Life adapted to precariousness: The ecology of drylands

Authors

  • Jaime Martinez-Valderrama University of Alacant (Spain).
  • Emilio Guirado University of Alacant (Spain).
  • Fernando T. Maestre University of Alacant (Spain).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.13.22006

Keywords:

aridity, droughts, biodiversity, adaptations, desertification

Abstract

Drylands occupy approximately 40 % of the Earth’s surface. Their peculiar hydrological system, with water as the main limiting factor, together with other characteristics such as the variability of rainfall and their ecological heterogeneity, make these regions one of the main and most relevant sets of biomes on the planet. Beyond their stereotypical conception as places with low economic and ecological profiles, these territories have enormous biodiversity and support 40 % of the world’s population. Global warming is increasing atmospheric aridity, meaning that the strategies developed over millennia by the inhabitants of these areas represent a model we can learn from. Preserving these places is essential to combat climate change, and to do so we must have an in-depth understanding of their structure and functioning.

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Author Biographies

Jaime Martinez-Valderrama, University of Alacant (Spain).

PhD in Agricultural Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid and postdoctoral researcher at the Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Alicante (Spain). He is a specialist in desertification, system dynamics modelling, and global change

Emilio Guirado, University of Alacant (Spain).

PhD in Environmental Sciences from the University of Almeria and postdoctoral researcher at the Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Alicante (Spain). He is a specialist in ecosystem functioning and biodiversity, with a remote sensing and deep learning perspective

Fernando T. Maestre, University of Alacant (Spain).

PhD in Biology from the University of Alicante. He is Full Professor of Ecology at the Rey Juan Carlos University (currently on a leave of absence) and is a distinguished researcher at the University of Alicante (Spain) where he directs the Dryland Ecology and Global Change Lab. He specialises in dryland ecology, desertification, and the impacts of climate change on these ecosystems

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Published

2023-02-23

How to Cite

Martinez-Valderrama, J., Guirado, E., & Maestre, F. T. (2023). Life adapted to precariousness: The ecology of drylands. Metode Science Studies Journal, (13), 9–15. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.13.22006
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Issue

Science. The genesis of ideas (vol. 13, 2023)

Section

Drylands. Opportunities, challenges, and threats

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