I'm a plant biologist, specialized in plant-soil relationships in natural and man made ecosystems. With a background in plant and soil sciences, I have a PhD in the University of Barcelona addressing plant and soil N dynamics after prescribed fires. I have been involved in research projects assessing the effects of land-use and climate changes on plant structural patterns and biogeochemical cycles.

In order to contribute to a sustainable management of agrosilvopastoral systems, my research interest focuses on the effects of management derived perturbations (i.e. prescribed fires, grazing) or land use and climate stresses (i.e. land abandonment, drought, temperature increase) on plant-plant dynamics, and nutrient and organic C stocks and fluxes.

At the present I am full-time researcher at the CTFC, working to contribute to the comprehensive understanding of burning-driven mechanisms that determine functional woody plant composition and structure and dynamics of key soil components.

Garcia-Pausas J, Casals P, Montané F, Ríos A I, Rovira P, Romanyà J, Taüll M. 2017.  Dealing with land-use changes in mountain grasslands: Are they challenging the conservation of C stocks? In: Jordi Catalan, Josep Mª Ninot, Mercè Aniz (Eds.) High Mountain Conservation in a Changing World. Advances in Global Change Research. Volume: 62 Ed. Springer International publishing. ISBN: 978-3-319-55982-7

Valor T, Ormeño E, Casals P. 2017. Temporal effects of prescribed burning on terpene production in Mediterranean pines. Tree Physiology, doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpx069

Casals P, Valor T, Besalú A, Molina-Terrén D 2016. Understory fuel load and structure eight to nine years after prescribed burning in Mediterranean pine forests. Forest Ecology and Management 362, 156-168

Casals P, Romero J, Rusch GM, Ibrahim M. 2014. Soil organic C and nutrient contents under trees with different functional characteristics in seasonally dry tropical silvopastures. Plant Soil 374 (1), 643-659.

Casals P, Lopez-Sangil L, Carrara A, Gimeno C, Nogués S, 2011. Autotrophic and heterotrophic contributions to short-term soil CO2 efflux following simulated summer precipitation pulses in a Mediterranean dehesa. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 25, GB 3012, doi:10.1029/2010GB003973

Casals P, Garcia-Pausas J, Montané F, Romanyà J, Rovira P, 2010. Root decomposition in grazed and abandoned Mediterranean and mountain grasslands estimated by standard labelled roots. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 139, 759-765