Research Joke Van den Berge

Abstract

This project examines whether the resistance of plant communities and their composing species to stress will change in a future climate. Specifically, whether a future climate: 1) modifies the dose-response of stressors 2) modifies synergistic or anatagonistic effects between stressors 3) changes the influence of neighbours on the stress response of individuals.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Nijs Ivan
• Fellow: Van den Berge Joke

Research team(s)

• Plant and Ecosystems (PLECO) - Ecology in a time of change

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project examines whether the resistance of plant communities and their composing species to stress will change in a future climate. Specifically, whether a future climate: 1) modifies the dose-response of stressors 2) modifies synergistic or anatagonistic effects between stressors 3) changes the influence of neighbours on the stress response of individuals.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Nijs Ivan
• Fellow: Van den Berge Joke

Research team(s)

• Plant and Ecosystems (PLECO) - Ecology in a time of change

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The central research question of this project is whether the resistance of species-rich plant communities to different stress factors will change in a future climate. To this end we will grow grassland mesocosms in sunlit controlled chambers under either the present or future climate conditions, and expose them to a wide range of stressors: drought, nitrogen deficiency, nitrogen saturation (eutrophication), and heavy metals (cadmium). Stressors will be applied separately to assess dose-response relations, but also in combination to examine their interactive impact. Besides evaluating the responses to stress in a future climate the experiments address basic questions, such as: are resistances to different stressors coupled ('co-tolerance')? or, can stress resistance be predicted from plant or community characteristics measured under normal climate conditions?

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Nijs Ivan
• Fellow: Van den Berge Joke

Research team(s)

• Plant and Ecosystems (PLECO) - Ecology in a time of change

Project type(s)

• Research Project