CLUE

Changing Land Use: Enhancement of biodiversity and ecosystem development

The general objectives are:

To study the effects of community complexity (of both vegetation and soil (micro)organisms) on ecosystem processes and vegetation dynamics on former agricultural, set-aside, land.
To examine if the complexity of the community on set-aside agricultural land can be enhanced artificially by increasing plant species diversity.
To examine if, and how, a stepping stone approach may be used to enhance the colonization of the soil of set-aside land by soil (micro)organisms of expected/desired successional stages.
To study the effects of community complexity, as well as manipulation of community development by increasing plant species diversity and by applying stepping stones in a north-south and east-west double gradient to get results applicable at a European scale.
To contribute to the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Initiative (TERI) of the European Union by establishing field sites that may be used for studying effects of changing land use, biodiversity and species interactions on ecosystem processes and ecosystem development.

contact :

W.H.Van Der Putten
Netherlands Institute of Ecology
P.O. Box 40,
6666 ZG, Heteren
The Netherlands
putten@cto.nioo.knaw.nl

web site :