Angeles G. Mayor

Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellow (H2020) 2016 – 2018

About my research

I study the ecohydrological feedbacks between ecosystem structure and ecosystem functioning in drylands, and how climatic and human pressures may alter them. My research combines modeling, observational and manipulative experiments, including measurements from the field, lab, and aerial images. One of the main goals of my current research is the improvement of ecological realism in dryland vegetation models by developing stronger links between modeling and field experiments. Among other topics, I would like to use this research to contribute to knowledge on early-warning indicators of desertification, which often lack empirical testing and sufficient understanding of the mechanistic linkages between pattern and processes related to sudden changes.

Publications

van den Elsen, E., L. Stringer, C. de Ita, R. Hessel,S. Kéfi, F.D. Schneider, S. Bautista,A. Garcia Mayor, M. Baudena, M. Rietkerk, A. Valdecantos, V. Ramon Vallejo, N. Geeson, J. Brandt, L. Fleskens, L. Hemerik, P. Panagos, S. Valente, J. Jacob Keizer, G. Schwilch, M. Jucker Riva, D. Sietz, M.A. Christoforou, D.G. Hadjimitsis, C. Papoutsa, G. Quaranta, R. Salvia, I. Tsanis, I.N. Daliakopoulos, H. Claringbould, P.C. De Ruiter. 2020.Advances in understanding and managing catastrophic shifts in Mediterranean ecosystems. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.561101

Mayor, A.G., S. Bautista, F. Rodriguez,S. Kéfi. 2019. Connectivity-mediated ecohydrological feedbacks and regime shifts in drylands.Ecosystems. 22(7):1497-1511.

Rodríguez, Francisco,Mayor, Ángeles G., Rietkerk, Max & Bautista, Susana. 2018.A null model for assessing the cover-independent role of bare soil connectivity as indicator of dryland functioning and dynamics.Ecological Indicators, 94 (part 1), (pp. 512-519).

Daliakopoulos IN, Panagea IS, Tsanis IK, Grillakis MG, Koutroulis AG, Hessel R,Mayor AG, Ritsema CJ, 2017. Yield Response of Mediterranean Rangelands under a Changing Climate.Land Degradation and Development, doi: 10.1002/ldr.2717.

Bautista S, Llovet J, Ocampo-Melgar A, Vilagrosa A,Mayor AG, Murias C, Vallejo VR, Orr BJ, 2017. Integrating knowledge exchange and the assessment of dryland management alternatives – A learning-centered participatory approach.Journal of Environmental Management195(1): 35-45.

Mayor AG, Valdecantos A, Vallejo VR, Keizer JJ, Bloem J, Baeza J, González-Pelayo O, Machado AI, de Ruiter PC, 2016. Fire-induced pine woodland to shrubland transitions in Southern Europe may promote shifts in soil fertility.Science of the Total Environment573: 1232–1241

Mayor AG, Goirán SB, Vallejo VR, Bautista S, 2016. Variation in soil enzyme activity as a function of vegetation amount, type, and spatial structure in fire-prone Mediterranean shrublands.Science of the Total Environment573: 1209–1216.

Papanastasis VP, Bautista S, Chouvardas D, Mantzanas K, Papadimitriou M,Mayor AG, Kioukioumi P, Papaioannou A, Vallejo VR, 2015. Comparative assessment of goods and services provided by restoration actions in Mediterranean rangelands: grazing regulation and reforestation.Land degradation and DevelopmentPublished online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2368

Verwijmeren M, Rietkerk M, Bautista M,Mayor AG, Wassen MJ, Smit C, 2014. Drought and grazing combined: contrasting shifts in plant interactions at species pair and community level.Journal of Arid Environments11: 53-60

García, M.A., Alloza, J.A.,Mayor, A.G., Bautista, S., Rodríguez, F., 2014. Detection and mapping of burnt areas from time series of MODIS derived NDVI data in a Mediterranean region.Central European Journal of Geosciences6(1): 112-120.

Mayor A.G., Kéfi S., Bautista S., Rodríguez F., Cartení F., Rietkerk M., 2013. Feedbacks between vegetation pattern and resource loss dramatically decrease ecosystem resilience and restoration potential in a simple dryland model.Landscape Ecology28: 931-942.

Llovet J., Alloza J.A., Bautista S., Guixot L.,Mayor A.G., Murias C., Vilagrosa A., Vallejo V.R., 2013. Proyecto PRACTICE: Evaluación de alternativas de gestión frente a la desertificación incorporando la participación y experiencias locales.FLAMMA4(1): 51-70.

Mayor A.G., Bautista S., 2012. Multi-scale evaluation of soil functional indicators for the assessment of water and soil retention in Mediterranean semiarid landscapes.Ecological Indicators20: 332-336.

Mayor A.G., Bautista S. and Bellot J., 2011. Scale-dependent variation in runoff and sediment yield in a semiarid Mediterranean catchment.Journal of Hydrology397: 128-135.

Mayor AG, Bautista S, 2011. Análisis del potencial de los índices LFA para evaluar el funcionamiento hidrológico a varias escalas de ecosistemas mediterráneos semiáridos. In: Maestre FT, Gaitán, J (eds).Utilización del análisis funcional del paisaje para caracterizar y monitorizar los ecosistemas semiáridos Mediterráneos y de América Latina. Bases metodológicas y experiencias. Bubook (in press).

Bautista S.,Mayor A.G., 2010. Las cuencas de drenaje como herramienta para el estudio de los efectos de los incendios forestales. In: Cerdà A., Jordán J., (eds.),Actualización en métodos y técnicas para el estudio de los suelos afectados por incendios forestales, chapter 2.6: 243-256. Càtedra de Divulgació de la Ciència. Universitat de València, FUEGORED 2010, Valencia, Spain.

Bautista S.,Mayor A.G., 2010. II.Ground-based Methods and Indicators for the Biophysical Assessment of Desertification Prevention and Restoration Actions. Working paper on Assessment Methods, PRACTICE EU-project, 41-61.

Mayor A.G., Bautista S. and Bellot J., 2009. Factors and interactions controlling infiltration, runoff and soil loss at the microscale in a patchy Mediterranean semiarid landscape.Earth Surface Processes and Landforms34(12), 1702-1711.

Llovet J., Bautista S.,Mayor A.G., Serrasolses I., Alloza J.A., Bellot J., Vallejo V.R., 2009. Factores de control de la hidrología y erosión post-incendio en suelos mediterráneos. Desde la parcela al paisaje. In: Cerdà A., Mataix-Solera J., (eds.),Efectos de los incendios forestales sobre los suelos en España, 385-403. Càtedra de Divulgació de la Ciència. Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain.

Mayor A.G., Bautista S., Small, E., Dixon, M., Bellot J., 2008. Measurement of the connectivity of runoff-source areas as determined by vegetation pattern and topography. A tool for assessing potential water and soil losses in drylands.Water Resources Research, 44, W10423.

Mayor A.G., Bautista S. 2008. Conectividad de suelo desnudo y función hidrológica en ecosistemas semiáridos. In: CAM, URJC (eds.),Introducción al análisis espacial de datos en ecología y ciencias ambientales: métodos y aplicaciones, chapter 23: 709-717.

Bautista S.,Mayor A.G., Bellot, J. 2007. Plant spatial pattern predicts hillslope runoff and erosion in a semiarid Mediterranean landscape.Ecosystems, 10(6): 987-998.

Mayor A.G., Bautista S., Llovet J., Bellot, J. 2007. Post-fire hydrological and erosional responses of a Mediterranean landscape: seven years of catchment-scale dynamics.Catena, 71: 68-75.

Bautista, S., Gimeno, T.,Mayor, A.G.y Gallego, D., 2004. El tratamiento de la madera quemada tras los incendios forestales. In: Vallejo V.R. and Alloza, J.A. (eds.),Avances en el estudio de la gestión del monte mediterráneo, pp. 547-570. Fundación CEAM. ISBN: 84-921259-3-4.

Mayor, A.G., Bautista, S. and Gimeno, T., 2002.Logging of burned pines and rill erosion in mediterranean drylands.Proceedings of the International Arid Lands Consortium conference “Assessing Capabilities of Soil and Water Resources in Drylands: the Role of Information Retrieval and Dissemination Technologies. 5 p.