Project Details
Projekt
Plant functional trait diversity, biotic interactions and ecosystem processes in nutrient- versus water-limited tropical mountain forests
Applicant
Professor Dr. Thomas Hickler
Subject Area
Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems
Term
since 2018
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 386807763
Based on the results of our partner projects in the DFG Research Unit RESPECT, we implemented plant trait variation and improved soil nutrient dynamics in a vegetation model (LPJ-GUESS), which feeds dynamic vegetation changes into the Land Surface Model (LSM) that RESPECT develops. In the new model, each plant individual can possess different trait combinations, and the community trait composition emerges via competition for light, water, nitrogen and phosphorous. The results show that nutrient dynamics are crucial drivers of the plant community trait composition and ecosystem functioning along an elevational gradient in a very biodiversity-rich mountain rainforest in southern Ecuador. In the second phase of the RESPECT, we plan to adapt the model for major land use types and the Tumbesian dry mountain forest in the wider study region. We want to contrast main drivers of vegetation dynamics in water- versus nutrient-limited mountain rainforests. In close collaboration with other subprojects, we furthermore aim to assess the impacts of insect herbivory and biotic effects, such as seed dispersal, on tree seedling recruitment and vegetation dynamics. We expect that insect herbivory can have profound effects on nutrient cycling in the mountain rainforest, whereas the direct biomass reduction is more important in the mountain dry forest. With our new module for tree recruitment, we plan to explore potential effects of a decrease in seed dispersing animals (defaunation) on vegetation. Finally, we want to improve the representation of plant functional diversity and biotic interactions in the area-wide application of the LSM to explore the role of functional diversity for the resistance of vegetation biomass production and feedbacks on the atmosphere.
DFG Programme
Research Units
