Often when we characterize plant growth and development, we focus on the above-ground, but less-so on the below-ground. Here we focus on the important heathland ecosystems of Norway, and we take a dive below to better understand how these communities are utilizing resources such as water and nutrients below-ground. We have several possible projects, including:
- Do the habitat type and climate have an effect on the below ground carbon stocks (Loss on ignition) and/or does the standing root biomass (amount in the soil) differ?
- What soil types dwarf-shrub communities like to grow in across open and forested heathland systems in Norway (e.g. sand/silt/clay or Carbon and Nitrogen content)?
For more information, contact Sonya Geange at Sonya.Geange@uib.no, Kristine Birkeli at Kristine.Berkeli@uib.no, Mika Kirkhus at Mika.Kirkhus@uib.no and Jeanne Rezsöhazy at jeanne.rezsohazy@uib.no
Also visit the DURIN webpage!
These projects will involve working with sampled soil cores at different depths from across heathland communities in Norway as part of the DURIN project. Opportunities for fieldwork in early autumn may exist as well.
Depending on the project, the lab work could include:
- Sorting roots from the soil and weighing root biomass before measuring loss on ignition
- Opportunities for further assessing root traits with a scanner and image analysis.
- Calculating silt, sand and clay concentrations.