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Chair of Conservation Biology and Forest Ecology

TreeScape

Ecological mechanisms underpinning species diversity changes along land-use intensity in temperate forests - from trees to landscapes

Description:  (Biodiversity Exploratories)

TreeScape investigates the effects of forest structure driven by land-use intensity on biodiversity in temperate forests to identify the main drivers of biodiversity in forests and the main mechanism behind species loss along land-use gradients in order to set a general framework for 3D structures and biodiversity. TreeScape aims to explore the relative influence of LiDAR (Light-Detection and Ranging) derived terrain topography, vegetation structure, floristic composition and landscape context metrics, on a range of eight taxonomical groups in the forest land-use gradients of the Biodiversity-Exploratories and, in addition, in the Bavarian Forest National Park and Steigerwald.

To move beyond the level of species and provide comprehensive measures of biodiversity, we aim to compile phylogenies and traits for the eight taxonomic groups (fungi, birds, bats, beetles, true bugs, spiders, vascular plants and lichens) by expanding already published phylogenetic trees and trait lists and by creating new ones for some taxa. (Link: Biodiversity Exploratories)

Duration

2017 onwards

Fundation

German Research Foundation (DFG) - project number 323939992