Principal
Background
Research
Publications
links 


New website of the Iberian Network RIE: Red de Isótopos Estables / Rede de Isotopos estáveis available here
New website of the research group "Medforlab: Mediterranean Forest Ecophysiology and Adaptation" available here
Brief description of the current National coordinated project PALEOISOMED available here
Brief description of the current Marie Curie ERG project SMARTREES available here
BMZ funded CIMMYT project: precision phenotyping for drought tolerance in maize link to project web page

Main research lines

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Forest ecophysiology. Application of stable isotopes (d13C and d18O) 
to understand the response of Mediterranean and temperate trees to climate, 
with special emphasis on their mechanisms to cope with drought: 

- To establish the role of stomatal control and other physiological 
	mechanisms in determining d13C and d18O 
	of wood and leaf material 

- To assess the potential as climate proxies of stable isotope studies 
	in tree-rings for Mediterranean species
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Palaeoecology. Application of stable isotopes (d13C and d15N)  in 
 plant remains recovered from archaeological sites (see archaeobotany)
 as palaeoenvironmental tools:

A simple excel tool to interpolate d13C in air CO2 from 16100 BC to 2003 AD  available here
  
 - To reconstruct water and nutrient status of ancient crops, 
  through the analysis of d13C and d15N in 
  archaeological grains (cereal and legumes) 
 
 - To determine the climatic background in which the crops were 
  developed, through the analysis of d13C of 
  archaeological wood charcoal
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Crop ecophysiology and plant breeding. Study of the physiological 
basis and potential for selection purposes of different techniques: 

- stable isotopes (d13C, d15N and d18O) in cereal grains and leaves 

- Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) of cereal grains 

- Visible and Near Infrared reflectance of cereal canopies

 

Participation in research projects

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2010-2012. PALEOISOMED-Isótopos estables en ecosistemas mediterráneos forestales y agrícolas: del fraccionamiento isotópico a la aplicación paleoambiental
Funding Source: MCINN, Spanish Government. CGL2009-13079-C02.
Responsible: Juan Pedro Ferrio (Univ. Lleida, Coordinator and PI subproject 1), Salvador Nogués (Univ. Barcelona, PI subproject 2)

This project aims to expand the use of stable isotopes from archaeobotanical remains as palaeoenvironmental proxies. Bearing in mind the questions arisen in previous projects, the first objective of the project is to further understand fractionation processes of carbon and nitrogen isotopes and to explore the use of other non-traditional stable isotopes (Sr, Pb, Zn) in Mediterranean vegetation. This will be used to refine their application as palaeoenvironmental proxies, previously developed by the applicants. As a secondary objective, the project aims to provide local and regional reconstructions of 1) climate for the Iberian Peninsula during the last 8,000 years and 2) the water and nutrient status and productivity of main cultivated crops during this period.

 

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2009-2012. SMARTREES-Stable isotopes and Mediterranean ARidification: Tree Rings in Ecological and Environmental Studies
Funding Source: Marie Curie Programme, European Union, 7th FP. PERG05-GA-2009-246725.
Responsible: Juan Pedro Ferrio (Univ. Lleida)

One key to understand long-term plant responses to climate changes is to characterise and interpret the physiological information laid down in natural archives in the past. For woody plants with secondary growth the tree rings provide an easily datable archive that can be explored for physiologically relevant signals. In turn, tree ring information can be also used for reconstructing the environmental conditions under which plant growth occurred, thus providing climate information of the past that might help to understand the present and future development of the climate. However, certain uncertainties in isotopic models in plants have raised in recent years and need to be addressed to provide a better interpretation of tree-rings. The aim of the project is to further understand fractionation processes of carbon and oxygen isotopes and their potential application as ecophysiological and palaeoenvironmental tools.

 

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2009-2014. Mechanisms, and genotype and environmental variability of stable isotopes in plants
Funding Source: MCINN, Ramón y Cajal Programme, Spanish Government. RYC-2008-02050.
Responsible: Juan Pedro Ferrio (Univ. Lleida)

The main focus of this grant is to develop the use of stable isotopes (carbon and oxygen) as integrative measures for plant water use and water use efficiency. This will involve 1) basic research to improve the understanding of the underlying mechanisms determining stable isotope composition in plants and their relationship with physiological processes, and 2) applied research to develop applications of stable isotopes to assess genetic variability in water relations of cereal crops and Mediterranean tree species.

 

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2009-2012. CIMMYT Maize Phenotyping-Precision phenotyping for improving drought stress tolerant maize in southern Asia and eastern Africa
Funding Source: BMZ, German Government. RYC-2008-02050.
Responsible: José Luis Araus (CIMMYT, coordinator), Heinz Rennenberg (Univ. Freiburg, subcontrator)

The ultimate goal is to enhance food security and raise incomes of resource-poor farming families and consumers in southern Asia (Thailand and South China) and eastern Africa (Kenya) by strengthening breeding capacities of NARS and local seed companies. The main scientific output of the project is to develope new phenotyping platforms to speed breeding for drought and other abiotic stresses. The University of Freiburg will be in charge of exploring the potential of stable isotopes and its surrogates as breeding tools for maize. The potential for breeding has been extensively studied in C3 crops, but litle is known for C4 species, such as maize.

 

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2007-2009. WETMISTFAGUS-Water Economy of beech in Temperate MIxed STands: Fading Away or Going on Under Stress?
Funding Source: Marie Curie Programme, European Union, 6th FP. MC-IEF-039418.
Responsible: Heinz Rennenberg (Univ. Freiburg, scientific in charge)
                        Juan Pedro Ferrio (Univ. Freiburg, researcher)

The aim of this project is to determine whether the ecophysiolofical traits of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) can be a disadvantage respect some of its competitors (conifers and oaks) in an scenario of increasing temperatures and drought. The project combines information from stable isotopes (d13C and d18O) with sap flow measurements, in order to develop a method to integrate plant water balance from stable isotope data.

 

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2006-2008. Diez mil años de interacción clima – agricultura en el Mediterráneo: Inferencias basadas en el análisis de restos arqueobotánicos agrícolas y forestales.
Funding Source: CICYT, Spanish Government. CGL2005-08175-C02-1/BOS.
Responsible: Jordi Voltas (UdL, co-ordinator), José Luis Araus (UB, subproject 2).

This project aims to characterise the reciprocal interaction between climate and early agricultural societies during the last ten millennia, both in the Fertile Crescent and the Iberian Levant.

 

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2003-2006. From the adoption of agriculture to he current landscape, long-term interaction between men and environment in the East Mediterranean Basin (MENMED).
Funding Source: DG Research, European Union. Programme INCO-MED. ICA3-CT-2002-10022.
Responsible: Miquel Molist (UAB, co-ordinator), Jordi Voltas (UdL, partner 3).

The aim of this project was to understand the environmental and social context at the origins of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent, compared to the current conditions in the area, and combining historical, sociological and archaeological sources.

 

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2002-2004. Reconstrucción de las condiciones ambientales de los 
cultivos al inicio de la agricultura, basada en el análisis de restos arqueológicos de cereales.
 Funding source: CICYT, Spanish Government. BTE2001-3421-C02-01.
Responsible: José Luis Araus (UB, co-ordinator), Jordi Voltas (UdL, subproject 2).

The project aimed to reconstruct the climatic and crop conditions at the origins of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent and North-East Iberian Peninsula through the study of stable isotopes in archaeological plant remains.

 

 

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JP Ferrio P Ferrio Ferrio JP Ferrio P Juan Pedro Ferrio J.Pedro Ferrio J.P. Ferrio Palaeoecology palaeoenvironment archaeobotany stable isotopes carbon isotope discrimination delta 13C delta 18O delta 15N dendrochronology climate tree-rings ecology plant breeding cereals wheat barley drought pinus halepensis quercus ilex spectroradiometry NDVI LAI GAI mediterranean plant physiology trees oxygen isotopes carbon isotopes PRI

 

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