ForestRege | Tree generation replacement in a European natural forest – unravelling the role of canopy gaps using a spatially explicit approach

Summary
The replacement of successive tree generations is a fundamental process which shapes the structure and dynamics of
forest ecosystems and essential ecosystem services. Conditioning this process are the complex relationships between the
spatial and temporal patterns of tree death (i.e. gap formation) and the recruitment and growth of young individuals. In this
project, Magdalena Żywiec (hereinafter: MŻ) will investigate natural forest regeneration in an exceptionally well preserved
area of Europe – the subalpine spruce forest of Mt. Babia Góra (Western Carpathians, Poland) – which remains in a nearly
primeval state. MŻ will investigate the natural regeneration of two phylogenetically distant tree species which differ in a
number of ecological and functional traits, making the results from this project generalisable to a range of European tree
species. To address our general objective (i.e. to comprehensively understand the replacement of tree species
generations), an inclusive evaluation of the spatio-temporal relationships between canopy gaps and natural tree
regeneration must employ sophisticated state-of-the-art ecological models based on rigorous empirical data. This requires a
strong background in point pattern analysis in addition to deep knowledge of the natural history of the studied system. MŻ
will acquire comprehensive skills in aspects of different modelling disciplines such as spatial point pattern analysis, marked
point pattern analysis and generalised linear mixed models. This project presents an excellent opportunity to integrate recent
advances in spatial point pattern analysis (SPPA) with field data exhaustively collected during the last several decades.
Finally, the novel approach to be applied and the long-term series of ecological data to be used make this proposal unique in
Europe and the fellowship will lead directly to original results of huge significance for European forests preservation.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/703119
Start date: 01-05-2016
End date: 30-04-2018
Total budget - Public funding: 148 635,60 Euro - 148 635,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

The replacement of successive tree generations is a fundamental process which shapes the structure and dynamics of
forest ecosystems and essential ecosystem services. Conditioning this process are the complex relationships between the
spatial and temporal patterns of tree death (i.e. gap formation) and the recruitment and growth of young individuals. In this
project, Magdalena Żywiec (hereinafter: MŻ) will investigate natural forest regeneration in an exceptionally well preserved
area of Europe – the subalpine spruce forest of Mt. Babia Góra (Western Carpathians, Poland) – which remains in a nearly
primeval state. MŻ will investigate the natural regeneration of two phylogenetically distant tree species which differ in a
number of ecological and functional traits, making the results from this project generalisable to a range of European tree
species. To address our general objective (i.e. to comprehensively understand the replacement of tree species
generations), an inclusive evaluation of the spatio-temporal relationships between canopy gaps and natural tree
regeneration must employ sophisticated state-of-the-art ecological models based on rigorous empirical data. This requires a
strong background in point pattern analysis in addition to deep knowledge of the natural history of the studied system. MŻ
will acquire comprehensive skills in aspects of different modelling disciplines such as spatial point pattern analysis, marked
point pattern analysis and generalised linear mixed models. This project presents an excellent opportunity to integrate recent
advances in spatial point pattern analysis (SPPA) with field data exhaustively collected during the last several decades.
Finally, the novel approach to be applied and the long-term series of ecological data to be used make this proposal unique in
Europe and the fellowship will lead directly to original results of huge significance for European forests preservation.

Status

CLOSED

Call topic

MSCA-IF-2015-EF

Update Date

28-04-2024
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Horizon 2020
H2020-EU.1. EXCELLENT SCIENCE
H2020-EU.1.3. EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
H2020-EU.1.3.2. Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
H2020-MSCA-IF-2015
MSCA-IF-2015-EF Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF)