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Fernando T. Maestre

Professor, Environmental Science and Engineering

Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division 
Center membership :
Climate and Livability Initiative

fernando.maestregil@kaust.edu.sa


Affiliations

Education Profile

  • Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow, Duke University, Duke University, Durham, 2003
  • PhD, University of Alicante, 2022
  • BSc, University of Alicante, 1999

Research Interests

Professor Maestre’s research interests are in the ecology of terrestrial dryland ecosystems, which constitute the largest set of biomes on Earth, and their responses to ongoing global environmental change, desertification, the impacts and mitigation of climate change, and ecological restoration. He is a leading expert on the ecology of global drylands, and his research is influencing the efforts regarding the fight against desertification and climate change in these areas, which is critical to ensure the global sustainability of our planet.

Selected Publications

  • Maestre, F.T., Y. Le Bagousse-Pinguet, M. Delgado-Baquerizo, D.J. Eldridge, H. Saiz, M. Berdugo, B. Gozalo, V. Ochoa, E. Guirado, M. García-Gómez, E. Valencia, J.J. Gaitán, S. Asensio, B.J. Mendoza, C. Plaza, P. Díaz-Martínez, A., Rey, H.W. Hu, J.Z. He, J.T. Wang, A. Lehmann, M.C. Rillig, S. Cesarz, N. Eisenhauer, J. Martínez-Valderrama, E. Moreno-Jiménez, O. Sala, M. Abedi, N. Ahmadian, V. Alados, C.L. Aramayo, F. Amghar, T. Arredondo, R.J. Ahumada, K. Bahalkeh, F. Ben Salem, N. Blaum, B. Boldgiv, M.A. Bowker, D. Bran, C. Bu, R. Canessa, A.P. Castillo-Monroy, H. Castro, I. Castro, P. Castro-Quezada, R. Chibani, A.A. Conceição, C.M. Currier, A. Darrouzet-Nardi, B. Deák, D.A. Donoso, A.J. Dougill, J. Durán, B., Erdenetsetseg, C.I. Espinosa, A. Fajardo, M. Farzam, D. Ferrante, A.S.K. Frank, L.H. Fraser, L.A. Gherardi, A.C. Greenville, C.A. Guerra, E. Gusmán-Montalvan, R.M. Hernández-Hernández, N. Hölzel, E. Huber-Sannwald, F.M. Hughes, O. Jadán-Maza, F. Jeltsch, A. Jentsch. K.F. Kaseke, M. Köbel, J.E. Koopman, C.V. Leder, A. Linstädter, P.C. le Roux, X. Li, P. Liancourt, J. Liu, M.A. Louw, G. Maggs-Kölling, T.P. Makhalanyane, O. Malam-Issa, A.J. Manzaneda, E. Marais, J.P. Mora, G. Moreno, S.M. Munson, G.R. Oñatibia, R.E. Quiroga, S. Rahmanian, S.C. Reed, P.J. Rey, B. Richard, A. Rodríguez, V. Rolo, J.G. Rubalcaba, J.C. Ruppert, A. Salah, M.A. Schuchardt, S. Spann, I. Stavi, C.R.A. Stephens, A.M. Swemmer, A.L. Teixido, A.D. Thomas, H.L. Throop, K. Tielbörger, S. Travers, J. Val, O. Valkó, L. van den Brink, S. Velasco-Ayuso, F. Velbert, W. Wamiti, D. Wang, L., Wang, G.M. Wardle, L. Yahdjian, E. Zaady, Y. Zhang, X. Zhou, B.K. Singh & N. Gross. 2022. Grazing and ecosystem service delivery in global drylands. Science 378: 915–920.
  • Berdugo, M., M. Delgado-Baquerizo, S. Soliveres, R. Hernández-Clemente, Y. Zhao, J. J. Gaitán, N. Gross, H. Saiz, V. Maire, A. Lehman, M. C. Rillig, R. V. Solé & F. T. Maestre. 2020. Global ecosystem thresholds driven by aridity. Science 367: 787–790.
  • Maestre, F. T., M. Delgado-Baquerizo, T. C. Jeffries, V. Ochoa, B. Gozalo, D. J. Eldridge, J. L. Quero, M. García-Gómez, A. Gallardo, W. Ulrich, M. A. Bowker, T. Arredondo, C. Barraza, D. Bran, A. Florentino, J. Gaitán, J. R. Gutiérrez, E. Huber-Sannwald, M. Jankju, R. L. Mau, M. Miriti, K. Naseri, A. Ospina, I. Stavi, D. Wang, N. N. Woods, X. Yuan, E. Zaady & B. K. Singh. 2015. Increasing aridity reduces soil microbial diversity and abundance in global drylands. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112: 15684–15689.
  • Delgado-Baquerizo, M., F. T. Maestre, A. Gallardo, M. A. Bowker, M. Wallenstein, J. L. Quero, S. Soliveres, V. Ochoa, B. Gozalo, M. García-Gómez, P. García-Palacios, M. Berdugo, E. Valencia, C. Escolar, A. Escudero, J. A. Carreira, T. Arredondo, C. Barraza-Zepeda, D. Bran, M. Chaieb, A. A. Conceição, J. Contreras, M. Derak, D. J. Eldridge, C. I. Espinosa, A. Florentino, J. Gaitán, W. Ghiloufi, S. Gómez-González, J. R. Gutiérrez, E. Hepper, R. M. Hernández, E. Huber-Sannwald, M. Jankju, J. Liu, R. L. Mau, M. Miriti, J. Monerris, E. Morici, M. Muchane, K. Naseri, A. Ospina, V. Polo, E. Pucheta, L. Quevedo-Robledo, E. Ramírez, D. A. Ramírez-Collantes, R. Romão, M. Tighe, D. Torres, C. Torres-Díaz, E. D. Ungar, J. Val, W. Wamiti, D. Wang & E. Zaady. 2013. Decoupling of soil nutrient cycles as a function of aridity in global drylands. Nature 502: 672-676.
  • Maestre, F. T., J. L. Quero, N. J. Gotelli, A. Escudero, V. Ochoa, M. Delgado-Baquerizo, M. García-Gómez, M. A. Bowker, S. Soliveres, C. Escolar, P. García-Palacios, M. Berdugo, E. Valencia, B. Gozalo, A. Gallardo, L. Aguilera, T. Arredondo, J. Blones, B. Boeken, D. Bran, A. Conceicao, O. Cabrera, M. Chaieb, M. Derak, D. Eldridge, C. I. Espinosa, A. Florentino, J. Gaitán, M. G. Gatica, W. Ghiloufi, S. Gómez-González, J. R. Gutiérrez, R. M. Hernández, X. Huang, E. Huber-Sannwald, M. Jankju, M. Miriti, J. Monerris, R. L. Mau, E. Morici, K. Naseri, A. Ospina, V. Polo, A. Prina, E. Pucheta, D. A. Ramírez-Collantes, R. Romão, M. Tighe, C. Torres-Díaz, J. Val, J. P. Veiga, D. Wang, E. Zaady. 2012. Plant species richness and ecosystem multifunctionality in global drylands. Science 335: 214-218.