DFG: Einfluss extremer Dürren und invasiver Sträucher auf Funktion und Resilienz mediterraner Korkeichenbestände

The overall aim of this proposal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of the cumulative effects of extreme drought events and shrub invasion on the functioning and resilience of water-limited Mediterranean cork-oak ecosystems, as a model system, and to project areas of vulnerability under future climate change. Recurrent extreme climate events such as droughts are projected to increase in many regions worldwide and can strongly affect ecosystem functioning. Concurrently, plant invasion is augmenting, causing the second largest threat to biodiversity. However, there is a lack of knowledge on how these two factors interact and impact ecosystem functioning and resilience. We will use a Mediterranean cork-oak ecosystems of high socio-economic and conservation value as a model system which is currently endangered by the invasion of Cistus ladanifer shrubs due to drought and lack of management. Simultaneously, extreme droughts are predicted to increase over Southwest-Europe, but with strong spatial heterogeneity in terms of duration and severity. The project is based on an interdisciplinary approach consisting of a) plant ecophysiology and experimental ecosystem research implementing a multifactorial rain exclusion and shrub removal experiment to identify critical thresholds of ecosystem functioning; b) regionalisation of multi-model climate projections for the provision of representative and highly spatially resolved drought scenarios; c) mechanistic ecosystem modelling of a land surface scheme with realistic representations of the key processes including soil-vegetation, plant-plant and climate-vegetation interactions.

Ansprechpartner: Prof. Christiane Werner
Tel: 0761 203 8301
Email: c.werner@cep.uni-freiburg.de

Projektbeginn: 01.05.2017
Projektende: 30.04.2022

Werner C

Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
Professur für Ökosystemphysiologie
Prof. Dr. Christiane Werner
Georges-Köhler-Allee, Geb. 053 / 054
79110 Freiburg

Telefon: 8300
Fax: 8302
Email: sabine.pregger@ctp.uni-freiburg.de
https://www.cep.uni-freiburg.de/

• Haberstroh S

• DFG, DFG