Long-Term Ecological Research

Home , Rostock, University of Bremen, University of Hamburg, University of Kiel, University of Potsdam, University of Rostock

Felix Müller · Cornelia Baessler · Hendrik Schubert · Stefan Klotz Editors

Long-Term Ecological Research

Between Theory and Application

123 Editors Felix Müller Cornelia Baessler University of Kiel Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Ecology Centre Research UFZ Olshausenstraße 75 Department of Community Ecology D-24118 Kiel Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4 Germany 06120 Halle [email protected] Germany [email protected] Hendrik Schubert University of Rostock, Stefan Klotz Institute of Biosciences Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Albert-Einstein-Straße 3 Research UFZ D-18055 Rostock Department of Community Ecology Germany Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4 [email protected] 06120 Halle Germany [email protected]

ISBN 978-90-481-8781-2 e-ISBN 978-90-481-8782-9 DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-8782-9 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010925420

© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microﬁlming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied speciﬁcally for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.

Cover Images: Bavarian Forest National Park. Photos courtesy of Heinrich Rall.

Printed on acid-free paper

Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Preface

The components of global change operate on different spatial and temporal scales. Scientific analyses of this issue, however, often deal with shorter time scales, due to the typical funding duration of research projects. In spite of this practice, long-term observation is indispensable for the detection of long-term processes and changes and thus is the foundation needed to develop sustainable strategies. Long-term observation and monitoring imply that data are saved and documented and that they stay accessible for a long time after individual research or projects have been completed. This is in line with the long-term horizon of large-scale strategies for environmental protection and the sustainable use of nature, such as the EU Habitats Directive and the EU Water Framework Directive, which consider time periods of over 20 years for planning and observation. Long-term approaches are particularly important in investigations of environmental change, because the respective modifications usually occur only gradually, accompanied by larger temporal fluctuations garbling the trend. Under such circum- stances, only an adequately long observation period can be a sound basis to secure significant results and to support predictions. These long-dated phenomena are the subjects of the Long-Term Ecosystem Research Initiative (LTER). LTER is organized into networks ranging from the global to national scale. Networking is essential for the development of and tuning into common standards and research strategies. The national networks are especially important, as they provide the contacts to the scientific base, i.e., and the investigation sites. For example, the German network for long-term ecological research, LTER-D, is intended to be a platform for communication, documentation, and collaboration of scientists in long-term, system-oriented, and interdisciplinary environmental research in Germany. Actually it covers 17 sites and platforms all over Germany that are performing long-term ecological research in all relevant ecosystem types from the high mountains to the Wadden Sea. LTER-D is a member of the international LTER umbrella organization, ILTER, and the European regional network LTER-Europe. Both networks are exclusively defined by the commitment of the members to their shared goals. Founded in 2004, the German LTER is still in its developing and growing phase. The further development of LTER is closely tuned to recommendations of and cooperation with LTER-Europe and ILTER in order to make the networks powerful. LTER-D enables and advocates the collaboration between the main long- term environmental research projects and infrastructures such as The Terrestrial Environmental Observatories – TERENO, funded by the Helmholtz Association of

v vi Preface

German Research Centres and the Biodiversity Exploratories funded by the German Research Foundation. Additionally, universities and other research institutes, as well as the biosphere reserves and national parks of Germany, are the backbones of LTER-D. This publication is an initiative of the German network but is not a book focusing on the activities of LTER-D only. We tried to bring together theoretical ecological questions of long-term processes, as well as an international dimension of long- term monitoring, observations, and research. By doing so we produced an overview on different aspects of long-term ecological research. Aquatic as well as terrestrial ecosystems are represented, as concepts and results of case studies in both are dis- cussed. The different time dimensions, as well as scales from the community and ecosystems up to the landscape scale are included. Finally we tried to link research with application in different ﬁelds of ecology and to describe urgent infrastructural, methodological, and research demands and challenges for the future. This work was only possible by the joint effort of all authors from different countries and networks worldwide. We are also grateful to the publisher for the encouragement and support to complete the book.

Kiel, Germany Felix Müller Halle, Germany Cornelia Baessler Rostock, Germany Hendrik Schubert Halle, Germany Stefan Klotz Contents

Part I Introduction ...... 1 1 Long-Term Ecosystem Research Between Theory and Application – An Introduction ...... 3 Felix Müller, Cornelia Baessler, Mark Frenzel, Stefan Klotz, and Hendrik Schubert

Part II The Signiﬁcance of Ecological Long-Term Processes ...... 9 2 Theoretical Demands for Long-Term Ecological Research and the Management of Long-Term Data Sets ...... 11 Felix Müller, Albrecht Gnauck, Karl-Otto Wenkel, Hendrik Schubert, and Michael Bredemeier 3 Long-Term Ecosystem Dynamics: Theoretical Concepts of Environmental Change ...... 27 Brian D. Fath and Felix Müller 4 The Scientiﬁc Potential of Environmental Monitoring ...... 39 Claus-G. Schimming, Sabine Augustin, and Rolf Karez

Part III Exploring Long-Term Processes: International Experience ... 57 5 Twenty-Eight Years of the US-LTER Program: Experience, Results, and Research Questions ...... 59 James R. Gosz, Robert B. Waide, and John J. Magnuson 6 Introducing the Next Generation of Ecosystem Research in Europe: LTER-Europe’s Multi-Functional and Multi-Scale Approach ...... 75 Michael Mirtl 7 The Role of Ecosystem Modelling for Long-Term Ecological Research 95 Albrecht Gnauck, Sven E. Jørgensen, and Bernhard Luther 8 The Role of Statistics for Long-Term Ecological Research ...... 107 Albrecht Gnauck, Bai-Lian Larry Li, Jean Duclos Alegue Feugo, and Bernhard Luther 9 The Role of Remote Sensing in LTER Projects ...... 131 Patrick Hostert, Frederick Swayne, Warren B. Cohen, and Jonathan Chipman

vii viii Contents

Part IV Concepts and Results: Presenting and Interpreting Long-Term Ecological Processes: Aquatic Ecosystem Research ...... 143 10 Long-Term Ecological Change in the Northern Wadden Sea ..... 145 Justus E.E. van Beusekom, Christian Buschbaum, Martina Loebl, Peter Martens, and Karsten Reise 11 Long-Term Model Simulation of Environmental Conditions to Identify Externally Forced Signals in Biological Time Series ... 155 Karina Stockmann, Ulrich Callies, Bryan F.J. Manly, and Karen H. Wiltshire 12 Long-Term Investigations in Brackish Ecosystems ...... 163 Hendrik Schubert, Norbert Wasmund, and Kevin G. Sellner 13 Long-Term Ecological Research in Freshwater Ecosystems ..... 179 Jan Köhler 14 Long-Term Monitoring in Rivers of South Germany Since the 1970s – Macrophytes as Indicators for the Assessment of Water Quality and Its Implications for the Conservation of Rivers . 189 Peter Poschlod, Martijn Kos, Stephanie Roauer, Andreas Seemann, Oliver Wiesmann, Georg H. Zeltner, and Alexander Kohler

Part V Concepts and Results: Presenting and Interpreting Long-Term Ecological Processes: Terrestrial Ecosystem Research ...... 201 15 Long-Term Observations of Soil Mesofauna ...... 203 Hartmut Koehler and Viesturs Melecis 16 Tracing Biogeochemical Processes in Small Catchments Using Non-linear Methods ...... 221 Gunnar Lischeid, Pavel Krám, and Christina Weyer 17 Long-Term Measurements to Quantify the Impact of Arable Management Practices on Deep Seepage and Nitrate Leaching ... 243 Uwe Schindler, Lothar Müller, Ralf Dannowski, Dietmar Barkusky, and Glyn Francis 18 Long-Term Ecosystem Research in a Beech Forest of Northern Germany ...... 253 Filipa Tavares, Otto Fränzle, Felix Müller, and Claus-G. Schimming 19 A Conceptual Framework for Integrated Functional Landscape Monitoring in the Wider Countryside of Central Europe ...... 263 Ralf-Uwe Syrbe, Wilfried Hierold, Olaf Bastian, and Matthias Röder 20 Temporal Changes and Spatial Determinants of Plant Species Diversity and Genetic Variation ...... 279 Cornelia Baessler, Stefan Klotz, and Walter Durka Contents ix

21 Integration of Long-Term Environmental Data by the Example of the UNECE Heavy Metals in Mosses Survey in Germany: Application of a WebGIS-Based Metadata System ...... 299 Gunther Schmidt, Christian Aden, Lukas Kleppin, Roland Pesch, and Winfried Schröder

Part VI Concepts and Results: Presenting and Interpreting Long-Term Ecological Processes: Linking Research and Applications ...... 315 22 Monitoring of Ecosystems: Two Different Approaches – Long-Term Observation Versus Success Control ...... 317 Vera Luthardt 23 National Parks as Model Regions for Interdisciplinary Long-Term Ecological Research: The Bavarian Forest and Šumavá National Parks Underway to Transboundary Ecosystem Research ...... 327 Marco Heurich, Burkhard Beudert, Heinrich Rall, and Zdenka Krenováˇ 24 Turning Long-Term Monitoring into Policy – Using the National Park Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea as an Example ...... 345 Britta Diederichs 25 Design and Importance of Multi-tiered Ecological Monitoring Networks ...... 355 K. Bruce Jones, Heye Bogena, Harry Vereecken, and Jake F. Weltzin

Part VII Future Demands and Challenges ...... 375 26 Conceptualising Long-Term Socio-ecological Research (LTSER): Integrating the Social Dimension ...... 377 Simron J. Singh, Helmut Haberl, Veronika Gaube, Clemens M. Grünbühel, Petru Lisivieveci, Julia Lutz, Robin Matthews, Michael Mirtl, Angheluta Vadineanu, and Martin Wildenberg 27 Integrating Social Sciences into Long-Term Ecological Research .. 399 Cornelia Ohl and Scott M. Swinton 28 Ecosystem Manipulation and Restoration on the Basis of Long-Term Conceptions ...... 411 Oliver Dilly, Seth Nii-Annang, Joachim Schrautzer, Peter Schwartze, Vera Breuer, Eva-Maria Pfeiffer, Werner Gerwin, Wolfgang Schaaf, Dirk Freese, Maik Veste, and Reinhard F. Hüttl x Contents

29 Exploratories for Large-Scale and Long-Term Functional Biodiversity Research ...... 429 Markus Fischer, Elisabeth K.V. Kalko, K. Eduard Linsenmair, Simone Pfeiffer, Daniel Prati, Ernst-Detlef Schulze, and Wolfgang W. Weisser

Part VIII Conclusions ...... 445 30 On the Way to an Integrative Long-Term Ecosystem Research – Milestones, Challenges, and some Conclusions ...... 447 Felix Müller, Cornelia Baessler, Mark Frenzel, Stefan Klotz, and Hendrik Schubert Index ...... 453 Contributors

Christian Aden Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Vechta, 49364 Vechta, Germany, [email protected] Jean Duclos Alegue Feugo Department of Ecosystems and Environmental Informatics, Brandenburg University of Technology, Konrad-Wachsmann-Allee 1, D-03046 Cottbus, Germany, [email protected] Sabine Augustin Eidgenössisches Departement für Umwelt, Verkehr, Energie und Kommunikation (UVEK) Bundesamt für Umwelt (BAFU) Abteilung Wald Worblentalstrasse 68, 3063 Ittigen, CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland, [email protected] Cornelia Baessler Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, 06120 Halle, Germany, [email protected] Dietmar Barkusky Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Str. 84, D-15374 Müncheberg, Germany, [email protected] Olaf Bastian Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Development (IOER), Weberplatz, 01217 Dresden, Germany, [email protected] Burkhard Beudert Bavarian Forest National Park, Freyunger Straße 2, 94481 Grafenau, Germany, [email protected] Heye Bogena Agrosphere Institute (ICG-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany, [email protected] Michael Bredemeier University of Göttingen, Forschungszentrum Waldökosysteme, Büsgenweg 2, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany Vera Breuer Ecology-Centre, Christian-Albrecht University, Kiel, Germany Christian Buschbaum Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Wadden Sea Station Sylt, Hafenstrasse 43, 25992 List/Sylt, Germany, [email protected] Ulrich Callies GKSS Research Centre, Geesthacht, Germany, [email protected]

xi xii Contributors

Jonathan Chipman Environmental Remote Sensing Center, Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1225 West Dayton St, Madison, WI 53706, USA Warren B. Cohen USDA Forest Service, Paciﬁc Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA Ralf Dannowski Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Str. 84, D-15374 Müncheberg, Germany, [email protected] Britta Diederichs Schleswig-Holstein Agency for Coastal Defence, National Park and Marine Conservation, Dep. 3: National Park and Marine Conservation, Schlossgarten 1, 25832 Tönning, Germany, [email protected] Oliver Dilly School of Integrated Climate System Sciences, Klima Campus, University of Hamburg, Grindelberg 5, 20144 Hamburg, Germany, [email protected] Walter Durka Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Enironmental Research – UFZ, Theodor- Lieser-Straße 4, 06120 Halle, Germany, [email protected] Brian D. Fath Biology Department, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252, USA; Dynamic Systems, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria, [email protected] Markus Fischer Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Maulbeerallee 1, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany; Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland, markus.ﬁ[email protected] Glyn Francis Crop and Food Research, Soil and Water Management, Gerald Street, Lincoln, New Zealand, [email protected] Otto Fränzle Ecology Centre, University of Kiel, Olshausenstrasse 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany Dirk Freese Research Centre for Landscape Development and Mining Landscapes, Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, Germany Mark Frenzel Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, 06120 Halle, Germany Veronika Gaube Institute of Social Ecology, Klagenfurt University, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria, [email protected] Werner Gerwin Research Centre for Landscape Development and Mining Landscapes, Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, Germany Albrecht Gnauck Department of Ecosystems and Environmental Informatics, Brandenburg University of Technology, Konrad-Wachsmann-Allee 1, D-03046 Cottbus, Germany, [email protected] James R. Gosz Department of Biology, University of Idaho, 709 S Deakin Ave, Moscow, ID 83843, USA, [email protected] Contributors xiii

Clemens M. Grünbühel Sustainable Ecosystems Division, Commonwealth Scientiﬁc and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Canberra, Australia, [email protected] Helmut Haberl Institute of Social Ecology, Klagenfurt University, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070, Vienna, Austria, [email protected] Marco Heurich Bavarian Forest National Park, Freyunger Straße 2, 94481 Grafenau, Germany, [email protected] Wilfried Hierold Institute of Soil Landscape Research, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, Eberswalder Straße 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany, [email protected] Patrick Hostert Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany, [email protected] Reinhard F. Hüttl Soil Protection and Re-cultivation, Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, Germany; Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany K. Bruce Jones U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA, USA, [email protected] Sven E. Jørgensen The Royal Danish School of Pharmacy, Section of Environmental Chemistry, Copenhagen, Denmark, [email protected] Elisabeth K.V. Kalko Department of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein Allee 11, D-89069 Ulm, Germany, [email protected] Rolf Karez Landesamt für Natur und Umwelt Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburger Chaussee 25, 24220 Flintbek, [email protected] Lukas Kleppin Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Vechta, 49364 Vechta, Germany, [email protected] Stefan Klotz Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, 06120 Halle, Germany Hartmut Koehler Centre for Environmental Research and Sustainable Technology (UFT), University of Bremen, Leobener Strasse, D-28359 Bremen, Germany, [email protected] Jan Köhler Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 301, 12587 Berlin, Germany, [email protected] Alexander Kohler Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Hohenheim, D-70593 Stuttgart, Germany, [email protected] Martijn Kos Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology and Preclinical Medicine, University Regensburg, D-93040, Regensburg, Germany, [email protected] Pavel Krám Department of Environmental Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry, Czech Geological Survey, Klarov 3, CZ-11821 Prague 1, Czech Republic, [email protected] xiv Contributors

Zdenka Krenováˇ Šumavá National Park and Protected Landscape Area, Sušicka 399, 34192 Kašperske Hory, Czech Republic, [email protected] Bai-Lian Larry Li CAU-UCR International Center for Ecology and Sustainability, University of California, Riverside, USA, [email protected] K. Eduard Linsenmair Theodor-Boveri-Institute for Biosciences, University of Wuerzburg (Biocenter), Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany, [email protected] Gunnar Lischeid Institute of Landscape Hydrology, Leibniz Centre for Agricultutral Landscape Research, Eberswalder Straße 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany, [email protected] Petru Lisivieveci Department of Systems Ecology and Sustainability (DSES), University of Bucharest, Spl. Independentei 91-95, Sector 5, Bucharest, Romania, [email protected] Martina Loebl Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada, [email protected] Vera Luthardt Department of Landscape Management and Nature Conservation, Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung (FH) Eberswalde, University of Applied Sciences Eberswalde, Friedrich- Ebertstr. 28, 16225 Eberswalde, Germany, [email protected] Bernhard Luther Brandenburg University of Technology, Erich-Weinert-Straße 1, D-03046 Cottbus, Germany, [email protected] Julia Lutz Institute of Social Ecology, Klagenfurt University, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria, [email protected] John J. Magnuson Centre for Limnology, University of Wisconsin, 680 N Park St, Madison, WI 53706, USA, [email protected] Bryan F.J. Manly Western Ecosystems Technology, Laramie, WY, USA, [email protected] Peter Martens Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Wadden Sea Station Sylt, Hafenstrasse 43, 25992 List/Sylt, Germany, [email protected] Robin Matthews Integrated Land Use Systems Group, Macaulay Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, UK, [email protected] Viesturs Melecis Institute of Biology, University of Latvia, Miera iela 3, LV-2169 Salaspils, Latvia, [email protected] Michael Mirtl Federal Environment Agency Austria (Umweltbundesamt), Spittelauer Lände 5, 1090 Wien, Austria, [email protected] Felix Müller Ecology Centre, University of Kiel, Olshausenstraße 75, D-24118 Kiel, Germany, [email protected] Lothar Müller Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Str. 84, D-15374 Müncheberg, Germany, [email protected] Contributors xv

Seth Nii-Annang Soil Protection and Re-cultivation, Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, Germany Cornelia Ohl UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; German Emissions Trading Authority at the Federal Environment Agency, Bismarckplatz 1, 14193 Berlin, Germany, [email protected] Roland Pesch Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Vechta, 49364 Vechta, Germany, [email protected] Eva-Maria Pfeiffer Institute of Soil Sciences, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany Simone Pfeiffer Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Maulbeerallee 1, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany, [email protected] Peter Poschlod Institute of Botany, University Regensburg, D-93040, Regensburg, Germany, [email protected] Daniel Prati Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Maulbeerallee 1, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany; Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland, [email protected] Heinrich Rall Bavarian Forest National Park, Freyunger Straße 2, 94481 Grafenau, Germany, [email protected] Karsten Reise Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Wadden Sea Station Sylt, Hafenstrasse 43, 25992 List/Sylt, Germany, [email protected] Stephanie Roauer Institute of Botany,University Regensburg, D-93040, Regensburg, Germany, [email protected] Matthias Röder Landeshauptstadt Dresden, Postfach 12 00 20, D-01001 Dresden, Germany, [email protected] Wolfgang Schaaf Soil Protection and Re-cultivation, Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, Germany Claus-G. Schimming Ökologie-Zentrum der Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany, [email protected] Uwe Schindler Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Str. 84, D-15374 Müncheberg, Germany, [email protected] Gunther Schmidt Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Vechta, PO Box 1553, 49364 Vechta, Germany, [email protected] Joachim Schrautzer Ecology-Centre, Christian-Albrecht University, Kiel, Germany Winfried Schröder Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Vechta, 49364 Vechta, Germany, [email protected] Hendrik Schubert Institute of Biosciences, University of Rostock, Albert-Einsteinstr. 3, D-18055 Rostock, Germany, [email protected] Ernst-Detlef Schulze Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knoell-Str.10, D-07745 Jena, Germany, [email protected] xvi Contributors

Peter Schwartze Biological Station of the District Steinfurt, 49545 Tecklenburg, Germany Andreas Seemann Institute of Botany, University Regensburg, D-93040, Regensburg, Germany, [email protected] Kevin G. Sellner Chesapeake Research Consortium, Inc. , 645 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA, [email protected] Simron J. Singh Institute of Social Ecology, Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Klagenfurt University, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria, [email protected] Karina Stockmann GKSS Research Centre, Geesthacht, Germany, [email protected] Frederick Swayne USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA Scott M. Swinton Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1039, USA, [email protected] Ralf-Uwe Syrbe Centre for Landscape Research, Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Development Weberplatz 1, 01217 Dresden, Germany, [email protected] Filipa Tavares Rua da Saudade lte 614, 2840 Seixal, Portugal Angheluta Vadineanu Department of Systems Ecology and Sustainability (DSES), University of Bucharest, Spl. Independentei 91-95, Sector 5, Bucharest, Romania, [email protected] Justus E.E. van Beusekom Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Wadden Sea Station Sylt, Hafenstrasse 43, 25992 List/Sylt, Germany, [email protected] Harry Vereecken Agrosphere Institute (ICG-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany, [email protected] Maik Veste Research Centre for Landscape Development and Mining Landscapes, Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, Germany Robert B. Waide US LTER Network Office, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA, [email protected] Norbert Wasmund Leibniz Institut for Baltic Sea Research, Seestr. 15, D-18119 Warnemünde, Germany, [email protected] Wolfgang W. Weisser Institute of Ecology, University of Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, D-07743 Jena, Germany, [email protected] Jake F. Weltzin U.S. Geological Survey and USA National Phenology Network, National Coordinating Office, 1955 East 6th Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; [email protected] Karl-Otto Wenkel Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, Eberswalder Straße 84, D-15374 Müncheberg, Germany Contributors xvii

Christina Weyer Ecological Modelling, University of Bayreuth, Dr.-Hans-Frisch-Str. 1-3, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany, [email protected] Oliver Wiesmann Institute of Botany, University Regensburg, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany Martin Wildenberg Institute of Social Ecology, Klagenfurt University, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria, [email protected] Karen H. Wiltshire Biological Institute Helgoland, Helgoland, Germany, [email protected] Georg H. Zeltner Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology, University of Hohenheim, D-70593 Stuttgart, Germany, [email protected]