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Fernando T. Maestre

@ftmaestre.bsky.social
845 followers 179 following 118 posts

Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering #KAUST Husband, father, dryland ecologist & runner. PI #Maestrelab

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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Muy contento de haber contribuido a este magnífico reportaje sobre Ascensión, una isla extraordinaria q muestra hasta q punto la acción humana puede transformar un ecosistema. También q no existen recetas simples para la restauración ecológica Enhorabuena @vmaull.bsky.social @ricardsole.bsky.social
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Ricard Solé @ricardsole.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Felicitaciones a @vmaull.bsky.social x el articulo en @elpais.com sobre la terraformación de la isla de Ascensión. Un proyecto único que continua los esfuerzos de nuestro laboratorio sobre ingenieria emergente @melisupf.bsky.social @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social www.complexsystemslab.org/research/eme...
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
global dryland survey. Read the #openacess article here: doi.org/10.1111/gcb.... (2/2)
doi.org
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Dryland soils store huge amounts of inorganic C, but is it an inert, ancient C reservoir? In @globalchangebio.bsky.social we report that topsoil inorganic C carries a modern C signature & is connected to contemporary C cycling Another great outcome from the @erc.europa.eu funded #BIODESERT (1/2)
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Two faculty openings in #KAUST in key areas for a more sustainable future (+info & how to apply): * Sustainable Food Security: apply.interfolio.com/191661 * Water Security & Desalination: apply.interfolio.com/191656 KAUST is an amazing place to live & work, w/ world-class lab & faculty, apply!
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Read the #openaccess article here doi.org/10.1002/fee....
doi.org
Dryland research networks as critical infrastructure for coordinated action
Click on the article title to read more.
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
In our new @esajournals.bsky.social Front Ecol Environ paper we argue that dryland research networks are critical infrastructure that can turn fragmented knowledge into coordinated action, helping deliver the goals of @unccd.bsky.social @unbiodiversity.bsky.social & #UNFCCC #COP17Mongolia
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Shersingh Joseph Tumber-Dávila @josephtumber.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
A great PhD opportunity! (check it out) The Plant Interactions Ecology Lab at the University of Texas at El Paso is recruiting a PhD students to start in the Spring or Fall of 2027 under the supervision of Dr. @alemtzb.bsky.social @esalatamcarib.bsky.social
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Alejandro Montenegro @aemonten.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
On replying to emails from lab applicants: "I make a point of replying to every single personalized email (except the clearly generic ones sent en mass). (...) Academia is already tough and uncertain enough - we don't need to add silence to the list of challenges" www.linkedin.com/posts/fernan...
linkedin.com
#academia #mentorship #earlycareerresearchers #academiclife #leadership | Fernando Tomás Maestre Gil | 46 comments
Every week, I receive between 5 and 20 requests from students and researchers interested in joining our lab. Unfortunately, I cannot accommodate them — our group is already at full capacity and will b...
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Springer @springer.springernature.com · 02/02/2026
🌏🦋 A new #OpenAccess book, 'The Labyrinth of Desertification', explores desertification through 16 case studies from Spain—edited by Jaime Martínez-Valderrama and Jorge Olcina Cantos—with a prologue by Fernando Tomás Maestre Gil. bit.ly/3MjhEzV #BookSky #ResearchPublishing
'The Labyrinth of Desertification'
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
How tightly are plant biomass & soil nutrients linked worldwide?Our new study (400+ sites across all biomes) in J Sustain Agric Environ shows climate plays a key role in decoupling this relationship—challenging classic views of nutrient limitation onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
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Prof Braj Singh @prof-braj-singh.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
New paper from lab-@natecoevo.nature.com Abiotic and biotic controls of non-native perennial plant success in drylands Non-native plant success in drylands is facilitated by high grazing pressure & resource availability. Led by Rahmanian and @ftmaestre.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Nicolas Gross @nicolas-p-gross.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Plant phenolics play a key roles in plant strategies. Here we explore the drivers of phenolic content in plants over 1800 species across global drylands 🧪🌐 ➡️https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2745.70222
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
📸 Microscopic image of hyphae of Aspergillus niger, which causes a disease known as "black mold" on certain fruits and vegetables and is a common contaminant of food. Photo by Y_tambe, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Many thanks to all co-authors and collaborators involved in this global effort led by Yawen Lu & Carlos A. Guerra
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
In our latest paper, just published in @natcomms.nature.com we show that soil conditions, landscape structure & land-use change shape global soil pathogenic fungal diversity. Landscape complexity and crops increase diversity, while grass and tree cover reduce it www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Just published in @natecoevo.nature.com: using data from the @erc.europa.eu funded BIODESERT dryland survey, we show that plant diversity strongly enhances ecosystem resistance to increasing grazing pressure. Conserving biodiversity is key to sustaining dryland rangelands worldwide rdcu.be/eXY6D
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Read the paper (#openaccess) here: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Just published in @journalofecology.bsky.social Using data from 1,854 plant species coming from the @erc.europa.eu funded #BIODESERT survey, we show how climate & grazing jointly shape leaf phenolics—key defence compounds—across global drylands. Great work led by PhD student Kaarina Shilula
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
A few years ago I shared my @erc.europa.eu Starting Grant proposal (BIOCOM) openly on @figshare.com doi.org/10.6084/m9.f... I never imagined it would reach over 14K views and >6K downloads. A reminder of why sharing proposals & experiences matters—for those coming after us
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
Happy to share our new paper from the @erc.europa.eu funded #BIODESERT global survey! Brilliantly led by MSc student Imke Smit, we show that plant facilitation in drylands is driven by a consistent trait match between dominant and target species Out in Global Ecol Biog dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb....
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
📸 in the first tweet from Zoshua Colah @unsplash.com
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
And let’s strive to be those reviewers and editors ourselves. A bit of kindness goes a long way—making the whole system better for everyone, but particularly for ECRs.
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
and genuinely encouraging. It was a reminder that peer review is not just gatekeeping; it’s a collaborative process that often improves our science. So let’s celebrate the many reviewers and editors who invest their time with rigor and kindness
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
Peer review in top journals is tough, and we often focus on its “dark side”: delays, rejections, and harsh reports. But there’s also a bright side we talk about far too little. Our recent acceptance came with exceptionally kind words from the handling editor—polite, thoughtful, ...
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
In the paper we discuss actions to transition to a much-needed and more sustainable food production system. Read the paper (#openaccess) for free here: www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/17...
mdpi.com
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
In our new @mdpiopenaccess.bsky.social #Water paper, led by Jaime Martínez-Valderrama, we quantify the hidden & huge cost of food waste in #Spain Between 2014–2018, >480,000 tons of fruits & vegetables were discarded — wasting 36 hm³ of water and emitting >36,000 tCO₂-eq. A crisis that we must stop
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
The photographs show examples of cyanobacteria-dominated biocrusts in (a) the Al Ula region (Saudi Arabia) and (b) central Saudi Arabia. Photographs by Corey Nelson
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Our new review in @universitypress.cambridge.org Cambridge Prisms: Drylands explores the ecology of biocrusts in the Arabian Peninsula, one of the most extreme and underexplored regions on Earth, their functions, knowledge gaps & potential for land restoration doi.org/10.1017/dry....
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Dr. Mariana García Criado @nanitundra.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Thrilled to be one of the plenary speakers for the @iavs5.bsky.social 68th #IAVS Symposium (Gijón, Spain, 22-26 June 2026) along legends like @jcsvenning.bsky.social @gmendietal.bsky.social @ftmaestre.bsky.social et al! Join us to discuss plants across taxonomic, spatial and temporal scales! 🌿
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
A new article in Biological Reviews by Islam et al. synthesizes current knowledge on C cycling and storage in desert ecosystems, highlighting the roles of precipitation patterns, vegetation dynamics & soil inorganic processes in regulating C sequestration onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Delighted to celebrate the first anniversary of this journal. As an editor, it’s been inspiring to see such a wide range of articles advancing our understanding of dryland ecosystems. If you work in #drylands please consider submitting your work to us www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
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Science Magazine @science.org · 21/10/2025
Although many ecosystems can weather several years of moderate drought, consecutive years of extreme dryness push them past a tipping point, resulting in dramatic declines in plant growth, researchers report in Science. scim.ag/4ogN9I8
scim.ag
Drought intensity and duration interact to magnify losses in primary productivity
As droughts become longer and more intense, impacts on terrestrial primary productivity are expected to increase progressively. Yet, some ecosystems appear to acclimate to multiyear drought, with cons...
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Excited to give a plenary talk at the @iavs5.bsky.social Symposium 2026 in beautiful Gijón, Spain! Looking forward to share our latest research about #dryland plant diversity and to reconnecting with the global vegetation science community gijon2026.iavs-meetings.org Don´t miss it!
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Our new article in @ejsoilscience.bsky.social highlights the key uncertainties limiting the use of nitrification inhibitors (NIs), a promising tool to curb N pollution and N₂O emissions. Better design & smarter use of NIs are key for sustainable N management onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author...
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Liangzhi Chen @liangzhi-chen.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
#MultiyearDroughts, it is nice to see studies with distinct designs and used data converge to similar results — "25-30%" seems to be a key range, in this study about the measured reduction of primary production in grassland and in our previous study with kNDVI www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... .
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SAOCousins @saocousins.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
New paper out 🥳 Drought intensity and duration interact to magnify losses in primary productivity | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... @stockholm-uni.bsky.social
science.org
Drought intensity and duration interact to magnify losses in primary productivity
As droughts become longer and more intense, impacts on terrestrial primary productivity are expected to increase progressively. Yet, some ecosystems appear to acclimate to multiyear drought, with cons...
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Excelente reportaje de Miguel Ángel Criado para @elpais.com elpais.com/ciencia/2025... sobre nuestro artículo en @science.org 👇
elpais.com
Así se cuela la aridez en la mitad de la superficie terrestre
Un experimento global muestra cómo la combinación entre duración y severidad de las sequías reduce la cobertura vegetal del planeta
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Kudos to Tim Ohlert & Melinda Smith for leading this work and congratulations to all authors and collaborators that made this study possible 📸 of the Ciempozuelos site by David Sánchez Pescador
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
This study shows the power of international collaboration to tackle global challenges like drought. Grateful to have served on the IDE Steering Committee and happy to see our @erc.europa.eu supported Ciempozuelos field site contributing to this global effort.
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Using data from 74 grassland and shrubland sites on six continents from the @droughtnet.bsky.social International Drought Experiment (IDE), we found that productivity declines up to 2.5× more after four consecutive years of extreme drought
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
As droughts become longer and more intense, their toll on ecosystems could be far greater than we thought. Our new paper in @science.org shows how prolonged & extreme droughts cause dramatic, cumulative losses in ecosystem productivity across the globe www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 11/10/2025
Nature’s global survey of 3,785 doctoral students shows satisfaction has recovered from pandemic lows, but harassment and inadequate supervision remain widespread. #Academicsky 🧪
go.nature.com
How money, politics and technology are redefining the PhD experience in 2025
Nature’s global survey of 3,785 doctoral students shows satisfaction has recovered from pandemic lows, but harassment and inadequate supervision remain widespread.
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
@manudelbaq.bsky.social Miguel Berdugo. Many congratulations to all the authors for this outstanding interdisciplinary work that beautifully bridges ecology, physics, and mathematics to reveal the hidden order of nature.
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
In #drylands, plants don’t grow randomly — they self-organize into disordered hyperuniform patterns that help them use water wisely & endure extreme aridity. A beautiful hidden logic of nature, revealed in a new @pnas.org study doi.org/10.1073/pnas... including #Maestrelab alumni
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
New study in @universitypress.cambridge.org #CambridgePrismsDrylands reveals how landscape- & patch-scale processes shape the “fertile island effect” in the Chihuahuan Desert, illustrating the importance of spatial heterogeneity in drylands doi.org/10.1017/dry.... 📷by Patricia Zumsteg @unsplash.com
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
Powerful piece by @darmenteras.bsky.social in @natureportfolio.nature.com #Nature Global science won’t be equitable until it goes beyond diversity optics & truly shares power, credit & leadership. A must-read for anyone committed to promote a more fair and just science www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Equity in science is a beautiful lie — and I’m done pretending
Science isn’t really moving towards equity; institutions are just perfecting the appearance of equity. We need to build an alternative system.
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Amigas de la Tierra @amigasdelatierra.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
🔥Más de 400.000 hectáreas han ardido solo este año, otro año más. 🗣️Nuestro compañero @migueldiazcarro.bsky.social echa la mirada hacia adelante en este problema y hacia el futuro, en la restauración, con la miranda en lo comunitario y escuchando a la ciencia 🔗 www.elsaltodiario.com/incendios-fo...
elsaltodiario.com
El calor que quedará después de los incendios
El calor y los incendios no son una anomalía, son la consecuencia de un modelo económico que ha saqueado las entrañas de la tierra y ha quemado sistemáticamente su sangre y su piel.
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
📸 by Johny Goerend @unsplash.com
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Fernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
🌍 We’re excited to host the Future Food Systems Conference (FFS2026) at #KAUST with #PlantACT! 📅 Apr 13–15, 2026 | Thuwal, Saudi Arabia A global gathering to reimagine how to feed the world without eating the planet 👉 Free registration & info: kaust.edu.sa/events/ffs26/
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