One of the main findings of the thesis is that climate has been highlighted as a driver of the distribution of forest pathogens.
Maria Caballol, researcher from the Forest pathology group at the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC) and PhD student at the University of Lleida (UdL), defended her PhD thesis on January 23, 2025, in Lleida.
The thesis, entitled “Distribution and ecology of forest pathogens: understanding the role of the environment at stand and regional scale” and supervised by Jonàs Oliva, was focused on understanding the ecological mechanisms that explain the distribution of forest pathogens and their impact on forest ecosystems.
The thesis combined the results of four observational field studies conducted on a series of altitudinal gradients in Catalonia and a latitudinal gradient in Europe. Several pathogens were studied at the species and community level in different compartments of forest ecosystems such as roots, shoots and foliage.
Among the main results, climate was highlighted as a driver of pathogen distribution and community assembly. Moreover, canopy trees have been found to act as pathogen reservoirs showing its capacity to transfer pathogens to the regeneration layer.
To sum up, the thesis has characterised the distribution and ecology of forest pathogens and provides insight into how pathogens and communities may respond to climate change.
Last modified: 7 March 2025
