Intensive Study Sites

Intensive Study Sites (ISS) are large scale ecosystem plots (a few thousands of hectares) where trees and selected associated species are mapped, genotyped and phenotyped. The sites comprise entire portions of landscapes (agricultural land and woodlands) where trees are present in different configurations (from single trees to edges and woods).

Five ISSs covering boreal, temperate, mediterranean, alpine and riparian ecosystems, as well as one fully untouched ecosystem and one intensively managed site, have been selected in order to generate a data set on the impact of environmental changes on natural ecosystems distributed over Europe.

Intensive Study Sites (ISS) are large scale ecosystem plots (a few thousands of hectares) where trees and selected associated species are mapped, genotyped and phenotyped. The sites comprise entire portions of landscapes (agricultural land and woodlands) where trees are present in different configurations (from single trees to edges and woods).

Five ISSs covering boreal, temperate, mediterranean, alpine and riparian ecosystems, as well as one fully untouched ecosystem and one intensively managed site, have been selected in order to generate a data set on the impact of environmental changes on natural ecosystems distributed over Europe.

Objectives & Challenges

 Objectives

• Set up of an european network of sites for long term research on the evolution of biodiversity at different hierarchical levels (from genes to phenotypes, from populations to community)
• Assess the spatial structure of biodiversity at various scales and at different hierarchical levels
• Monitor the population dynamics through demographic and genetic approaches, in trees and their associated species, over different spatial scales
• Monitor the interaction between species (trees, other plants, vertebrates, insects and microorganism)
• Provide a large-scale support for training, education and dissemination acitivities

Challenges

• ISS are large scale infrastructures, researchers are more used to local scale plots
• Each ISS combines intrinsic value and complementarity with other ISSs
• Each ISS effectively achieves integration among partners
• Each ISS is a long term infrastructure, beyond short term financial support
• ISS serve multiple scientific objectives

Info Material

Intensive Study Sites (ISS) are large scale ecosystem plots (a few thousands of hectares) where trees and selected associated species are mapped, genotyped and phenotyped.

Further information can be found here:

 Letter from the ISS Coordinator

 ISS Leaflet

 EVOLTREE ISS Agreement

Working in an ISS

Working in an ISS

If you would like to work in an ISS, it is required to liaise with the corresponding ISS contact person. For this:

• Fill in the pre-project protocol for planning activities in the ISS ( download)
• Send the form to the appropriate ISS contact person (further information here)

 

Links

 

List of ISS

Six ISSs covering boreal, temperate, mediterranean, alpine and riparian ecosystems, as well as one fully untouched ecosystem and one intensively managed site, have been selected in Europe.

Read more...

 

Research Activities

Several projects and research activities have already been conducted in the ISS.

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ISS Information System

The ISS information system allows data to be described and shared among Evoltree partners. For each ISS, one partner is responsible for the development, maintenance and update of a comprehensive database linked to this system.

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