How tightly are plant biomass & soil nutrients linked worldwide?Our new study (400+ sites across all biomes) in J Sustain Agric Environ shows climate plays a key role in decoupling this relationship—challenging classic views of nutrient limitation onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

New paper from lab-@natecoevo.nature.com Abiotic and biotic controls of non-native perennial plant success in drylands Non-native plant success in drylands is facilitated by high grazing pressure & resource availability. Led by Rahmanian and @ftmaestre.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Plant phenolics play a key roles in plant strategies. Here we explore the drivers of phenolic content in plants over 1800 species across global drylands 🧪🌐 ➡️https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2745.70222

In our latest paper, just published in @natcomms.nature.com we show that soil conditions, landscape structure & land-use change shape global soil pathogenic fungal diversity. Landscape complexity and crops increase diversity, while grass and tree cover reduce it www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Just published in @natecoevo.nature.com: using data from the @erc.europa.eu funded BIODESERT dryland survey, we show that plant diversity strongly enhances ecosystem resistance to increasing grazing pressure. Conserving biodiversity is key to sustaining dryland rangelands worldwide rdcu.be/eXY6D

Just published in @journalofecology.bsky.social Using data from 1,854 plant species coming from the @erc.europa.eu funded #BIODESERT survey, we show how climate & grazing jointly shape leaf phenolics—key defence compounds—across global drylands. Great work led by PhD student Kaarina Shilula

A few years ago I shared my @erc.europa.eu Starting Grant proposal (BIOCOM) openly on @figshare.com doi.org/10.6084/m9.f... I never imagined it would reach over 14K views and >6K downloads. A reminder of why sharing proposals & experiences matters—for those coming after us

Happy to share our new paper from the @erc.europa.eu funded #BIODESERT global survey! Brilliantly led by MSc student Imke Smit, we show that plant facilitation in drylands is driven by a consistent trait match between dominant and target species Out in Global Ecol Biog dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb....

Peer review in top journals is tough, and we often focus on its “dark side”: delays, rejections, and harsh reports. But there’s also a bright side we talk about far too little. Our recent acceptance came with exceptionally kind words from the handling editor—polite, thoughtful, ...

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

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....

Thrilled to be one of the plenary speakers for the @iavs5.bsky.social 68th #IAVS Symposium (Gijón, Spain, 22-26 June 2026) along legends like @jcsvenning.bsky.social @gmendietal.bsky.social @ftmaestre.bsky.social et al! Join us to discuss plants across taxonomic, spatial and temporal scales! 🌿

The International Association for Vegetation Science@iavs5.bsky.social · 10mo ago

📢 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

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...

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

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

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!

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...

#MultiyearDroughts, it is nice to see studies with distinct designs and used data converge to similar results — "25-30%" seems to be a key range, in this study about the measured reduction of primary production in grassland and in our previous study with kNDVI www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... .

Fernando T. Maestre@ftmaestre.bsky.social · 10mo ago

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/...

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

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...

science.org

Excelente reportaje de Miguel Ángel Criado para @elpais.com elpais.com/ciencia/2025... sobre nuestro artículo en @science.org 👇

Así se cuela la aridez en la mitad de la superficie terrestre

Un experimento global muestra cómo la combinación entre duración y severidad de las sequías reduce la cobertura vegetal del planeta

elpais.com

Fernando T. Maestre@ftmaestre.bsky.social · 10mo ago

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/...

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/...

Nature’s global survey of 3,785 doctoral students shows satisfaction has recovered from pandemic lows, but harassment and inadequate supervision remain widespread. #Academicsky 🧪

How money, politics and technology are redefining the PhD experience in 2025

Nature’s global survey of 3,785 doctoral students shows satisfaction has recovered from pandemic lows, but harassment and inadequate supervision remain widespread.

go.nature.com

In #drylands, plants don’t grow randomly — they self-organize into disordered hyperuniform patterns that help them use water wisely & endure extreme aridity. A beautiful hidden logic of nature, revealed in a new @pnas.org study doi.org/10.1073/pnas... including #Maestrelab alumni

New study in @universitypress.cambridge.org #CambridgePrismsDrylands reveals how landscape- & patch-scale processes shape the “fertile island effect” in the Chihuahuan Desert, illustrating the importance of spatial heterogeneity in drylands doi.org/10.1017/dry.... 📷by Patricia Zumsteg @unsplash.com

Powerful piece by @darmenteras.bsky.social in @natureportfolio.nature.com #Nature Global science won’t be equitable until it goes beyond diversity optics & truly shares power, credit & leadership. A must-read for anyone committed to promote a more fair and just science www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Equity in science is a beautiful lie — and I’m done pretending

Science isn’t really moving towards equity; institutions are just perfecting the appearance of equity. We need to build an alternative system.

nature.com

🔥Más de 400.000 hectáreas han ardido solo este año, otro año más. 🗣️Nuestro compañero @migueldiazcarro.bsky.social echa la mirada hacia adelante en este problema y hacia el futuro, en la restauración, con la miranda en lo comunitario y escuchando a la ciencia 🔗 www.elsaltodiario.com/incendios-fo...

El calor que quedará después de los incendios

El calor y los incendios no son una anomalía, son la consecuencia de un modelo económico que ha saqueado las entrañas de la tierra y ha quemado sistemáticamente su sangre y su piel.

elsaltodiario.com

🌍 We’re excited to host the Future Food Systems Conference (FFS2026) at #KAUST with #PlantACT! 📅 Apr 13–15, 2026 | Thuwal, Saudi Arabia A global gathering to reimagine how to feed the world without eating the planet 👉 Free registration & info: kaust.edu.sa/events/ffs26/

Great thread on our recent lab paper in @geoderma.bsky.social on how SOC fractions regulate ecosystem services in global drylands Nicely led by Luna McGill as part of her PhD at ICA @csic.es @cesarplaza.bsky.social @ftmaestre.bsky.social @manudelbaq.bsky.social

Fernando T. Maestre@ftmaestre.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Our new article is out in @geoderma.bsky.social! Drylands, which cover 40% of Earth’s land, store ~30% of global soil organic carbon. But how do different carbon fractions support ecosystem services under rising aridity? 🏜️ 📖 doi.org/10.1016/j.ge...

Our new article is out in @geoderma.bsky.social! Drylands, which cover 40% of Earth’s land, store ~30% of global soil organic carbon. But how do different carbon fractions support ecosystem services under rising aridity? 🏜️ 📖 doi.org/10.1016/j.ge...

As stated by this press release from @unccd.bsky.social we must overhaul global food systems to avert worsening land crisis unccd.int/news-stories... Read the @natureportfolio.nature.com #Nature Review here rdcu.be/eBlid