CNS2023-144066 - Desentrañando los cambios en la biodiver

Australia has been identified by experts as a region vulnerable to the effects of global warming projected for the next 50 to 100 years because of its extensive arid and semi-arid areas, an already warm climate, high annual rainfall variability, and existing pressures on water supply (Hoffman et al., 2019). Australia contains some of the oldest, most-weathered landscapes and nutrient-poor soils in the world. Yet, it is also one of the world’s most mega-diverse countries. Over the millions of years of isolation, Australian flora and fauna have evolved adaptations to high temperature, variable water availability, and frequent fires. Australia’s highly variable climate supports various globally significant ecosystems, ranging from tropical to temperate and from arid to alpine environments. Due to its extraordinarily rich and largely endemic biota and its environmental particularities, this island continent constitutes a very suitable scenario for studying spatio-temporal dynamics. In this proposal, I seek a better understanding of the assembly of communities, the functioning of ecosystems and the communities’ responses to environmental changes.