Research team

Expertise

am project manager of the International Training Network 'FutureArctic'.

Changes in the stress sensitivity of plants and ecosystems in a future climate. 01/10/2009 - 30/09/2011

Abstract

This project examines whether the resistance of plant communities and their composing species to stress will change in a future climate. Specifically, whether a future climate: 1) modifies the dose-response of stressors 2) modifies synergistic or anatagonistic effects between stressors 3) changes the influence of neighbours on the stress response of individuals.

Researcher(s)

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

  • Research Project

Changes in the stress sensitivity of plants and ecosystems in a future climate. 01/10/2007 - 30/09/2009

Abstract

This project examines whether the resistance of plant communities and their composing species to stress will change in a future climate. Specifically, whether a future climate: 1) modifies the dose-response of stressors 2) modifies synergistic or anatagonistic effects between stressors 3) changes the influence of neighbours on the stress response of individuals.

Researcher(s)

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

  • Research Project

Changes in the stress sensitivity of plants and ecosystems under climate change conditions. 01/10/2006 - 30/09/2007

Abstract

The central research question of this project is whether the resistance of species-rich plant communities to different stress factors will change in a future climate. To this end we will grow grassland mesocosms in sunlit controlled chambers under either the present or future climate conditions, and expose them to a wide range of stressors: drought, nitrogen deficiency, nitrogen saturation (eutrophication), and heavy metals (cadmium). Stressors will be applied separately to assess dose-response relations, but also in combination to examine their interactive impact. Besides evaluating the responses to stress in a future climate the experiments address basic questions, such as: are resistances to different stressors coupled ('co-tolerance')? or, can stress resistance be predicted from plant or community characteristics measured under normal climate conditions?

Researcher(s)

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

  • Research Project