Groundwater (GW) drawdown is of obvious importance to vegetation as reduction of this important source of water may sever the plants from one of their key water sources. GW lowering and surface water diversions can produce dramatic changes in stand structure and species composition, plant communities and on the survival of plant species, inevitably affecting GW‑dependent ecosystems. Sand dune plant communities encompass a high ecological diversity including species that differ widely in root depth, tolerance to drought and fluctuations of the water table, and capacity to shift between seasonal varying water sources. This large‑climatic‑scale study, covering Brazil, Portugal and Spain (Tropical, Meso‑mediterranen and Mediterranean areas), will provide an excellent and innovative experimental condition to study the GW dynamics and community functioning (functional groups) in natural intact ecosystems of high ecological value.
Science and Technology Foundation (FCT - PTDC/AAC-CLI/118555/2010).
Rede Eléctrica Nacional, S.A. (REN); Fundação da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa (FFCUL); Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP); Universidad de Sevilla, Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología (US); Department of Experimental & Systems Ecology - Universität Bielfeld (DESE-UB); Associação do Instituto Superior Técnico para a Investigação e o Desenvolvimento (IST-ID).
