Impacts of climate change on functioning of heathland ecosystems

European heathlands are unique natural landscapes, providing wide range of ecosystem services. This experiment simulates the effect of future climate on the functioning of the heathland ecosystem, and the  consequences for society. Large plots of 9 year-old heathland of Mechelse Heide are located in mesocosms and subjected to 6 distinct past and future climate scenarios ranging from the climate of 1950 to the climate of 2070. In this long-term experiment we assess climate impacts on biodiversity, carbon, nutrient and water cycles and vegetation ecophysiology of heathland ecosystem. We are particularly interested in the role of soil microorganisms in the processes carbon sequestration, and how those are affected by climate change.  Click here to meet the project consortium and to learn about the ecosystem functioning assessments that we conduct.