Synthesis Project 2: Functional relationships between land-use, climate and biogeochemical cycles

为了了解气候和土地利用变化对生物多样性的影响以及随之而来的生态系统稳定性和服务，详细了解和表征生物和非生物对生态系统C、N和养分循环的控制至关重要。Syn2将第一阶段和第二阶段的实地和实验室研究结果与基于过程的模型（生物地球化学和动态植被模型）相结合，以评估气候和土地利用对乞力马扎罗山生态系统碳、氮和水循环和收支的影响。这种方法将允许在空间上（从13个重点样地到总计65个样地，以及乞力马扎罗山地区）和时间上（完整的年度时间序列和未来情景）升级结果。在样地尺度上发现的当前气候条件下土地利用、水和生物地球化学循环之间的功能关系将被外推到生态系统水平。我们将揭示在未来预期的气候和土地利用情景下，这些关系将如何变化。结果将被汇总并发展成新的基于过程的生态系统特征指标（即碳、氮、营养和水）。最后，这些指标和通量将联合（Syn1, 3,5）用于新性状分析，揭示与植被和土壤动物生物多样性的功能关系。

To understand impacts of climate and land use changes on biodiversity and accompanying ecosystem stability and services, detailed understanding and characterization of biotic and abiotic controls on ecosystem C, N and nutrient cycling are essential. Syn2 combines results of field and laboratory studies from phases one and two with process based modelling (linked biogeochemical and dynamic vegetation model) to evaluate the impacts of climate and land-use on C, N and water cycles and budgets of Mt. Kilimanjaro ecosystems. This approach will allow upscaling of results in space (from 13 focal plots to the total of 65 plots, and Kilimanjaro area) and in time (complete annual time series and future scenarios). The functional relationships between land-use, water and biogeochemical cycles under current climatic conditions discovered at the plot scale will be extrapolated to ecosystem level. We will reveal how these relationships will change in the future under expected climate and land-use scenarios. Results will be aggregated and developed into novel process-based indicators of ecosystem characteristics (i.e. C, N, nutrients and water). Finally, these indicators as well as fluxes, will be jointly (Syn1, 3, 5) used in novel trait analysis to reveal functional relationships with vegetation and soil fauna biodiversity.