Grants
      ECOCLIM Grant
      EXPERTAL Grant
      RASINV Grant
      ECOFIARB Grant
      TALMED Grant
       
 
ECOFIARB Grant
Global change and plant responses: ecophysiological bases for
the conservation of the diversity of Mediterranean trees and shrubs.
 
 
 
     
 
Mediterranean vegetation is under unprecedented pressure due to the combined effects of changes in land use and climate change. This project has two main objectives:
 
to assess the relative sensibility of a large group of Mediterranean woody species to global change,
   
 
to overcome some current technical limitations to prevent habitat degradation and to restore the biodiversity and the functionality of Mediterranean plant communities by an efficient revegetation with autochthonous woody species.
 
     
 
 
     
 
A group of 7 scientists with expertise in different fields of plant ecology (ecophysiology, phenology, and reproductive biology) has established a consortium with 4 enterprises (3 small and medium enterprises, SMEs, and one big enterprise) to achieve these goals.

The consortium has arranged the following 6 groups of activities (G):

G 1) Creation of a data base with functional grouping, functional morphology, ecophysiology and phenology of 55 woody Mediterranean species.
G 2) and 4) Experiments of phenotypic plasticity and ecophysiology to determine the relative vulnerability of the species to environmental changes, and the influence of the different water, nutrient and light treatments on both the quality of the plant produced and the success of the transplant performance in the field.
G 3) Experiments of root growth (phenology, influence of abiotic and internal factors) to understand its influence in the success of the field plantation and to elucidate the optimal timing for planting.
G 5) Reproductive biology and multiplication of difficult species in the nursery.
G 6) Dissemination of the scientific results and general achievements of the project.

The 8 most innovative aspects of the project are:
1) Multidisciplinary approach to the effect of global change on vegetation
2) Study of species not included in revegetation projects to date
3) Co-ordination of Public Research Institutions and enterprises, which ensures high standards on both the basic and the applied sides of the project
4) Addressing specific technical problems
5) A combined study of both the aerial and the underground parts of the plant
6) Application of the concept of phenotypic plasticity to evaluate the relative vulnerability to global change
7) Combination of nursery with field plantations
8) Involvement of a SME specialised in the dissemination of the information beyond the academic environment.

 
     
  ECOFIARB is a grant in collaboration with the following companies/enterprises:  
 
 
 
 
     
 
 
     
Prof. Dr. Fernando Valladares Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales CSIC .
Serrano 115 dpdo.E-28006 Madrid. Spain
Phone 34 917452500 ext 988120. Fax 34 915640800
e-mail: [email protected]
 
Creación web: Wainadur Paginas Web