Environmental Stress & Functional Ecology - ESFE

Casparus Crous

External Collaborator

I received a Ph.D. in Conservation Ecology from Stellenbosch University in South Africa in 2013. I am currently working in the Environmental Stress & Functional Ecology Group of cE3c. I am a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Lisbon. My research focuses on the ecological underpinnings of how biotic communities structure themselves in space and time. Specifically, my research focus is more directed at conservation at the landscape or farm scale. I also developed a deep interest in plant ecophysiology, and how such mechanistic data can help explain future plant community structure. For many years I have been involved in agro-ecosystems research, especially using plantation forestry as a model system. 

My current research is driven by three overarching objectives: 1) Define important landscape variables that have significant value in promoting biodiversity conservation in agro-forestry landscapes; 2) Synthesize the best conservation practices in agro-ecosystems to optimize biodiversity management protocols; and 3) Use a multi-discipline approach to manage biological invasions into Portugal.