Dr. José Ignacio Querejeta

José Ignacio Querejeta

Investigador Científico (CSIC), since 2021

Background and former positions

  • Tenured scientist (Científico titular), CEBAS-CSIC, 2009-2020
  • Research Fellow (“Ramón y Cajal” Programme), CEBAS-CSIC (2004-2009)
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California-Riverside (2001-2003)
  • Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California-Riverside (1999-2001)
  • PhD in Biology, University of Murcia (1998)
  • Degree in Biology, University of Murcia (1997)
  • Degree in Veterinary, University of Murcia (1991)

Research interests

My main research interests are: the ecology and ecophysiology of semiarid plant communities; the ecohydrology of water-limited ecosystems; mycorrhizal ecology; asessing the responses of semiarid plant communities to global change; stable isotope ecology; developing ecologically-based criteria for vegetation restoration in degraded ecosystems.

Selected publications

Querejeta JI, Ren W, Prieto I. (2021), Vertical decoupling of soil nutrients and water under climate warming reduces plant cumulative nutrient uptake, water use efficiency and productivity. New Phytologist.

Torres‐García, MT,Salinas‐Bonillo MJ,Gázquez‐Sánchez F, Fernández‐Cortés Á,Querejeta, JI, Cabello J (2021). Squandering water in drylands: the water‐use strategy of the phreatophyte Ziziphus lotus in a groundwater‐dependent ecosystem. American Journal of Botany 108:1–13.

Sánchez-Martín R, Querejeta JI, Voltas J, Ferrio JP, Prieto I, Verdú M, Montesinos-Navarro A. (2021) Plant’s gypsum affinity shapes responses to specific edaphic constraints without limiting responses to other general constraints. Plant and Soil. 

Ding, Y., Nie, Y., Chen, H., Wang, K., Querejeta, J.I. (2021), Water uptake depth is coordinated with leaf water potential, water‐use efficiency and drought vulnerability in karst vegetation. New Phytologist 229: 1339-1353. 

Prieto, I, Querejeta, JI. (2020) Simulated climate change decreases nutrient resorption from senescing leaves. Global Change Biology 26: 1795– 1807. 

León‐Sánchez, L, Nicolás, E, Prieto, I, Nortes, P, Maestre, FT, Querejeta, JI.(2020). Altered leaf elemental composition with climate change is linked to reductions in photosynthesis, growth and survival in a semi‐arid shrublandJournal of Ecology 108: 47– 60. 

Hevia A, Sánchez-Salguero R, Camarero JJ, Querejeta JI, Sangüesa G, Gazol A. 2019. Long-term nutrient imbalances linked to drought-triggered forest dieback. Science of the Total Environment 690: 1254-1267

Prieto I, Almagro M, Bastida F, Querejeta JI. 2019. Altered leaf litter quality exacerbates the negative impact of climate change on decomposition. Journal of Ecology 107: 2364– 2382.

Salazar‐Tortosa D, Castro J, Villar‐Salvador P, Viñegla B, Matías L, Michelsen A, Rubio R, Querejeta JI. 2018. The “isohydric trap”: A proposed feedback between water shortage, stomatal regulation, and nutrient acquisition drives differential growth and survival of European pines under climatic dryness. Global Change Biology 24:4069–4083.

Querejeta JI, Prieto I, Torres P et al (2018) Water-spender strategy is linked to higher leaf nutrient concentrations across plant species colonizing a dry and nutrient-poor epiphytic habitat. Environmental & Experimental Botany 153:302–310.

Prieto I, Querejeta JI, Segrestine J, Volaire F, Roumet C. 2018. Leaf carbon and oxygen isotopes are coordinated with the leaf economics spectrum in Mediterranean rangeland species. Functional Ecology 32:612–625.

León-Sánchez L, Nicolás E, Goberna M, Prieto I, Maestre FT, Querejeta JI. 2018. Poor plant performance under simulated climate change is linked to mycorrhizal responses in a semiarid shrubland. Journal of Ecology 106:960–976.

Montesinos-Navarro, A., Verdú, M., Querejeta, J. I. Valiente-Banuet, A. 2017. Nurse plants transfer more nitrogen to distantly related species. Ecology, 98: 1300–1310.

Querejeta JI. 2016. Soil Water Retention and Availability as Influenced by Mycorrhizal Symbiosis: Consequences for Individual Plants, Communities and Ecosystems (pp 299-317). Chapter 17 in: Mycorrhizal Mediation of Soil: Fertility, Structure and Carbon Storage. NC Johnson, C Gehring & J Jansa (Editors). Elsevier Inc. ISBN: 978-0-12-804312-7.

Ruiz-Navarro A, Barberá GG, Albaladejo J, Querejeta JI. 2016. Plant δ15N reflects the high landscape-scale heterogeneity of soil fertility and vegetation productivity in a Mediterranean semiarid ecosystem. New Phytologist 212: 1030-1043.

Moreno-Gutiérrez C, Battipaglia G, Cherubini P, Delgado-Huertas A, Querejeta JI. 2015. Pine afforestation decreases the long-term performance of understory shrubs in a semiarid Mediterranean ecosystem: a stable isotope approach. Functional Ecology 29: 15-25

Marañón-Jiménez S, Castro J, Querejeta JI, Fernández-Ondoño E, Allen C. 2013. Post-fire wood management alters water stress, growth and performance of pine regeneration in a Mediterranean ecosystem. Forest Ecology & Management 308:231-239

Herrero A, Castro J, Zamora R, Delgado-Huertas A, Querejeta JI. 2013. Growth and stable isotope signals associated with drought-related mortality in saplings of two coexisting pine species. Oecologia 173:1613–1624

Moreno-Gutiérrez C, Dawson, TE, Nicolás E, Querejeta JI. 2012. Isotopes reveal contrasting water use strategies among coexisting plant species in a Mediterranean ecosystem. New Phytologist 196:489-496

Moreno-Gutiérrez C, Battipaglia G, Cherubini P, Saurer M, Nicolás E, Contreras S, Querejeta JI. 2012. Stand structure modulates the long-term vulnerability of Pinus halepensis to climatic drought in a semiarid Mediterranean ecosystem. Plant Cell & Environment 35:1026-1039

Current projects

Diversidad funcional de estrategias de uso de agua y nutrientes por las plantas en ecosistemas mediterráneos y secos. (PID2019-107382RB-I00). Plan Nacional I+D+i/Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. 2020-2023. IP: JI Querejeta (+ 1 contrato predoctoral FPI).

GYPWORLD: A global initiative to understand gypsum ecosystem ecology. European Union H2020. 2018-2022. IP: Sara Palacio (IPE-CSIC).

ECOSOIL: Soil biodiversity as an essential resource for the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems and the sustainable use of natural resources. Redes Excelencia 2018-2021. Plan Nacional I+D+i/Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. 2018-2020. IP: Jorge Curiel-Yuste.

Vulnerabilidad de las comunidades vegetales en ecosistemas Mediterráneos y su respuesta frente al cambio climático: estrategias de uso del agua y de los nutrientes y su regulación en función del clima. (20654/JLI/18). Fundación Séneca de Región de Murcia. 2019-2021. IP: Iván Prieto.