services in the context of climate change.
Period: 2025-2026
Principal Investigator: Elena Granda
Co-PI and collaborators: Pilar Castro, Luis Merino, Andrés Bravo-Oviedo,
Cristopher Fernández, Alberto Romero, Pablo Viniegra
Funding: Línea de Doctores Emergentes dentro del Convenio entre la Comunidad de Madrid y la Universidad de Alcalá para el fomento y promoción de la Investigación y la Transferencia de Tecnología (2023-2026). Comunidad de Madrid-UAH (CM/DEMG/2024-019)
Website: https://albertoromerob.wixsite.com/proyectoprogresaua-1
Period: 2025-2026
Principal Investigator: Francisco Lloret Maya
Co-PI and collaborators: Paloma Ruiz Benito, Domingo Alcaraz, Jorge Aldea, Enrique Andivia, Cristina Aponte, Rafael Calama, Jesús J Camarero , Jorge Curiel Yuste, Miren del Rio, Manuel Fernández López, Mariano García Alonso, Antonio Gazol Burgos, Guillermo Gea Izquierdo, Lorena Gómez Aparicio, Ester González, Elena Granda, Asier Herrero, José A. Hódar, Luciana Jaime, Juan Carlos Linares, Luna Morcillo Julia, Jordi Margalef, Darío Martín Benito, Jordi Martínez Vilalta, Rafael M Navarro-Cerrillo, Jonàs Oliva Palau, Marta Pardos, Antonio J PérezLuque, Marina Rodes Blanco, Carmen Romeralo, Raúl Sánchez Salguero, Gabriel Sangüesa Barreda, Alberto Vilagrosa Carmona, Regino Zamora, Miguel A. Zavala
Funding: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. Redes Investigación
Website: https://decaimiento.es/
REDEC- Red Española de Seguimiento del Decaimiento Forestal
Forest decline phenomena are becoming increasingly relevant in the context of climate change, as they are often associated with episodes of drought and heat. Climate-induced decline typically occurs in a non-linear manner, sometimes leading to tree mortality and thus impacting forest ecosystems relatively rapidly. Although it has so far generally affected small portions of the territory, this phenomenon has the potential to be the leading edge of a much more widespread situation in the near future under climate change. Therefore, studying climate-induced forest decline events is key to understanding their impact on forest ecosystems.
The Spanish Network on Climate-Induced Forest Decline (ReDeC) is a network of researchers from different Spanish research groups who have been studying forest decline processes in Spain from various perspectives. This network was created to share existing knowledge on affected forest systems where fieldwork and research are being conducted, with the aim of advancing understanding of forest decline, strengthening links among research groups to promote collaboration and information exchange, and supporting forest managers in addressing this issue. The network has been established as a working group within the Spanish Association for Terrestrial Ecology.
The objectives of the network are:
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To identify research groups and individuals with expertise in tree decline research.
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To promote the exchange of information on completed, ongoing, and planned research, as well as collaboration among these groups and individuals. As a first step, this involves compiling a catalogue of sites affected by climate-induced decline where fieldwork and research have been or are being conducted.
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To assess the feasibility of common protocols and comparative studies across different study systems (for example, regarding the attribution of climate signals to decline events and the role of other factors such as management, pests, or physical and soil conditions).
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To coordinate monitoring and long-term studies on the functioning and dynamics of forests affected by decline.
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To increase the visibility of Spanish research groups working on forest decline at both national level (as a working group of the Spanish Association for Terrestrial Ecology – AEET) and international level (International Union of Forest Research Organizations – IUFRO; International Tree Mortality Network – ITMN).
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To promote coordination and collaboration with other scientific communities, such as the Spanish Society of Forest Sciences, and with technical groups linked to forest management.
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To enhance the societal impact of the knowledge generated by research on forest decline, particularly in the areas of forest management and conservation.
Period: 2025-2026
Principal Investigator: Montserrat Vilà
Co-PI and collaborators: Daniel Boix, Luís González, Francesc Xavier Turón, Josep Anton Jaques, Elena Granda, Daniel Sol, Rafael Villafuerte, Anna Traveset, Marta Pascual
Funding: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. Redes Investigación
Website: https://invasiber.org/InvaNET/
InvaNET- Red Temática sobre Invasiones Biológicas
Invasive species are a component of global environmental change, with great ecological and socioeconomic impacts, with recorded costs of more than 15 million euros per year in Spain. They also constitute a unique opportunity for frontier research in ecology and evolution.
It is proposed to consolidate the Thematic Network on Biological Invasions (InvaNET), which brings together several world leaders on the subject, from ten Spanish research centres and combines experts in terrestrial, marine and inland water ecosystems. To date, InvaNET has carried out a remarkable task of knowledge transfer to improve the management of invasive species in Spain, compiling relevant information (available on our website), publishing international scientific articles that could not have been carried out without the synergy of the members of the network. We have performed the first horizon scanning of potentially invasive species in Spain with the participation of environmental managers at the national level. We are now carrying out a specific one for the Canary Islands.
In this new phase, we propose to carry out one for the Balearic Islands. We will also compile the first updated list of the exotic species established in Spain, a database that is extremely necessary for decision-making. The network, of about 40 researchers from multiple Spanish research groups who have participated to date, will facilitate the completion of these tasks, which will also be joined by other researchers who wish to do so. Through the proposed tasks, periodic meetings, and the dissemination of results, we intend to improve the transfer of our research to environmental managers and to the society in general, as well as to promote interactions between research groups on biological invasions of all taxonomic groups, ecosystems and regions of the country.
Period: 2025
Principal Investigator: Álvaro Alonso
Co-PI and collaborators: Laura Nieto Setién, José Pablo Viniegra Villanueva, Diego Fernández Moreno, Asunción Saldaña López, Teresa Bardaji Azcárate, Elena Granda Fernández, Vicente Ortuño Hernández, Marta Rodríguez-Rey Gómez, Pilar Castro-Díez
Funding: Universidad de Alcalá, Ayudas para la realización de proyectos de investigación
ECODAFES-Impacto de los árboles exóticos sobre los servicios ecosistémicos de los suelos del parque nacional de Monfragüe
Forests provide important ecosystem services to society. The recognition of forests as one of the main natural carbon sinks has driven ambitious global campaigns to increase forest area. However, the use of certain non-native tree species can cause serious damage to terrestrial ecosystems and the services they provide.
One of the most affected compartments is the soil. Soil plays a vital role in organic matter processing and nutrient cycling, such that adverse effects on its functioning can alter other ecosystem components. In addition, soil is an important carbon sink, making it a key ally in tackling climate change.
Vegetation in terrestrial ecosystems—both aboveground biomass and root systems—greatly contributes to determining soil properties and functioning. For example, it can affect the rate of organic matter processing and, therefore, influences the rate of carbon flux from the soil to the atmosphere. The influence of vegetation type (native vs. non-native) and forest management on organic matter decomposition has been relatively understudied, especially regarding wood.
The aim of this project is to analyze the impact of changes in plant community composition—by comparing natural forests, plantations of native and non-native trees, and shrublands resulting from the removal of exotic plantations—on soil physicochemical properties, organic matter decomposition, and the functional structure of soil invertebrate communities.
The study will be conducted in Monfragüe National Park, where a diversity of native and non-native tree formations coexist under similar climatic and lithological conditions, resulting from a complex management history that poses challenges for the Park.
Restoring areas currently occupied by exotic plantations with native vegetation could lead to an increase in carbon loss, which would reduce the Park’s contribution as a carbon sink.
Period: 2022-2025
Principal Investigator: Paloma Ruíz-Benito, Miguel A. Zavala Gironés
Co-PI and collaborators: Elena Granda, Asier Herrero; Daniel Moreno Fernández; Marta Rodríguez Rey; César Morales del Molino; Julen Astigarraga; Julián Tijerín; Verónica Cruz Alonso; María Triviño
Funding: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Proyectos Generación de Conocimiento 2021
Website: https://ibforres.wordpress.com/
IBFORES- IBerian FORest responses to climate change across spatio-temporal scales: hotspots and roles of structural and functional RESilience
IB-ForRes aim is to identify areas where impacts of climate change are particularly relevant through rapid and non-linear responses of reduced productivity, increased canopy dieback, tree mortality and biomass loss and to compare them to areas showing high resistance to drought.
To determine the underlying mechanisms driving observed multifunctionality changes and long-term trends in forest functioning, we will sample hotspots and coldspots of change.
The knowledge generated in this project will be used to develop management and conservation strategies aiming at reducing loss of ecosystem functions in these hotspots.
A better understanding and forecasting of forest responses to climate change requires the integration of multiple data types at different observational scales, from tree level to landscape, with multidisciplinary teams working together. IB-ForRes is a coordinated project integrated by four subprojects, which are:
O1: Identify hotspots of change to drought at large spatial scale with existing data
O2: Collect field-based data in these hotspots to characterise responses to climate change across different ecological scales and to understand the underlying mechanisms of these responses
O3: Use the new findings to extrapolate forest responses and improve forecasting of rapid changes, designing early-warning systems and detecting vulnerability thresholds
O4: Transference and dissemination of the findings to interested groups and stakeholders (e.g., through publications, data or summaries for policy makers)
Period: 2023-2024
Principal Investigator: Elena Granda
Co-PI and collaborators: Pilar Castro, Asunción Saldaña, Pedro Villar, Alberto Romero, Francisco Gasulla, Leonardo Casano.
Funding: Ayudas para la realización de proyectos de investigación UAH
ACTIVE-Potencial de captación y almacenamiento de carbono en especies nativas (NT) y exóticas (NNT) en un contexto de cambio climático
There is great interest in enhancing natural carbon (C) sinks, such as forests, which have a high capacity for carbon storage. However, many active measures aimed at ecological transition involve planting non-native tree species, whose role as long-term, stable carbon sinks remains uncertain.
For this reason, the ACTIVE project seeks to assess the potential for aboveground carbon uptake and storage of native (NT) and non-native (NNT) tree species in the context of climate change. To achieve this objective, we study carbon accumulation, basal area increment, growth stability (resilience indices to extreme drought events), as well as water-use efficiency, and relate these parameters to climate and CO₂, while comparing NT and NNT species.
This approach improves our understanding of how carbon sequestration in these species responds to climate change.
ESCApE -Entendiendo las estrategias funcionales de árboles exóticos y nativos en bosques de ribera en un contexto de cambio global-
The invasion of exotic species is one of the current factors strongly influencing the loss of biodiversity worldwide. The main objective of this project is to evaluate possible displacements of native tree species by invasive ones in a context of increasing environmental stress, including not only global warming, but also anthropic disturbances. In order to achieve this objective, we will study the functional strategies of the invading and native trees co-existing in riparian forests of central Spain. Our approach will allow for a better understanding of the susceptibility to invasion of riparian forests, which are increasingly threatened. To determine differential strategies, we will measure key functional traits related to growth and water use. These traits include the rate of increase in basal area increment, resilience or ability to recover growth after drought events, water use efficiency, and water uptake capacity at different soil depths. Using dendroecology and isotopic analyses, we will be able to study the long-term behavior of invasive trees (Ailanthus altissima and Robinia pseudoacacia) and predict their invasive potential in a context of global change. If we can understand what functional characteristics of trees allow these species to be more successful, we could predict potential risks and propose measures to protect ecosystems from invasions by these and other exotic trees.
Period: 2020-2021
Principal Investigator: Elena Granda
Co-PI and collaborators: Pilar Castro-Díez, Álvaro Alonso, Víctor Resco de Dios
Funding: Consolidación de Grupos UAH
EXARBIN- Determinantes del éxito de árboles exóticos en distintas etapas de del proceso de invasión-
One of the main questions that has driven the research on biological invasions is what are the traits that confer some non-native species their ability to invade new ecosystems. This question should be solved by analyzing the different stages of the invasion process: introduction, naturalization, invasion and impact. This information is useful to improve risk analyses and to avoid the introduction of new species able to cause ecological and socio-economic problems. For each invasion stage, we will explore the interaction between the traits of non-native trees and the ecosystem properties at different spatial scales, using exhaustive and highly representative databases (at regional, biome and global scales).
The project focuses on non-native trees because of their ecological, economic and social interest; because of the wide variability of invasion the success and of ecological impacts that they cause, and because the great amount of available -but dispersed- information. In the case of the introduction stage, we will identify which traits have promoted the selection of non-native trees for ornamental use in the main urban parks of Spain. In the case of the naturalization stage, we will rely on a database with the established non-native trees in different areas of the mediterranean biome. For the invasion stage, we will analyze the relative importance of different drivers of the nonnative tree expansion in Spain (species invasion risk, environmental and anthropic factors). Finally, for the impact stage, we will assess the determinants of the impacts at global scale relying on a previous meta-analysis on the effects of non-native trees on ecosystem services; and at local scale, we will quantify how non-native trees alter the functional structure of riparian forest of the Jarama watershed.
Given the biogeographic amplitude of these databases, we will explore whether there are spatial differences in invasive species traits that can be explained by environmental, geographic and socio-economic factors. The scientific-technical implications of this project are that it will provide information on: (1) which ornamental trees planted in urban parks possess the highest invasion potential; (2) which are the most frequent traits in the naturalized trees in Mediterranean areas; (3) which anthropogenic and environmental factors determine the spread of the invasive trees in Spain; (4) which non-native tree traits influence their effect on ecosystem services, and (5) how non-native trees alter the functional structure of riparian trees. Doubtless, EXARBIN will compile the most comprehensive database of functional traits and impacts of introduced, naturalized and invasive non-native trees so far. This information will be useful to avoid conflicts between the introduction of exotic trees to fulfill our needs, and the environmental and social problems that they can generate, both in urban and natural areas.
Period: 2019-2021
Principal Investigator: Dr. Pilar Castro
Co-PI and collaborators: Montse Vila, Álvaro Alonso, Paloma de las Heras, Asunción Saldaña, Elena Granda.
Funding: Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Spanish Government
PHOTOCHAIN: -Do evolutionary constraints on PHOTOperiod and Circadian clocks Hinder AdaptatIoN and acclimation of plants to climate change?-
Period: 2018-2021
Principal Investigator: Dr. Arthur Gessler
Co-PI and collaborators: N Zimmermann (co-PI), V. Resco de Dios (co-PI); E.Granda; F. Baumgarten
Funding: Velux Stiftung
Website: https://photochained.github.io
Global climate change is affecting the area of distribution of plant species resulting in migration to higher altitudes and latitudes. However, plants are also bound to daylight rhythmicity, both on a diel and seasonal scale, and this might hamper species distribution under, and fast acclimation to, rapid environmental change. It may thus happen that the potential distribution range of a species, defined by temperature and precipitation, moves north due to climate change, but that the photoperiod cues at this new latitude do not match the evolutionary demands of that species. With this project, we will provide the mechanistic basis and a conceptual framework to understand how climatic and daylight/photoperiod cues jointly affects tree functioning.