Refinement of a canopy budget model by analysing nutrient transfer processes in tree canopies at different spatio-temporal scales.

The main objective of the research is to adapt and further develop a canopy budget model, which will allow to use throughfall measurements for accurately quantifying internal and external nutrient sources in forest ecosystems. To this aim, the nutrient interactions between the atmosphere and the vegetation will be compared on several spatial and temporal scales between three important tree species with varying ecophysiological and biogeochemical characteristics. The nutrient transfer processes of dry deposition and canopy exchange will be studied at the spatial levels of leaves and branches, individual tree canopies as well as the forest stand, and during different periods of physiological activity. At the leaf and branch level, in-situ and ex-situ experimentswill be carried out for determining physical and physiological vegetation characteristics that affect canopy exchange processes. At the canopy level, canopy architecture and its influence on within-canopy turbulence and dry deposition will be studied. Finally, the results of these two lower spatial levels will be integrated and scaled up in a process-oriented nutrient transfer model that will be validated at the stand level.

Keywords:ECOLOGY, FORESTRY

Disciplines:Atmospheric sciences, Physical geography and environmental geoscience, Plant biology, Atmospheric sciences, challenges and pollution, Forestry sciences

Project type:Collaboration project