CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)

Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer in Terrestrial Ecology.

CREAF is a public research center dedicated to terrestrial ecology and territorial analysis, producing knowledge and methodologies for conservation, management, and adaptation of the environment to global change. The center’s objective is to work as a bridge between academia, administrations, and society, promoting awareness and exchanging knowledge within its scope of activities, at the local, regional, and global levels.

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Latest additions:
2025-07-01
15:09
Allometric Relationships of Branch Water-Storage Capacity and Capacitance in Four European Trees Species / Hernando, Sonia (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia) ; Binks, Oliver (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Martínez-Vilalta, Jordi 1975- (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia) ; Martin-StPaul, Nicolas K. (Unité de Recherche des Forets Méditerranéennes) ; Delzon, Sylvain (University of Bordeaux) ; Mencuccini, Maurizio (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Water storage capacity and capacitance in trees regulate hydration levels, providing water reserves during drought. However, the effects of varying traits, tissue fractions and of different water pools on the allometry of branch-/sample-level properties have not been systematically investigated. [...]
2025 - 10.1111/pce.15409
Plant, cell & environment, Vol. 48, Issue 6 (June 2025) , p. 4011-4025  
2025-06-30
12:47
12 p, 3.7 MB Atmospheric Dryness Dominates Afternoon Depression of Global Terrestrial Photosynthesis / Liu, Yue (Nanjing University) ; Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Cescatti, Alessandro (Joint Research Centre) ; Zhang, Yongguang (Nanjing University) ; Zhang Zhaoying (Nanjing University)
Satellite observations reveal a widespread afternoon depression of photosynthesis globally. Utilizing satellite observations and eddy covariance tower-based observations worldwide, we investigated the impact of climate factors on the diurnal patterns of ecosystem gross primary production (GPP). [...]
2024 - 10.1029/2024GL110954
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol 51, Issue 24 (December 2024) , art. e2024GL110954  
2025-06-30
12:40
16 p, 5.7 MB An outline on the chemical phenotype flexibility of forest species: an eco-metabolomics study of Pinus uncinata along an altitudinal gradient / Rivas-Ubach, Albert (Institute of Forest Sciences) ; Aranda, Ismael (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (Espanya)) ; Sardans i Galobart, Jordi (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Liu, Yina (Texas A&M University) ; Diaz-de-Quijano, Maria (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Paša-Tolić, Ljiljana (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) ; Oravec, Michal (Czech Academy of Sciences) ; Urban, Otmar (Czech Academy of Sciences) ; Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
The altitudinal distribution of plant populations is mainly determined by a set of environmental variables, including temperature, water availability, UV radiation, among others, which gradually shift with elevation. [...]
2025 - 10.1016/j.ppees.2024.125844
Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, Vol. 66 (March 2025) , art. 125844  
2025-06-26
12:14
No winter halt in belowground wood growth of four angiosperm deciduous tree species / Marchand, Lorène Julia (University of Antwerp. Centre of Excellence PLECO. Department of Biology) ; Gričar, Jožica (Slovenian Forestry Institute. Department of Forest Physiology and Genetics) ; Zuccarini, Paolo (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Dox, Inge (University of Antwerp. Department of Biology) ; Bertold, Mariën (University of Antwerp. Department of Biology) ; Verlinden, Melanie (University of Antwerp. Department of Biology) ; Heinecke, Thilo (University of Antwerp. Department of Biology) ; Prislan, Peter (Slovenian Forestry Institute) ; Marie, Guillaume (University of Antwerp. Department of Biology) ; Lange, Holger (Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research) ; Van den Bulcke, Jan (University of Ghent. Department of Environment) ; Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Fonti, Patrick (Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research) ; Campioli, Matteo (University of Antwerp. Department of Biology)
In the temperate zone, deciduous trees exhibit clear above-ground seasonality, marked by a halt in wood growth that represents the completion of wood formation in autumn and reactivation in spring. However, the growth seasonality of below-ground woody organs, such as coarse roots, has been largely overlooked. [...]
2025 - 10.1038/s41559-024-02602-6
Nature ecology & evolution, Vol. 9, issue 3 (March 2025) , p. 386-394  
2025-06-26
12:12
Phenological divergence between plants and animals under climate change / Lang, Weiguang (Peking University. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences) ; Zhang, Yao (Peking University. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences) ; Li, Xiangyi (Peking University. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences) ; Meng, Fandong (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research) ; Liu, Qiang (Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology. School of Remote Sensing and Geomatics Engineering) ; Wang, Kai (Peking University. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences) ; Xu, Hao (Peking University. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences) ; Chen, Anping (Colorado State University. Department of Biology) ; Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Janssens, Ivan (University of Antwerp. Department of Biology) ; Piao, Shilong (Peking University. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences)
Climate change has altered the timing of recurring biological cycles in both plants and animals. Phenological changes may be unequal within and among trophic levels, potentially impacting the intricate interactions that regulate ecosystem functioning. [...]
2025 - 10.1038/s41559-024-02597-0
Nature Ecology & Evolution, Vol. 9, issue 2 (February 2025) , p. 261-272  
2025-06-18
15:41
Accelerated succession in Himalayan alpine treelines under climatic warming / Sigdel, Shalik Ram (Chinese Academy of Sciences) ; Zheng, Xiangyu (Chinese Academy of Sciences) ; Babst, Flurin (Univesity of Arizona) ; Camarero, Jesús Julio (Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología) ; Gao, Shan (Chinese Academy of Sciences) ; Li, Xiaoxia (Chinese Academy of Sciences) ; Lu, Xiaoming (Chinese Academy of Sciences) ; Pandey, Jayram (Chinese Academy of Sciences) ; Dawadi, Binod (Tribhuvan University) ; Sun, Jian (Chinese Academy of Sciences) ; Zhu, Haifeng (Chinese Academy of Sciences) ; Wang, Tao (Chinese Academy of Sciences) ; Liang, Eryuan (Chinese Academy of Sciences) ; Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Understanding how climate change influences succession is fundamental for predicting future forest composition. Warming is expected to accelerate species succession at their cold thermal ranges, such as alpine treelines. [...]
2024 - 10.1038/s41477-024-01855-0
Nature plants, Vol. 10 (December 2024) , p. 1909-1918  
2025-06-18
15:23
Effects of maize residue and biochar applications on soil δ13C and organic carbon sources in a subtropical paddy rice ecosystem / Jin, Qiang (Fujian Normal University) ; Wang, Weiqi (Fujian Normal University) ; Liu, Xuyang (Fujian Normal University) ; Lin, Shaoying (Fujian Normal University) ; Sardans i Galobart, Jordi (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Fang, Yunying (Griffith University) ; Vancov, Tony (Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute) ; Zeng, Fanjiang ; Tariq, Akash (Chinese Academy of Sciences) ; Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
This study investigates the utility of plant δ¹3C natural labeling in predicting the impacts of environmental shifts on carbon cycling within ecosystems, particularly focusing on paddy fields treated with maize (Zea mays L. [...]
2024 - 10.1002/saj2.20773
Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 88, Issue 6 (November/December 2024) , p. 2254-2265  
2025-06-18
09:10
Depth-dependent responses of soil bacterial communities to salinity in an arid region / Dong, Xinping (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography) ; Zhang, Zhihao (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography) ; Lu, Yan (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography) ; Li, Li (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography) ; Du, Yi (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography) ; Tariq, Akash (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography) ; Gao, Yanju (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography) ; Mu, Zhaobin (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography) ; Zhu, Yuhe (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography) ; Wang, Weiqi (Fujian Normal University. Institute of Geography) ; Sardans i Galobart, Jordi (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Zeng, Fanjiang (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography)
Soil salinization adversely affects soil fertility and plant growth in arid region worldwide. However, as the drivers of nutrient cycling, the response of microbial communities to soil salinization is poorly understood. [...]
2024 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175129
Science of the total environment, Vol. 949 (November 2024) , art. 175129  
2025-06-18
09:07
13 p, 3.1 MB Moderate nitrogen enrichment increases CO2 sink strength in a coastal wetland / Qu, Wendi (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research) ; Han, Guangxuan (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research) ; Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Wang, Xiaoyue (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research) ; Xie, Baohua (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research)
Coastal wetlands remarkably influence terrestrial carbon (C) stock by serving as natural reservoirs for 'blue carbon'. Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) enrichment shapes the dynamics of soil and plant communities, consequently affecting the C balance and ecosystem functions. [...]
2024 - 10.1088/1748-9326/ad64e9
Environmental research letters, Vol. 19, no. 8 (August 2024) , art. 084044  
2025-06-17
13:41
Exchange of volatile organic compounds between the atmosphere and the soil / Yang, Kaijun (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Llusià Benet, Joan (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Preece, Catherine (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Tan, Yu (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Guangxi Institute of Botany) ; Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Background: volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play a crucial role in understanding soil ecology and the atmospheric environment. However, the biochemical cycles of VOCs in soil systems and their relationship to atmospheric VOC exchange remain unclear. [...]
2024 - 10.1007/s11104-024-06524-x
Plant and Soil, Vol. 501, issue 1-2 (August 2024) , p. 509-534  
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