Project Details
Projekt
SPZ2: Database & synthesis
Applicants
Dr. Anne Ebeling; Professor Dr. Nico Eisenhauer; Dr. Anna Heintz-Buschart; Professor Dr. Holger Schielzeth
Subject Area
Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems
Term
since 2023
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 422440326
After 20 years, the Jena Experiment has accumulated unique datasets of several controlled experiments based on multi-disciplinary research programs, covering different trophic levels and various ecosystem processes above and below the ground. The growing need to synthesize and make these data accessible to the scientific community requires the development of data-management capabilities and data-sharing platforms. We have developed and will build on a recently developed professional database, which enables easy archiving and sharing of data and provides the foundation for a collaborative and integrative research consortium. This subproject (SP) will focus on data management and synthesis. First, we propose continuing to promote open science, implement FAIR principles, and train the next generation of researchers with best scientific practices to manage research data. Further, we will compile synthesis datasets and make them available to the public. The data management-related work packages will focus on three aspects: (1.1) Providing services to other SPs (i.e., curating datasets and ensuring high quality data archiving, compiling the dataset for synthesis work). (1.2) Offer courses, workshops, and consultations on data management and statistical analyses for PhD students and postdocs in the Jena Experiment. (1.3) Publish datasets and code in data journals, as well as in scientific research journals (Leipzig University-funded data manager Dr. Yuanyuan Huang). Second, we propose to lead cutting-edge synthesis projects within the Jena Experiment and beyond. We propose to use the long-term data of the world’s longest-running biodiversity experiments, to (2.1) assess plant species or functional group interactions and effects on ecosystem stability using diversity-interaction modeling, (2.2) identify plant species traits that promote population and community stability, and (2.3) predict long-term multifunctional stability and resistance and study relationships among multifunctional stability facets (requested postdoc #1). Next, we propose to analyze how spatio-temporal heterogeneity in covariance of ecosystem functions and consumer communities can contribute to grassland ecosystem stability using a multitrophic approach (requested postdoc #2). This will include analyses (3.1) of spatial and temporal stability in covariation of ecosystem functions and (3.2) of consumer species accumulation curves and how they impact ecosystem functioning. Finally, we propose to perform cross-kingdom synthesis of soil microbial communities in the Jena Experiment. Specifically, we plan to analyze (4.1) temporal aspects of plant diversity effects on the trait space of microbial communities and (4.2) the spatial stratification of plant diversity effects on microbial communities (Humboldt fellow through the Henriette Hertz Program).
DFG Programme
Research Units
International Connection
Netherlands
