Global Change Experimental Facility (GCEF)

About The Project:

The Global Change Experimental Facility is a large field experiment for studying the effects of future climate change on ecosystem processes in different land-use types. Elemental concentrations in plants depend on soil nutrient availability and the balance between plant carbon and nutrient metabolism. Climate change such as increased temperatures and altered rainfall patterns may be expected to affect the amount and ratios of available soil minerals dependent on the strength of biological vs. geochemical control of nutrient release. In the GCEF, we study plant tissue elemental concentrations and pools.

Major Research Questions:

  1. How does climate change affect plant elemental concentrations and pools in different land-use types?
  2. Do effects of climate change on elemental concentrations in plant tissues depend on season or vary among functional groups of grassland species (grasses, forbs, legumes)?


Main Research Task:

Our main research task within the GCEF is to quantify the effects of climate change on plant elemental concentrations and pools in the different land-use types.