September 04, 2012 | News | New Publication

Dryland ecosystems

Almost half of the Earth´s land surface is covered with deserts, savanna, and steppe. Nevertheless, these dryland ecosystems are only poorly investigated. MPIDR-researcher Roberto Salguero-Gomez has guest edited a theme issue on this topic.

Dryland ecosystems are a key terrestrial biome, covering 41% of the Earth’s land surface and supporting over 38% of the total global population. These ecosystems are highly vulnerable to global environmental change and desertification, two of the most important and pressing environmental and socio-economic issues currently faced by mankind. In spite of their extent and economic or ecological importance, the impact of global environmental change on drylands remains poorly understood compared to other ecosystems. To help close this gap, the Royal Society of London published a theme issue on Dryland Ecosystems in the journal “Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B”. It was initiated by Professor Fernando T. Maestre (Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Spain) and Dr Roberto Salguero-Gomez (MPIDR). The two researchers guest edited the issue, which means they mainly asked several scientists to submit articles and organized the peer-reviewing.

The issue includes a series of reviews and primary research articles exploring how global change will affect the structure and functioning of drylands, as well as the implications of such changes to key socio-ecological issues, such as poverty alleviation.

Roberto Salguero-Gomez is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Laboratory of Evolutionary Biodemography. His main research interests are plant physiology and the demography of plant populations in deserts.