Project Detail

Biodiversity, disturbance history and soil memory: testing the Holocene continuity of species rich forest-steppe ecosystems

Name:	Biodiversity, disturbance history and soil memory: testing the Holocene continuity of species rich forest-steppe ecosystems
Researchers:	Roleček Jan (researcher)
Provider:	GAČR
Number:	GAČR 20-09895S
Realization from:	2020
Realization to:	2022
Summary:	The aim of this interdisciplinary project is to test the hypothesis of Holocene continuity of East-Central European forest-steppe ecosystems and find out whether their extreme species-richness can be explained by their age. We will 1) analyse the record of on-site paleoecological proxies (soil charcoal, phytoliths, soil memory), along with pollen and macroremains, 2) synthesize data on the vegetation of extremely species-rich steppe meadows in order to relate their variability to their history. Linking the data on Holocene history and today's vegetation composition will help us assess the importance of the past for the present diversity of ecosystems. This is important for biodiversity studies and nature conservation, which aim to understand and maintain the plant diversity. Our knowledge can also be useful for estimation of future biodiversity dynamics within the global change studies.