REPAIR · Characterizing dynamics and drivers of resilience across scales in Patagonian rangelands

Increasing aridity due to climate change is a major factor that has dramatically altered the structure of Patagonian drylands, which has resulted in changes in ecosystem structure and functioning, e.g., a loss of vegetation, biodiversity, and soil erosion. Such changes ultimately lead to a loss of resilience, the system's ability to resist and recover from external disturbances while retaining the same function and structure. Although our ability to monitor resilience at large scales has been accelerated by remote sensing data and techniques, greater insights into the role of certain biotic and abiotic variables (e.g., species richness or soil carbon) on resilience at the local scale, would create new opportunities to support sustainable management to increase resilience across Patagonia. In this project, I will bridge these scales, by linking remote sensing time series data and a unique database (MARAS) of continuous field observations across Patagonian rangelands (managed by Argentinian partners). Specifically, I will 1) characterize changes in resilience in response to increasing aridity based on remote sensing between 2000 - 2025, 2) collect and analyze ground observations, and 3) investigate drivers of resilience dynamics across Patagonian rangelands integrating the remote sensing-based resilience and field data. To achieve this, I will use state-of-the-art methods in ecology and data science (e.g., time series analysis and machine learning) to deliver a better understanding of which environmental variables impact resilience in what way. I will carry out the research at the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain) at the Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, under the guidance of Dr. Miguel Berdugo; and I will undertake a secondment with the Soil Conservation research group at the National University of Luján (Argentina) under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Juan José Gaitán.