Ricardo Filipe Duarte da Cruz de Carvalho

I am the project leader of MedMossRoofs, which aims to study the application of moss-dominated biological soil crusts in green roofs with no requirements to irrigation, measuring their services in urban centers.”

For many years I have been involved in plant stress research, focusing in drought/desiccation stress in maize and bryophytes.

I currently collaborate with several overlapping groups of colleagues principally working on a range of topics in

1. desiccation tolerance with Lloyd Stark’s research group (University of Las Vegas, USA);
2. ]biological soil crusts with Stephan Peth’s research group (University of Kassel, Germany) and Roberto De Philippis’ research group (University of Florence);
3. and green roofs with Instituto Superior de Agronomia (University of Lisbon) and Benz Kotzen (University of Greenwich).

My current research is driven by three overarching objectives:

1. identify ecophysiological processes and patterns affecting desiccation tolerance across poikilohydric organisms (e.g. bryophytes, lichens);
2. study the use of biological soil crusts in ecological restoration under the current climate change;
3. research green roof sustainability and ecological services using biolorchgical soil crusts.