New dissertation within One Health: We congratulate Joan Diaz Calafat!
Last changed: 05 March 2025
Recently, Joan Diaz Calafat successfully defended his thesis. We took the opportunity to ask some questions about his research and future plans.
Who are you? Could you give a short presentation of yourself and your research area?
"My name is Joan Díaz Calafat, and I recently completed my PhD in biology specializing in forest ecology and pollination biology at the Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre. My research focuses on how climate change and forest structure influence boreal plant-pollinator interactions. Forests can act as climatic refugia by creating microclimates that are able to buffer temperature extremes, mitigating the negative impacts of climate change. I investigate how this temperature buffering takes place depending on forest density and tree species composition, and how these factors affect pollinator diversity, foraging behavior, and the maintenance of key ecosystem services such as pollination. By combining traditional fieldwork with innovative methods such as AI-powered camera traps and sequencing the DNA that insects leave on flowers when they visit them, I aim to contribute to sustainable forest management strategies that promote pollinator biodiversity and strengthen resilience to climate change".
How does your research align with the One Health concept, and in what ways can it contribute to a more sustainable and socially impactful world?
"My research focuses on the impacts of climate change and forest management on boreal pollinators and their interactions with flowering plants. These interactions are crucial for ecosystem services such as food production and biodiversity conservation. By examining forest microclimates as potential climatic refugia, my work contributes to the development of sustainable forest management practices that benefit both environmental health and human well-being. Promoting resilient pollination systems can help secure ecosystem stability and enhance food security in a changing climate, fostering a more sustainable and socially impactful world while at the same time promoting biodiversity".
What are your plans now after your PhD?
"I was lucky to get a job immediately after defending my PhD. Currently, I am part of a biodiversity research project focused on recording and sequencing as much biodiversity as possible in the Balearic Islands. My plan is to stay in academia, and although it may seem that I have drifted apart from forests and microclimate, I am working on a Marie Curie postdoc fellowship application to continue my research in these systems again".
We wish Joan the best of luck in your future career!
- Link to the thesis: Boreal pollinators in a changing climate