Kreinitz (Germany)

The Kreinitz experiment was established in 2005 to study the effect of tree species diversity on productivity and belowground processes.

Design

The experiment consists of 2 blocks that contain 49 plots each. All possible 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 species combinations were planted, and a control plot without trees was added. The plots are randomly distributed within each block. In a plot, 30 trees were planted on rows (1 m between rows, 0.8 m between trees in a row); the different species were distributed randomly within a plot. Two exclosures of stainless steel were installed in every plot to exclude tree roots and mycorrhiza.

2 blocks with 49 plots each

a plot with 30 trees planted on rows

Site characteristics

Kreinitz (Zeithain)

Country

Germany

Biome

temperate

Latitude

51.385620000000003

Longitude

13.261509999999999

Soil type

humic cambisol on a bedrock of sand and gravel

Former land use

arable field until 1990s, abandoned till 2005

Altitude

110-120 m

Design

stem-wise randomisation

Plot shape

square

Plot size (m^2)

25 m²

Plant distance (m)

0.8 (in row), 1 (between)

Number of trees planted

2 880

Planting date

fall 2005

Diversity variables

species richness
functional diversity

Diversity gradient

0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 sp.
decomposition rate

Size species pool

6

Species pool

Fagus sylvatica
Fraxinus excelsior
Picea abies
Pinus sylvestris
Quercus petraea
Tilia cordata

Contact person

Harald Auge

Email

harald.auge@ufz.de

Research

The first research goal is determining how tree species and functional diversity affect stand productivity, matter cycling, and the diversity and abundance of, e.g., herbivores, pathogens, decomposers, and mycorrhizal fungi. The research further focuses on the after-life effects of tree diversity: how does leaf litter diversity and composition affect decomposition rate and the diversity and abundance of decomposer invertebrates and microbes.

Extra information

Send an e-mail to the contact person or explore the publications that utilized data from this experiment.

PhD thesis

  • Gottschall F 2022 Tree diversity effects on the provisioning of soil ecosystem functions in temperate forests. PhD thesis. University of Leipzig.
  • Kovach, K 2021 Measurements of canopy properties to reveal biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships in tree diversity experiments using UAV remote sensing. PhD thesis, University of Freiburg
  • Milligan H 2016 Forest diversity effects on mammal herbivory. PhD thesis, Royal Holloway University of London
  • Hantsch L 2013 Tree diversity effects on species richness and infestation of foliar fungal pathogens in European tree diversity experiments. PhD thesis, Martin-Luther University Halle
  • Haase JU 2009 Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: the effects of tree and litter diversity. PhD thesis, University of Zurich

Research papers

  • Blondeel H, Guillemot J, Martin‐StPaul N, Druel A, Bilodeau‐Gauthier S, Bauhus J, … Baeten L 2024 Tree diversity reduces variability in sapling survival under drought. Journal of Ecology 112(5): 1164-1180 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14294
  • Proß T, Haider S, Auge H, Bruelheide H 2024 Leaf trait variation within individuals mediates the relationship between tree species richness and productivity. Oikos 2024: e10255 - https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.10255 https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.1025
  • Shovon TA, Auge H, Haase J, Nock CA 2024 Positive effects of species diversity on productivity switch to negative after severe drought mortality in a temperate forest experiment. Global Change Biology (30): e17252 - doi: 10.1111/gcb.17252.
  • Zheng L, Barry KE, Guerrero-Ramírez NR, Craven D, Reich PB, Verheyen K, … Hautier Y 2024 Effects of plant diversity on productivity strengthen over time due to trait-dependent shifts in species overyielding. Nature communications 15(1): 2078 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46355-z
  • Depauw L, De Lombaerde E, Dhiedt E, Blondeel H, Abdala-Roberts L, Auge H, Barsoum N, Bauhus J, Chu C, Damtew A, Eisenhauer N, V. Fagundes M, Ganade G, Gendreau-Berthiaume B, Godbold D, Gravel D, Guillemot J, Hajek P, Hector A, Hérault B, Jactel H, Koricheva J, Kreft H, Liu X, Mereu S, Messier C, Muys B, Nock CA, Paquette A, Parker JD, Parker WC, Paterno, GB, Perring MP, Ponette Q, Potvin C, Reich PB, Rewald B, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schnabel F, Sousa-Silva R, Weih M, Clara Zemp D, Verheyen K, Baeten L 2024 Enhancing Tree Performance Through Species Mixing: Review of a Quarter-Century of TreeDivNet Experiments Reveals Research Gaps and Practical Insights. Current Forestry Reports - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40725-023-00208-y
  • Desie E, Zuo J, Verheyen K, Djukic I, Van Meerbeek K, Auge H, Barsoum N, Baum C, Bruelheide H, Eisenhauer N, Feldhaar H, Ferlian O, Gravel D, Jactel H, Kappel Schmidt I, Kepfer-Rojas S, Meredieu C, Mereu S, Messier C, Morillas L, Nock C, Paquette A, Ponette Q, Reich PB, Roales J, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Seitz S, Schmidt A, Stefanski A, Trogisch S, van Halder I, Weih M, Williams LJ, Yang B, Muys B 2023 Disentangling drivers of litter decomposition in a multi-continent network of tree diversity experiments. Science of the Total Environment 857(3): 159717 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159717
  • Gottschall F, Cesarz S, Auge H, Kovach K, Nock C, Eisenhauer N 2023 Tree community composition stabilizes ecosystem functions in response to drought. Ecosphere (14): e4486 -doi: 10.1002/ecs2.4486.
  • FAO 2023 Towards more resilient and diverse planted forests. Unasylva (254)74: 2031/1. Rome. https://doi. org/10.4060/cc8584en
  • Cesarz S, Craven D, Auge H, Bruelheide H, Castagneyrol B, Gutknecht J, Hector A, Jactel H, Koricheva J, Messier C, Muys B, Brien MJO, Paquette A, Ponette Q, Potvin C, Reich PB, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Smith AR, Verheyen K, Eisenhauer N 2022 Tree diversity effects on soil microbial biomass and respiration are context dependent across forest diversity experiments. Global Ecology and Biogeography 31:872-885 - https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13461
  • Gottschall F, Cesarz S, Auge H, Kovach K, Mori A, Nock C, Eisenhauer N 2022 Spatio-temporal dynamics of abiotic and biotic processes explain biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships. Ecological Monographs (92)1: e1490 -doi: 10.1002/ecm.1490.
  • Kambach S, Sadlowski C, Peršoh D, Guerreiro MA, Auge H, Röhl O, Bruelheide 2021 Foliar Fungal Endophytes in a Tree Diversity Experiment Are Driven by the Identity but Not the Diversity of Tree Species. Life 11(10): 1081 - https://doi.org/10.3390/life11101081
  • Kwon T, Shibata H, Kepfer-Rojas S, Schmidt IK, Larsen KS, Beier C, Berg B, Verheyen K, Lamarque J-F, Hagedorn F, Eisenhauer N, Djukic I, TeaCompositionNetwork 2021 Effects of climate and atmospheric nitrogen deposition on early to mid-term stage litter decomposition across biomes. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 4: 678480 - https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2021.678480
  • Messier C, Bauhus J, Sousa-Silva R, Auge H, Baeten L, Barsoum N, Bruelheide H, Caldwell B, Cavender-Bares J, Dhiedt E, Eisenhauer N, Ganade G, Gravel D, Guillemot J, Hall JS, Hector A, Hérault B, Jactel H, Koricheva J, Kreft H, Mereu S, Muys B, Nock CA, Paquette A, Parker JD, Perring MP, Ponette Q, Potvin C, Reich PB, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schnabel F, Verheyen K, Weih M, Wollni M, Zemp DC 2021 For the sake of resilience and multifunctionality, let’s diversify planted forests! Conservation Letters e12829 - https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12829
  • Cesarz S, Schulz AE, Beugnon R, Eisenhauer N 2019 Testing soil nematode extraction efficiency using different variations of the Baermann-funnel method. Soil Organisms 91(2): 61–72 - https://doi.org/10.25674/so91201
  • Gottschall F, Davids S, Newiger-Dous T E, Auge H, Cesarz S, Eisenhauer N 2019 Tree species identity determines wood decomposition via microclimatic effects. Ecology and Evolution 9: 12113-12127 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5665
  • Kambach S, Allan E, Bilodeau-Gauthier S, Coomes D A, Haase J, Jucker T, Kunstler G, Muller S, Nock C, Paquette A, van der Plas F, Ratcliffe S, Roger F, Ruiz-Benito P, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Auge H, Bouriaud O, Castagneyrol B, Dahlgren J, Gamfeldt L, Jactel H, Kandler G, Koricheva J, Lehtonen A, Muys B, Ponette Q, Setiawan N, Van de Peer T, Verheyen K, Zavala M A, Bruelheid H 2019 How do trees respond to species mixing in experimental compared to observational studies? Ecology and Evolution 9: 11254-11265 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5627
  • Djukic I, Kepfer-Rojas S, Kappel Schmidt I, Steenberg Larsen K, Beier C, Berg B, Verheyen K, TeaComposition 2018 Early stage litter decomposition across biomes. Science of the Total Environment 628-629: 1369-1394 - doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.012
  • Grossman JJ, Vanhellemont M, Barsoum N, Bauhus J, Bruelheide H, Castagneyrol B, Cavender-Bares J, Eisenhauer N, Ferlian O, Gravel D, Hector A, Jactel H, Kreft H, Mereu S, Messier C, Muys B, Nock C, Paquette A, Parker J, Perring MP, Ponette Q, Reich PB, Schuldt A, Staab M, Weih M, Zemp DC, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Verheyen K 2018 Synthesis and future research directions linking tree diversity to growth, survival, and damage in a global network of tree diversity experiments. Environmental and Experimental Botany 152: 68-89 - doi: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2017.12.015
  • Guerrero-Ramírez NR, Craven D, Reich PB, Ewel JJ, Isbell F, Koricheva J, Parrotta JA, Auge H, Erickson HE, Forrester DI, Hector A, Joshi J, Montagnini F, Palmborg C, Piotto D, Potvin C, Roscher C, van Ruijven J, Tilman D, Wilsey B, Eisenhauer N 2017 Diversity-dependent temporal divergence of ecosystem functioning in experimental ecosystems. Nature Ecology & Evolution 1(11): 1639-1642 - doi: 10.1038/s41559-017-0325-1
  • Schwarz B, Dietrich C, Cesarz S, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Auge H, Schulz E, Eisenhauer N 2015 Non-significant tree diversity but significant identity effects on earthworm communities in three tree diversity experiments. European Journal of Soil Biology 67: 17-26 - doi: 0.1016/j.ejsobi.2015.01.001
  • Wurst S, Kaiser N, Nitzsche S, Haase J, Auge H, Rillig MC, Powell JR 2015 Tree diversity modifies distance-dependent effects on seedling emergence but not plant-soil feedbacks of temperate trees. Ecology 96:1529-1539 - doi: 10.1890/14-1166.1
  • Paine CET, Amissah L, Auge H, Baraloto C, Baruffol M, Bourland N, Bruelheide H, Daïnou K, de Gouvenain RC, Doucet J-L, Doust S, Fine PVA, Fortunel C, Haase J, Holl KD, Jactel H, Li X, Kitajima K, Koricheva J, Martínez-Garza C, Messier C, Paquette A, Philipson C, Piotto D, Poorter L, Posada JM, Potvin C, Rainio K, Russo SE, Ruiz-Jaen M, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Webb CO, Wright SJ, Zahawi RA, Hector A 2015 Globally, functional traits are weak predictors of juvenile tree growth, and we do not know why. Journal of Ecology 103: 978-989 - doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.12401
  • Alalouni U, Brandl R, Auge H, Schädler M 2014 Does insect herbivory on oak depend on the diversity of tree stands? Basic and Applied Ecology 15: 685-692 - doi: 10.1016/j.baae.2014.08.013
  • Hantsch L, Bien S, Radatz S, Braun U, Auge H, Bruelheide H 2014 Tree diversity and the role of non-host neighbour tree species in reducing fungal pathogen infestation. Journal of Ecology 102, 1673-1687 - doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.12317

The Kreinitz plantation in 2008 and 2013