Coordination

Central coordination

Principle Investigators: Prof. Dr. Nico Eisenhauer, Leipzig; Dr. Anne Ebeling, Jena; Prof. Dr. Gerd Gleixner, Jena; Dr. Christiane Roscher, Leipzig; Prof. Dr. Alexandra Weigelt, Leipzig

The central subproject provides coordination of the whole research consortium, specifically in terms of developing common designs, field management, protocols, administration of sampling campaigns, and data curation. These activities are indispensable for the provision of infrastructure for everyone working in long-term experiments.

Subproject Z (SPZ) has two main coordination objectives, (1) management of the research group and the experimental site, and (2) collection and provision of central long-term data. Briefly, the management of the research site covers the maintenance of the field site and the experimental plots, the establishment of the Ecotron Experiment, coordination of the Research Unit’s activities, and administration. In addition, SPZ has the scientific objectives to ensure the (3) continuation of long-term measurements of plant community performance and productivity, as well as soil characteristics in all plots of the Jena Experiment, and the (4) lead of synthesis work focusing on the role of plant- and soil history, and abiotic and biotic drivers for exploring the context-dependency of and explaining the increasing strength of the plant diversity-productivity relationship over time. The continuation of long-term data collection of abiotic properties, soil characteristics (soil moisture, C and N concentrations in the soil and soil solution), and plant communities in the Field Experiment and in the Ecotron Experiment will be the prerequisite for exploring the mechanisms underlying long-term BEF relationship in the Research Unit.