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 European CommissionFunding Insitution |  Maria Serrano(Marie Curie fellow) |  IRNAS-CSICHosted Institution |
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RECIÉN LLEGADOS
SOBRE NOSOTROS
Objetives
Project
Mediterranean oak systems, including forests and open-woodlands, are one of the most representative ecosystems of the Iberian Peninsula, which are based on the maintenance of Quecus tree species, providing their major incomes from cork and acorn production, high valuable food resource for livestock, and wildlife. These oak ecosystems, keystone for the survival of rural human populations, are listed among the type habitats protected by the EU Directive on Habitats (Annex I of Council Directive 92/43/EEC) and also recognized as protective areas by national and regional regulations (Ley 2/1989 (BOJA number 60 of 27/7/1989)).
Unfortunately, the sustainability and persistence of these ecosystems has been seriously threatening by two main factors: firstly, the exotic pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi which is one of the most serious plat pathogen worldwide, with thousands of woody hosts and included among the world’s 100 worst invasive alien species. It causes wilting, defoliation and death of the infected trees consequence of feeder roots rot. And secondly, the Mediterranean Basin is one of the most vulnerable areas to Climate Change, expecting a short-term decreasing of precipitations and warming with severe consequences for forests survival.
Overall, the existence of a disease caused by a biotic agent depended of the interaction of three components: a susceptible host (Quercus spp.), a virulent pathogen (P. cinnamomi) and an environment favorable for disease development. Conversely, plant diseases may be prevented or limited upon elimination or modification of any of these three causal components. In this way, the main objective of this project CCPaMe is to advance in the understanding of the effects of Climate Change on biotic communities and their interactions with invasive pathogens and plant diseases development in Mediterranean forests systems. These interactions have been largely ignored so far, but its consideration is crucial to understand how abiotic and biotic stress factors together determine forest health and stability.
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