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Activities
The projects will be completed in three years. The activities involve soil sampling, relocating monoliths, field measurements, ecotron measurements, and lab analyses.
Experimental design of the project, showing the different work-packages that make it up (WP1-8)
July 12Th, 2022
July 12Th, 2022
The transplantation day has arrived!
A large group of people has barely worked for two days.
To simulate climate change, five replicates of soil monolith samples were collected and transplanted from the upper site (site 1) to a lower altitude (site 2)....
Other samples were taken from site 1 and transplanted at the same site. They will be transferred the year after, once the stress of harvest has been overcome, to the Ecotron at Montpellier (France).
Along the path, activities abound!
Soil samples transplanted from site 1 to site 2
Gianmarco Mugnai and Olga Gavrichkova
Pietro Buzzini and Luigi Borruso, colleagues and friends
Leonardo Montagnani and Fabiana Canini
Sampling sites: site 1 on the right upper side, site 2 on the lower left side.
July 14th, 2022
July 14th, 2022
Just two days after the transplant, a field survey was conducted to check on the health of the plants.
They appeared in good health!
Gas exchange measurements and phenology survey at site 1 (2500 m asl)
September 12th, 2022
September 12th, 2022
In mid-September 2022, the CO2 fluxes were measured in the established plots at the site 1, at 2500 m. The researchers took an advantage of the final days of summer before the arrival of the snow. The objective was to assess the alpine ecosystem's ability to sequester CO2 at an advanced stage of senescence.
In parallel, an evaluation of the diversity of plant species and their phenoligical state was perfomed.
The same measurements were also taken at the site 2, at 1500 m, where the soil-vegetation monoliths had been moved in July from an altitude of 2500 m in order to expose areas of the alpine ecosystem to a rise in temperature consistent with future climate predictions.
Phenology survey at site 2 (1500 m asl)
Gas exchange analyzer to measure CO2 fluxes between the ecosystem and the atmosphere.
October 1st 2022
October 1st 2022
Last survey before the wintertime. Our plots are covered by snow!
JUNE 17th, 2022
JUNE 17th, 2022
A post-winter survey. Plots at the lower site are in good conditions. Some plots at the higher site are still snow-covered, while others are snow-free. Some preliminary data on soil respiration activity have been collected.
Olga is monitoring the health of the plots at the lower site
The upper site: some plots are snow-free, some others are still snow-covered
Federica and Luigi measuring soil respiration
Federica and Olga measuring soil respiration
JULY-AUGUST, 2023
JULY-AUGUST, 2023
It was a period teeming with engaging fieldwork endeavors!
Soil monoliths containing native plants, collected at high altitudes (2,500 m a.s.l.), were transplanted to a lower altitude (1,500 m a.s.l.).
Photosynthesis and soil respiration were monitored concurrently at the two elevations by automated clear and opaque closed dynamic chambers.
Monoliths from the same elevated site found new homes at the renowned Ecotron facility in Montpellier, France. Here, they face two distinct future climate change scenarios: higher temperature and heightened CO2 levels.
Soil samples are collected each 20 days and preserved under cold conditions for further analyses.
Our indebtedness to our two remarkable donkey companions cannot be understated, as they played a pivotal role in the successful execution of numerous activities!
SEPTEMBER 16th, 2023
SEPTEMBER 16th, 2023
For this year, field activities conclude with the removal of equipment from the high-altitude site, while ex-situ activities continue at the CNR Ecotrons in Montpellier.
October 4th, 2023
October 4th, 2023
Montpellier, CNRS Ecotron
The soil core sampling activities within the microcosms continue for the study of the functional composition of microbial communities.
October 26th, 2023
October 26th, 2023
Our experiment on the ex-situ simulation of climate changes has concluded. Our monoliths have been retrieved, and the Montpellier center's mesocosms have been vacated. We are now eager to analyze our samples!
A detail of the aboveground vegetation of our monoliths
A detail of the aboveground vegetation of our monoliths
DECEMBER 1st, 2023
DECEMBER 1st, 2023
Greetings from the splendid Villa Paolina! 🏰✨
We recently gathered to review ongoing activities and chart the course for upcoming analyses. The meeting took place in the enchanting premises of Villa Paolina, organized by the Porano (Terni) team of the National Research Council.
The magnificent rooms of Villa Paolina provided a backdrop for a fruitful exchange of ideas, fostering constructive dialogue among all participants. We examined and shared the initial results of field measurements, outlining the analyses and the schedule for the coming months.
Stay tuned for further updates!
MAy 30th, 2024
MAy 30th, 2024
Field activities are back in full swing! The first survey of our plots after the winter season aims to monitor plant health and install transparent and opaque dynamic chambers to measure plant activity
JULY 23rd, 2024
JULY 23rd, 2024
For the second year of the experiment, we conducted soil microbiological sampling in the established plots at both sites. In addition, our researchers continue to monitor the vegetation and its phenological status at both locations.
We measured the rates of photosynthesis and soil respiration at the two different altitudes using closed, transparent and opaque dynamic chambers.
JULY 14th, 2025
JULY 14th, 2025
Last sampling activities in both higher and lower sites before the dismantling of the plots.
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