15 years of Jena Experiment

For now 15 years scientists from different institutions and disciplines are investigating how species diversity impacts ecosystem functions. The Jena Experiment consists of 480 experimental plots with varying plant species composition.

Back then, the long-term experiment was initiated by Professor Ernst-Detlef Schulze, former director at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry. Professor Gerd Gleixner of the department Biogeochemical Processes and his co-workers are continuing to analyze how the amount of carbon retained in the soil changes over time and how it depends on plant species diversity.

Unchanged though, the field experiment group of the institute takes care of the meteorological station as well as of infrastructure since 2002. The data of the long-term measurements retrieved at the 5 meter tower can be seen on the weather page of the institute.

To celebrate the 15 years of the Jena Experiment, the Friedrich Schiller University and the German Center for Biodiversity Research invite to a 2-day scientific symposium taking place in Jena on February 7th-8th, 2017.