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The BIOTREE- Project is designed with a long term perspective. Currently the sites are in a transition from grassland to forest. The planting of trees was finished in spring 2004. In 2005 and 2008 tree inventories were undertaken to document the establishment success and growth of the trees. Freeze, drought and damages by voles are the major reasons for losses in the afforestation (Don et al. 2007).
Basic sampling of soils was finished in 2004. A characterization of non-woody vegetation has been undertaken and will be repeated every 5 years. The C balance of the afforestation sites was characterized from 2003-2007 using eddy covariance towers and other flux measurements.
Current research focuses on the description of the branching architecture of individual tree species. The aim is to characterize the influence of the architecture on aboveground spatial acquisition. The plastic response of the branching patterns to changing light environments is investigated by artificial shading of individual trees with different intensities. This data will serve as a baseline to understand the competitive performance during the phase when crowns start to interact.
Another study focuses on belowground spatial acquisition. The aim is to understand the relationship between the soil exploitation of fine roots and tree biodiversity. Furthermore, this study wants to assess whether the aboveground tree growth parameters and traits affect or decide the belowground competition and separation.
Future measurements will include nutrient retention in plants and soil, litter fall, decomposition and mineralization. The establishment of the BIOTREE sites as research platforms aims to attract scientist from different disciplines in the future to investigate the relationships between ecosystem functioning and tree biodiversity. Partnerships are already established with the Institute of Silviculture of the University Freiburg (Prof. Dr. Jürgen Bauhus) and the former coordinator of the BIOTREE project Dr. Michael Scherer-Lorenzen (Institute of Geobotany, University of Freiburg).
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PhD and Diploma Theses
Current Studies
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Sandra Müller
Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Institute of Ecology
"Influence of branching pattern on tree species performance"
PhD thesis
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Pifeng Lei
Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg, Institute of Silviculture
"Belowground niche separation and competition in tree species mixtures"
PhD thesis
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Finished Studies
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Axel Don
Eberhard-Karls University Tübingen, Institute of Geography
"Carbon dynamics of young experimental afforestations in Thuringia"
Abstract
PhD thesis, finished Nov 2007
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Severine Dietrich
University of Applied Sciences Bernburg
"Der Einfluss von Aufforstungen auf die Dynamik der krautigen Vegetation"
Abstract (in German)
Diploma thesis, finished May 2005
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Bert Steinberg
University of Applied Sciences Jena
"Der Einfluss von Regenwürmern auf die Speicherung von organischem Kohlenstoff im Boden"
Abstract (in German)
Diploma thesis, finished March 2005
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Publications
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Don A, Schulze E-D (2009) Controls on fluxes and export of dissolved organic carbon in grasslands with contrasting soil types. Biogeochemistry 91: 117-131. doi:10.1007/s10533-008-9263-y
(free download at www.springerlink.com)
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Don A, Rebmann C, Kolle O, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schulze E-D (2009) Impact of afforestation-associated changes in management on the carbon balance of grassland. Global Change Biology 15(8): 1990-2002.
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Don A, Scholten T, Schulze E-D (2009) Conversion of cropland into grassland - imlications for soil organic carbon stocks in two soils with different texture. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 172, Heft 1: 53-62.
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Don A, Steinberg B, Schöning I, Pritsch K, Joschko M, Gleixner G, Schulze E-D (2008) Organic carbon sequestration in earthworm burrows. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 40: 1803-1812. doi.10.1016/j.soilbio.2008.03.003.
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Don A, Schumacher J, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Scholten T, Schulze E-D (2007) Spatial and vertical variation of soil carbon at two grassland sites - implications for measuring soil carbon stocks. Geoderma 141: 272-282. doi:10.1016/geoderma.2007.06.003.
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Don A, Arenhövel W, Jacob R, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schulze E-D (2007) Establishment success of 19 different tree species on afforestations - results of a biodiversity experiment (in German). Allgem. Forst und Jagdzeitung 178, Jg. 9/10: 164-172.
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Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schulze ED, Don A, Schumacher J, Weller E (2007) Exploring the functional significance of forest diversity: A new long-term experiment with temperate tree species (BIOTREE). Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 9: 53-70. doi:10.1016/j.ppees.2007.08.002.
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