Multi-Site Research

Multi-Site Research

With partners across Europe, Alternet is uniquely equipped to support international biodiversity and ecosystem research capacity. The MSR (Multi-Site Research) initiative, a flagship activity of Alternet, supports innovative projects that take full advantage of our pan-European range of research sites and diverse infrastructure.

The MSR initiative invites research projects on fundamental ecological questions and socio-ecological issues. Potential subjects range from ecosystem functioning to eco-political issues, and research techniques (from field surveys and lab analysis to interviews and citizen science) are welcome. With Alternet’s wide-spanning distribution of partners, MSR projects may include the majority of bio-geographical and socio-economic regions in Europe.

MSR projects

2018-2021

Multi-Lake Research of Fish Ecology and Management using High-Resolution 3D Telemetry Systems
Lead Partner
  • BC-CAS
Participating Alternet Partners
  • BC-CAS, IGB, INRAE, NINA, SLU
Outputs

2018-2020

Roadmap for a European multi-site Wildlife Research Infrastructure using camera traps
Lead Partner
  • INBO
Participating Alternet Partners
  • INBO, NINA, JHI, SLU, WENR

2016-2018

The advantage of teatime at your home field
Lead partner
  • SLU
Participating Alternet partners
  • SLU, SYKE, UFZ, ILE-SAS, CREAF
Status: complete

 

Outputs
  • Report to be uploaded on ALTER-Net website soon. In addition two articles from this work are planned; one on the microbiology on the tea, and one where they will combine all the data.

2014-2016

The impact of dung beetle assemblages on dung and seed disperal
Lead partner
  • SLU
Participating Alternet partners
  • INBO, IAES, UFZ, Unibuc, MTA-OK, CEH, Irstea
Status: complete

 

Outputs
  • Milotić, T., Quidé, S., Van Loo, T., Hoffmann, M.  (2017). Linking functional group richness and ecosystem functions of dung beetles: an experimental quantification. Oecologia 183(1), 177-190. doi:10.1007/s00442-016-3756-5
  • Elham Omidezadeh Ardali, Pejman Tahmasebi, Dries Bonte, Tanja Milotić, Iraj Rahimi Pordanjani, Maurice Hoffmann (2016). Ecological Sustainability in Rangelands: The Contribution of Dung Beetles in Secondary Seed Dispersal (Case study: Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran). European Journal of Sustainable Development 5, 3, 133-139. DOI: 10.14207/ejsd.2016.v5n3p133
  • Milotić T, Baltzinger C, Eichberg C, et al. Functionally richer communities improve ecosystem functioning: Dung removal and secondary seed dispersal by
    dung beetles in the Western Palaearctic. J Biogeogr. 2018;00:1–13. DOI:10.1111/jbi.13452

2009-2012

The impact of nutrients and climate on litter decomposition
Lead partner
  • UFZ
Participating Alternet partners
  • UFZ, EAA, CEH, SLU, NINA, ILE-SAS, UNIBUC, SYKE, Irstea, MTA-OK
Status: complete

 

Outputs

2006-2009

The effects of trampling on plant assemblages
Lead partner
  • UFZ
Participating Alternet partners
  • UFZ, INBO, EAA, SLU, ILE-SAS, UFZ, UNIBUC, SYKE, CEH
Status: complete

 

Outputs
  • Bernhardt-Römermann, M., Gray, A., Vanbergen, A.J., Bergès, L., Bohner, A., Brooker, R.W., De Bruyn, L., De Cinti, B., Dirnböck, T., Grandin, U., et al. 2011. Functional traits and local environment predict vegetation responses to disturbance: a pan-European multi-site experiment. Journal of Ecology. 99:777-787. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2011.01794.x
  • Read full report