This subproject aims at the parallel assessment of plant biodiversity and plant performance (biomass, phenology, fitness) along altitudinal and land use gradients in natural and human-disturbed ecosystems at Mt. Kilimanjaro. We will consider plant diversity at genetic, population, and community levels, and their relationship to plant performance. To estimate the diversity, composition and dynamics of plant communities, we will repeatedly record all plant species present on the 60 common study plots. In addition, we will study plant species turnover by revisiting the sites of 180 existing vegetation records. For all 60 common study plots, we will estimate horizontal and vertical community structure, production and biomass (and relate the outcome to data on climate (SP1) and nutrient (SP3) and water (SP2) levels). In the forest plots dendrochronology will allow correlation of tree growth with climate variables (SP1) across altitude and land use systems. In collaboration with SP5 and the plantanimal interaction components of SPs 6-8 on dispersal, pollination, decomposition, and herbivory we will study several species in more detail. For the eight most abundant species per plot, phenology will be recorded. In addition, reproduction will be measured for four rare and four common species measuring biomass of reproductive organs and seed set. We will also estimate molecular genetic variation for these four species. To analyse species responses to different altitudes/climates and local adaptation within species, we will perform reciprocal-transplant experiments of seed families between altitudinal belts for 16 species of different niche width, four endemic, four rare nonendemic, four common, and four invasive. For one species with large altitudinal range we will explore the consequences of outcrossing between different altitudes. Selection gradient analysis will be used to characterize the relationship between within-species variation in functional traits (in collaboration with SP5) and performance. We will closely collaborate with all other subprojects and with our local counter partners at the National Herbarium of Tanzania in Arusha. Our project will provide important baseline data for all other subprojects. Moreover, our data will allow us to relate genetic, population, and community measures of diversity to altitude, climate and anthropogenic disturbance, to quantify biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in the field, and to estimate resilience and adaptive potential of plants from natural and modified ecosystems to global change.
This proposal aims to generate satellite-supported area-wide datasets on the landscape scale as a basis for further integrative analysis of climate-biodiversityecosystem functioning relationships in the Kilimanjaro area. The two main goals are: (i) the provision of high resolution hourly meteorological datasets for the project period, and (ii) the generation of time series for cloud, fog and rainfall dynamics from 1979 until today. In addition, these generated datasets will be used to adapt a limited-area atmospheric model (LAAM) to the Kilimanjaro region as a basis for evaluating the mutual influence of, and interactions between local land-cover change and climate change during the second phase of the project. Beside the climatic datasets, satellitebased land cover classifications will be generated for certain dates between 1979 and today. All datasets are generally provided area-wide i. e. they will not only cover the all study plots but the entire core Kilimanjaro region.During the first project phase, in-situ meteorological measurements will be physically or statistically linked with spatio-temporal explicit co-located satellite product information and extrapolated in space using the satellite-derived data values and land cover in order to generate reliable area-wide climatic datasets. The operational satellite retrievals will also be used in stand-alone mode to derive long-term series of cloud and rainfall dynamics. To investigate land-cover feedbacks on cloud and rainfall dynamics, the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) will be implemented. Land cover classifications will be based on satellite images along with in-situ field spectrometer measurements and vegetation structural analysis obtained from other subprojects.The datasets generated by this sub-project form an invaluable basis for nearly all other subprojects as well as for further integrative analysis and future ecological model applications.
Biodiversity and ecosystem processes maintained by tropical mountain ecosystems are particularly threatened by the combined impacts of climate change and the conversion of natural to human-modified landscapes and as a result important ecosystem services are at risk. The Research Unit aims at the parallel assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem processes along altitudinal gradients in both natural and human-disturbed ecosystems at Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania, Africa), capitalising on its worldwide unique range of climatic and vegetation zones. Main objectives are (1) to relate climatic conditions and anthropogenic disturbance to species diversity, biotic interactions and biogeochemical processes, (2) to quantify biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships along elevational gradients, (3) to estimate resilience and adaptive potential of natural and modified ecosystems to global change, and (4) to quantify temporal shifts in species distributions due to climate and land use change. The Research Unit is composed of seven closely linked subprojects, four focussing on biodiversity and biotic interactions of plants and animals and three on climate and biogeochemical ecosystem processes. Two central projects are responsible for coordination and the central database. All subprojects work on 60 joint study plots representing twelve major natural and anthropogenic vegetation types along an altitudinal range from tropical savannas up to afroalpine shrublands. On each plot climate variables, soil properties, water and carbon fluxes, primary productivity, diversity of plants, birds, bats, soil arthropods, selected insect taxa and related biotic interactions, i.e. seed dispersal, decomposition, pollination, herbivory and predation, will be quantified. Twelve focal sites among the 60 sites will serve for more elaborated measurements and experiments to quantify causal relationships between climate, land cover change, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Further, in three experimental gardens at different altitudes, transplant experiments will be performed to study species adaptability under modified climatic conditions.