Fernando T. Maestre
@ftmaestre.bsky.social
Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering #KAUST Husband, father, dryland ecologist & runner. PI #Maestrelab
Environmental science
40%
Agriculture
29%
www.mdpi.com
In the paper we discuss actions to transition to a much-needed and more sustainable food production system. Read the paper (#openaccess) for free here: www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/17...
In our new @mdpiopenaccess.bsky.social #Water paper, led by Jaime Martínez-Valderrama, we quantify the hidden & huge cost of food waste in #Spain Between 2014–2018, >480,000 tons of fruits & vegetables were discarded — wasting 36 hm³ of water and emitting >36,000 tCO₂-eq. A crisis that we must stop
The photographs show examples of cyanobacteria-dominated biocrusts in (a) the Al Ula region (Saudi Arabia) and (b) central Saudi Arabia. Photographs by
Corey Nelson
Corey Nelson
Our new review in @universitypress.cambridge.org
Cambridge Prisms: Drylands explores the ecology of biocrusts in the Arabian Peninsula, one of the most extreme and underexplored regions on Earth, their functions, knowledge gaps & potential for land restoration doi.org/10.1017/dry....
Cambridge Prisms: Drylands explores the ecology of biocrusts in the Arabian Peninsula, one of the most extreme and underexplored regions on Earth, their functions, knowledge gaps & potential for land restoration doi.org/10.1017/dry....
A new article in Biological Reviews by Islam et al. synthesizes current knowledge on C cycling and storage in desert ecosystems, highlighting the roles of precipitation patterns, vegetation dynamics & soil inorganic processes in regulating C sequestration onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Delighted to celebrate the first anniversary of this journal. As an editor, it’s been inspiring to see such a wide range of articles advancing our understanding of dryland ecosystems. If you work in #drylands please consider submitting your work to us www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Excited to give a plenary talk at the @iavs5.bsky.social Symposium 2026 in beautiful Gijón, Spain! Looking forward to share our latest research about #dryland plant diversity and to reconnecting with the global vegetation science community gijon2026.iavs-meetings.org Don´t miss it!
📢 68th #IAVS Symposium: Understanding #Ecosystems through #Vegetation | 22-26 June 2026, Spain
Join us to explore how vegetation shapes #biodiversity and ecosystems worldwide!
📅 Call for Special Session proposals is now open: 15 Oct – 15 Nov 2025
👉 Details: gijon2026.iavs-meetings.org
#IAVS2026
Join us to explore how vegetation shapes #biodiversity and ecosystems worldwide!
📅 Call for Special Session proposals is now open: 15 Oct – 15 Nov 2025
👉 Details: gijon2026.iavs-meetings.org
#IAVS2026
Science Magazine
@science.org
· 20d
Drought intensity and duration interact to magnify losses in primary productivity
As droughts become longer and more intense, impacts on terrestrial primary productivity are expected to increase progressively. Yet, some ecosystems appear to acclimate to multiyear drought, with cons...
scim.ag
Although many ecosystems can weather several years of moderate drought, consecutive years of extreme dryness push them past a tipping point, resulting in dramatic declines in plant growth, researchers report in Science. https://scim.ag/4ogN9I8
Our new article in @ejsoilscience.bsky.social highlights the key uncertainties limiting the use of nitrification inhibitors (NIs), a promising tool to curb N pollution and N₂O emissions. Better design & smarter use of NIs are key for sustainable N management onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author...
Excelente reportaje de Miguel Ángel Criado para @elpais.com elpais.com/ciencia/2025... sobre nuestro artículo en @science.org 👇
Kudos to Tim Ohlert & Melinda Smith for leading this work and congratulations to all authors and collaborators that made this study possible
📸 of the Ciempozuelos site by David Sánchez Pescador
📸 of the Ciempozuelos site by David Sánchez Pescador
This study shows the power of international collaboration to tackle global challenges like drought. Grateful to have served on the IDE Steering Committee and happy to see our @erc.europa.eu supported Ciempozuelos field site contributing to this global effort.
Using data from 74 grassland and shrubland sites on six continents from the @droughtnet.bsky.social International Drought Experiment (IDE), we found that productivity declines up to 2.5× more after four consecutive years of extreme drought
As droughts become longer and more intense, their toll on ecosystems could be far greater than we thought. Our new paper in @science.org shows how prolonged & extreme droughts cause dramatic, cumulative losses in ecosystem productivity across the globe www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Drought intensity and duration interact to magnify losses in primary productivity
As droughts become longer and more intense, impacts on terrestrial primary productivity are expected to increase progressively. Yet, some ecosystems appear to acclimate to multiyear drought, with cons...
www.science.org
New paper out 🥳
Drought intensity and duration interact to magnify losses in primary productivity | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@stockholm-uni.bsky.social
Drought intensity and duration interact to magnify losses in primary productivity | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@stockholm-uni.bsky.social