Fernando T. Maestre

The paper identifies translationally active bacteria in biocrusts after simulated rainfall, showing functional decoupling from community composition and highlighting mature crusts' higher activity.

The paper shows that diverse crop rotations reduce yield-scaled nitrogen losses through denitrification by improving microbial biomass and functional guilds involved in nitrogen cycling.

The paper confirms the robustness of findings from a large dryland plant trait database, showing arid regions host high phenotypic diversity despite harsh conditions.

This study identifies facilitation and aridity as major drivers of plant community assembly in drylands, with competition becoming significant under extreme aridity.