Function through Diversity
Hauling, planting and weeding trees: when the spadework is finished, it will be the largest biodiversity experiment in the world. A new forest is being created on 60 hectares in Xingangshan, in Eastern China. Gardeners are planting 96 native plant species and more than half a million trees and bushes. As we watch the trees grow little by little and experience the daily life of the Chinese workers, the students from Germany, Switzerland and China explain to us the most important factors of the ecosystem. What roles do herbs, herbivores, bacteria and, of course, climate play?
What’s What?
Calling the trees by name: More than five times as many tree species grow in the Gutianshan National Nature Reserve than in the whole of Germany – some 1165 plant species, belonging to 759 genera in total. But in order to understand how such greet diversity works, the researchers first need to familiarise themselves with it, so first they head into the existing forest. How fast do the trees grow? Which nutrients does the soil contain? And with the help of the local experts the researchers from Europe can learn to distinguish between the different plants...
At a glance
The Chicken or the Egg?
Watching the forest grow: the researchers are interested in one thing in particular: what effect does biological diversity—biodiversity—have on the functions and processes in a forest ecosystem?What’s What?
Calling the trees by name: More than five times as many tree species grow in the Gutianshan National Nature Reserve than in the whole of Germany - and the researchers need to familiarise themselves with all of them before they can get down to work.Young and Rich
How does biodiversity of young woody plants affect ecosystem processes? Fieldwork with a difference...A Colourful Mixture
It’s all in the mixture. How does the level of diversity of tree species affect how a forest ecosystem works? A brief guide to ecological niches and environmental gradients.Forest in the Balance
Does more forest mean more biodiversity? To test this relationship, the mass of the forest needs to be determined. But how do you weigh a tree?Neighbourly Relationships
The battle for the crown. How diversity influences competition between trees – which ones will make it to the top?East Chinese Phenotypes
Leaf surface area divided by dry weight: How to measure plant characteristics. And what do the various phenotypes mean for biodiversity?Crawling Predators
Spiders, ground beetles and other predators: How are plant and animal diversity related?Exotic Invaders
It’s not just in the forest canopy that our team of researchers is studying the subtropical forests of China. They also want to find out what is going on at ground level…Material Cycles
Why are there 1000 bags lying on the forest floor in Gutianshan? Of cycles over and under ground…The Horizon ABC
It goes on beyond the horizon: How do soil, precipitation and plants influence each other? Also, how do you measure raindrops?Hierarchy in the Forest
Ecosystems, habitats, species: Diversity in the forest adheres to a clearly defined hierarchy. What role does the genetic variability of species play?Going Underground
What started above ground is finishing underground: What role does diversity play in the soil? In its final episode, DFG Science TV shows the smallest living being on earth…- Archaeology
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