Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications

Population genomics unravel structural variation of venom-encoding genes across the desert viper genus Cerastes

Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying phenotypic differentiation is central to evolutionary biology. Yet most traits are shaped by complex, polygenic architectures, making links between genomic change and phenotype difficult to resolve. Venom provides an advantageous...

Phytolith evidence for Last Glacial Maximum grass-rich landscapes and postglacial forest development in the highlands of Tenerife

Transitions from glacial to interglacial periods are well documented across many regions through paleoenvironmental records, indicating that most forests suffered transformations linked to global climatic shifts through species migration or decline. On mountainous islands, forest...

Increased maximum carbon release offsets half of the growth trend in annual land carbon sink

The terrestrial carbon sink has strengthened in recent decades through enhanced maximum CO2 uptake (MCU) and a longer carbon uptake period (CUP), whereas maximum CO2 release (MCR) remains less quantified. Using atmospheric inversion estimates and 16 terrestrial biosphere models,...

Environmental drivers of litter- and soil-dwelling springtail communities across European forests, assessed by morphotaxonomy and soil DNA metabarcoding

Springtails are abundant in forest litter and soils, where they play a crucial role in the transformation and decomposition of organic matter. However, most data on springtail communities originates from studies at the local and regional levels, while larger-scale studies are lac...

Towards resilient forest establishment in Europe: functional traits, genetic diversity and multifunctional design

Abstract Forest restoration and afforestation across Europe are accelerating, yet the decision-making processes governing forest establishment remain unevenly examined, especially from a biodiversity perspective. Considering this and the global environmental changes of climate sh...

Real-time invasion dynamics reveal the drivers of predator spread and prey extirpation on an island

Abstract Non-native predators profoundly restructure island biological communities worldwide, yet their management is hindered by limited empirical understanding of the dynamics of predator spread and prey extirpation. Here, we integrate two decades of field surveys, citizen-scie...