Biodiversity Platform

What it is about

The conceptual approach of the biodiversity platform includes all levels of biodiversity: diversity of habitats, species, genes and functional relationships. The basic issues are tackling climate and land use change and its influence on organisms and communities on different scales (see figure):
1. Local adaptation depends on genetic variation
2. Population genetics of plants are driven by microevolutionary processes
3. Areal shifts of species lead to changes in existing communities
4. The change of ecological communities has consequences for ecosystem functions and services (productivity, erosion control, pollination)
5. The adaptability of selected ecosystems in the long-term is affected 

The main objective is the assessment of biodiversity and its function in the regional, landscape and local context along broad environmental gradients. This is the basis for understanding impacts on and sustainable management of biodiversity under global change.

Where it takes place

The studies are taking place within a field-site network along gradients of landuse intensity, climatic conditions and species richness or species pools. The focus on cultural landscapes including semi-natural habitats (grasslands, forests) and landscape elements (hedges, field margins) is reflected in six core sites (each 4x4 km², see Investigation area) in Saxony-Anhalt.

Contact Mark Frenzel Cornelia Baeßler

Link - For general information about TERENO see www.tereno.net