Muscarella lab
Plant community ecology

We study plant communities – especially tropical forests – by mixing field studies, biodiversity databases, and statistical models. Our research explores how environmental heterogeneity influences plant diversity and dynamics across various spatial and temporal scales. Particular interests include diversity patterns, species range dynamics, the responses of biological communities to natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and the implications for ecosystem services.
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Group members
Publications
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Family imprint reveals basin-wide patterns of Amazon forest embolism resistance
Part of Nature Communications, 2026
- DOI for Family imprint reveals basin-wide patterns of Amazon forest embolism resistance
- Download full text (pdf) of Family imprint reveals basin-wide patterns of Amazon forest embolism resistance
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Family imprint reveals basin-wide patterns of Amazon forest embolism resistance
Part of Nature Communications, 2026
- DOI for Family imprint reveals basin-wide patterns of Amazon forest embolism resistance
- Download full text (pdf) of Family imprint reveals basin-wide patterns of Amazon forest embolism resistance
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Tropical forests in the Americas are changing too slowly to track climate change
Part of Science, 2025
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Part of Physiologia Plantarum, 2025
- DOI for Contrasting Seasonal Variation of Photosynthesis in Evergreen and Deciduous Tree Species From a Tropical Forest
- Download full text (pdf) of Contrasting Seasonal Variation of Photosynthesis in Evergreen and Deciduous Tree Species From a Tropical Forest
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A spatio-temporal model of embolism propagation in leaf vein networks
Part of AoB Plants, 2025
- DOI for A spatio-temporal model of embolism propagation in leaf vein networks
- Download full text (pdf) of A spatio-temporal model of embolism propagation in leaf vein networks
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Part of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2025
- DOI for Soil eDNA reflects regionally dominant species rather than local composition of tropical tree communities
- Download full text (pdf) of Soil eDNA reflects regionally dominant species rather than local composition of tropical tree communities
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Part of Ecology and Evolution, 2025
- DOI for Intraspecific Trait Variation in Tree Species Responds to Environmental Heterogeneity at Range-Wide but Not Local Scales
- Download full text (pdf) of Intraspecific Trait Variation in Tree Species Responds to Environmental Heterogeneity at Range-Wide but Not Local Scales
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Plant diversity dynamics over space and time in a warming Arctic
Part of Nature, p. 653-661, 2025
- DOI for Plant diversity dynamics over space and time in a warming Arctic
- Download full text (pdf) of Plant diversity dynamics over space and time in a warming Arctic
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Functional traits mediate seedling survival response to climate in a temperate forest
Part of Fundamental Research, p. 2649-2656, 2025
- DOI for Functional traits mediate seedling survival response to climate in a temperate forest
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Canopy functional trait variation across Earth's tropical forests
Part of Nature, p. 129-136, 2025
- DOI for Canopy functional trait variation across Earth's tropical forests
- Download full text (pdf) of Canopy functional trait variation across Earth's tropical forests
Lab alumni
Postdocs
- Kasia Ziemińska (2020-2021)
- Emanuele Ziaco (2021)
- Julia Tavares (2022-2025)
- Rakesh Tiwari (2023-2025)
PhD Students
- Sam Farrar (2020-2023)
MSc Students
- Philip David (2024-2025)
- Francesc Borras Sayas (2023-2024)
- Zacharias Manias (2022-2023)
- Salma Naz (2023)
- Markos Nikolaou (2022-2023)
- Helene Hansen (2020-2021)
- Paschalis Chatzopoulos (2020-2021)
- Roel Lammerant (2020-2021)
- Shareen Sanders (2019-2020)
- Claire Ract (2020)
- Sanne Welin (2019-2020)
Lab technician
- Silvia Bibbo (2021-2023)