I am a plant ecologist/ecophysiologist working on a range of topics from drought-stress vulnerability to forest ecosystem functioning in a changing world.

My particular interest is to understand the mechanisms that allow trees to cope with drought and regenerate after disturbances such as fires. This targets the potential for reforestation and ecosystem restoration under global change scenarios. Current research projects focus on the hidden side of tree life, investigating how rooting depth and architecture determines plant competitive advantages and their resilience to water deficits. Using functional wood anatomy and tree hydraulic methods we can trace the way of the water from roots to leaves and learn how regulating water uptake and loss helps trees to cope with challenging situations. Further ongoing projects I am involved are:

• Hydraulic strategies of dry forests and how adaptable these species are to changes in water availability
• Forest ecosystem services and carbon sequestration affected by land-use change in the tropics
• Biodiversity enrichment experiments promoting more diverse and drought-resilient forestry in the future