Project description
Reconstructing past microclimates to understand vegetation responses to climate change
Climate change is reshaping plant communities, but local microclimates can influence how vegetation responds to climate change. Because historical microclimate data are scarce, it remains unclear how strongly local conditions have influenced changes in plant communities over time. The EU-funded MicroClimChange project is combining decades-old vegetation data from central Europe with unique historical microclimate measurements and advanced modelling to reconstruct past microclimates. Its goals include quantifying vegetation thermophilisation, examining shifts in plant communities, and assessing the influence of climate and local features on these changes. The project will train the fellow in data analysis, project management and microclimate modelling, ultimately improving predictions of biodiversity responses to climate change in Europe and beyond.
Objective
How plant communities respond to climate change remains uncertain: while global warming is accelerating, vegetation often exhibits inconsistent shifts. This mismatch suggests that other factors mediate plant community dynamics. A key candidate is microclimate: local conditions experienced by plants, shaped by canopy, terrain, and other habitat features, which can buffer or amplify regional macroclimate changes. Yet, the importance of microclimate in shaping long-term vegetation dynamics remains poorly understood. A major barrier is the lack of historical reconstructions of microclimate conditions, which makes it difficult to assess whether plant communities are tracking, lagging, or decoupled from climatic changes. This project addresses this gap by combining unique datasets of vegetation plots resurveyed after multiple decades across central Europe, with advanced mechanistic modeling used to reconstruct past microclimate conditions. Historical microclimate measurements recorded simultaneously with the original vegetation surveys provide an exceptional opportunity to validate these models. The main goals are: (1) to quantify long-term vegetation thermophilization and associated turnover in plant community composition; (2) to reconstruct, validate, and compare macro- and microclimatic trends; and (3) to test the relative importance of climate and local habitat features in driving vegetation thermophilization and turnover. The project will achieve these aims through advanced statistical and modeling approaches combined with large and long-term datasets. The fellowship will build excellence and independence by training the researcher in vegetation and climate data analysis, open science, and project management. A secondment will provide complementary skills in mechanistic modeling. Results will clarify the drivers and pace of vegetation changes, providing new knowledge for biodiversity monitoring, conservation, and climate adaptation strategies in Europe and beyond.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences data science
- engineering and technology environmental engineering ecosystem-based management climate change adaptation
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.4.1 - Widening participation and spreading excellence
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-TALENTS-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
25243 Pruhonice
Czechia
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.