Senior researcher
Josep Maria Espelta Morral
PhD in Biological Sciences (UAB, 1992). I am a senior researcher at CREAF since 1998. I am interested in forest ecology and, particularly, in the factors and processes involved in forest dynamics across environmental gradients and in response to disturbances (e.g. wildfires, drought, herbivory).
PhD in Biological Sciences (UAB, 1992). I am a senior researcher at CREAF since 1998.
I am interested in forest ecology and, particularly, in the factors and processes involved in forest dynamics across environmental gradients and in response to disturbances (e.g. wildfires, drought, herbivory). Currently, my main research interests focus on the interaction among land use and forest management changes, particularly forest expansion and regrowth after rural abandonment, and the impact of climate change. My objective is to investigate the influence of the legacy of land use on the dynamics of forests and the greater or lesser resistance of recent forests to climate change compared to those that have existed for a long time. Under this uncertain ecological scenario, I am interested in the factors driving tree growth and their sensitivity to climate, the variability on seed production, the balance among positive and negative plant-animal interactions (seed predation or dispersal) and, finally, the determinants of tree recruitment. Ultimately, I would like my research contributed in designing more efficient and adaptive forestry practices to face climate change challenges.
