Enric Batllori Presas

I performed my PhD in the Faculty of Biology at the University of Barcelona, and since 2015 I’m a postdoctoral researcher (Marie Curie IIF fellow) in CREAF. My research career has been centered in the analysis of mechanisms that govern the spatial and temporal dynamics of ecosystems at local, regional and global scale, and their responses to environmental changes. 

I performed my PhD (2004-2008) on the dynamics of alpine treeline ecotones and their response to climate and land-use changes. My works on the alpine treeline drove my attention towards the importance of sporadic, extreme climatic events (e.g., cold winters with shallow snow pack) for the long-term dynamics of ecosystems. During my postdoctoral stay at the University of California Berkeley (2010-2014) I studied fire-climate relationships at global scale and in Mediterranean-type ecosystems. Mediterranean climates a paradigmatic example of fire-prone vegetation where variation in plant functional traits (e.g., regenerative syndromes) and associated system feedbacks can act as major ecological filters driving ecosystems’ response to environmental changes. I’m currently investigating the interacting effects of fire and drought and its effects on the resilience of Mediterranean ecosystems in the context of global change (RESCRI project).