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Changing land usage enhancement of biodiversity and ecosystem development

Objectif

To study the effects of community complexity (of both vegetation and soil (micro) organisms) on ecosystems processes and vegetation dynamics on former agricultural, set-aside, land.
- To examine if the complexity of the community on set-aside agricultural land can be enhanced artificially by increasing plant species diversity. - To examine if, and how, a stepping stone approach may be used to enhance the colonisation of the soil of set-aside land by soil (micro)organisms of expected/desired successional stages.
- To study the effects of community complexity, as well as manipulation of community development by increasing plant species diversity and by applying stepping stones in a north-south and east-west double gradient to get results applicable at a European scale.
- To contribute to the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Initiative (TERI) of the European Union by establishing field sites that may be used for studying effects of changing land use, biodiversity and species interactions on ecosystem processes and ecosystem development.

Key processes enhancing the transformation of set-aside agricultural land into restored natural ecosystems will
be examined by six partners, offering expertise in plants and soil organisms, as well as biogeochemical cycles
of nutrients, affecting biodiversity-related interactions and ecosystem processes.
The soil biota involved concern bacteria, fungi (incl.endo- and ecyomycorrhizae), nematodes, insects and earth
worms.
Six countries participate in CLUE: Sweden, the Netherlands, France, Spain (representing a north-south gradient)
and the Czech Republic and England (representing the extremes of the east-west gradient) to obtain results
applicable at an European scale. The CLUE project team is organized interdisciplinary and each participant
supplies specific expertise. At all six participating countries a similar main field experiment is set up where each
participant collects both basic and specialised data.
During joint field work shops (twice a year) all six field sites will be examined in order to collect a complete
set of data from all sites, as well as to exchange approaches, knowledge and expertise. Results of CLUE will
provide basic knowledge on key ecosystem processes determining rate and direction of natural vegetation
development to extensively managed grassland and forest at former agricultural land.
Two main applications of enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem development will be examined:
1. Enhancement of the initial diversity in vegetation.
2. Introduction of later-successional organisms via 'Stepping stones'.

Appel à propositions

Data not available

Régime de financement

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinateur

ROYAL NETHERLANDS ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCE
Contribution de l’UE
Aucune donnée
Adresse
22,Boterhoeksestraat 48
6666 ZG HETEREN
Pays-Bas

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Coût total
Aucune donnée

Participants (5)