Francisco Lloret is Titular Professor of Ecology in the Departament of Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia of the Universitat Autonoma of Barcelona. He is also researcher at the CREAF (Center of Ecological Research and Forestry Applications). He currently is adjunt director of the European Associated Laboratory “Mediterranean Ecosystems in a changing world” participated by the CREAF and the CEFE (CNRS) from Montpellier (Francia).

He obtained his degree in Biology at the Universitat Autonoma of Barcelona in 1981, and his PhD at the same center, being his dissertation on biology and distribution of bryophytes from the Pyrenees. He has published more than 60 scientific papers and has been referee of 14 international journals of ecology and vegetation sciences. He is member of the Ecological Society of America, the Botanical Society of America, the International Association for Vegetation Sciences, and the Asociación Españla de Ecología Terrestre. In addition to his current affiliation, his research has been done at different institutions: San Diego State University (California, USA), University of Madison (Wisconsin, USA), and Instituto de Ecologia de la UNAM (México). He participates in several Spanish and European research projects devoted to the study of vegetation dynamics under global change, including disturbance regime, exotic invasions and climate change.

In the last years, his research interests have been mainly devoted to the dynamics of Mediterranean-type ecosystems, and particularly to the biological and cultural factors contributing to plant community dynamics. At a relatively small scale (stand) biological processes are often prevalent. Historical and social influences become particularly influential when considering local or regional scales. The interaction between these kind of factors through different scales has become a major challenge in the study of environmental problems, both as a topic of theoretical ecology, as well as a scientific background for environmental management. More specifically, the main topics addressed in my research have included 1) plant community responses to the disturbance regime (particularly wildfires), 2) plant population dynamics and functional response in front of environmental stress (particularly water deficit), 3) patterns of exotic plant invasions and impacts on ecosystems, 4) historical patterns of fire regime and land use dynamics in Mediterranean ecosystems in relation to social, biotic and abiotic drivers.