The handbook for standardised field and laboratory measurements in terrestrial climate‐change experiments and observational studies (ClimEx)

Aud H. Halbritter, Hans J De Boeck, Amy E. Eycott, Sabine Reinsch, David A. Robinson, Sara Vicca, Bernd Berauer, Casper T. Christiansen, Marc Estiarte, José M. Grünzweig, Ragnhild Gya, Karin Hansen, Anke Jentsch, Hanna Lee, Sune Linder, John Marshall, Josep Peñuelas, Inger Kappel Schmidt, Ellen Stuart‐Haëntjens, Peter WilfahrtVigdis Vandvik, Nelson Abrantes, María Almagro, Inge H.J. Althuizen, Isabel C. Barrio, Mariska te Beest, Claus Beier, Ilka Beil, Z. Carter Berry, Tone Birkemoe, Jarle W. Bjerke, Benjamin Blonder, Gesche Blume‐Werry, Gil Bohrer, Isabel Campos, Lucas A. Cernusak, Bogdan H. Chojnicki, Bernhard J. Cosby, Lee T. Dickman, Ika Djukic, Iolanda Filella, Lucia Fuchslueger, Albert Gargallo‐Garriga, Mark A.K. Gillespie, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Christopher Gough, Fletcher W. Halliday, Stein Joar Hegland, Günter Hoch, Petr Holub, Francesca Jaroszynska, Daniel M. Johnson, Scott B. Jones, Paul Kardol, Jan J. Keizer, Karel Klem, Heidi S. Konestabo, Jürgen Kreyling, György Kröel‐Dulay, Simon M. Landhäusser, Klaus S. Larsen, Niki Leblans, Inma Lebron, Marco M. Lehmann, Jonas J. Lembrechts, Armando Lenz, Anja Linstädter, Joan Llusià, Marc Macias‐Fauria, Andrey V. Malyshev, Pille Mänd, Miles Marshall, Ashley M. Matheny, Nate McDowell, Ina C. Meier, Frederick C. Meinzer, Sean T. Michaletz, Megan L. Miller, Lena Muffler, Michal Oravec, Ivika Ostonen, Albert Porcar‐Castell, Catherine Preece, Iain C. Prentice, Dajana Radujković, Virve Ravolainen, Relena Ribbons, Jan C. Ruppert, Lawren Sack, Jordi Sardans, Andreas Schindlbacher, Christine Scoffoni, Bjarni D. Sigurdsson, Simon Smart, Stuart W. Smith, Fiona Soper, James D.M. Speed, Anne Sverdrup‐Thygeson, Markus A.K. Sydenham, Arezoo Taghizadeh‐Toosi, Richard J. Telford, Katja Tielbörger, Joachim P. Töpper, Otmar Urban, Martine van der Ploeg, Leandro Van Langenhove, Kristýna Večeřová, Arne Ven, Erik Verbruggen, Unni Vik, Robert Weigel, Thomas Wohlgemuth, Lauren K. Wood, Julie Zinnert, Kamal Zurba

21 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Climate change is a world-wide threat to biodiversity and ecosystem structure, functioning and services. To understand the underlying drivers and mechanisms, and to predict the consequences for nature and people, we urgently need better understanding of the direction and magnitude of climate change impacts across the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum. An increasing number of climate change studies are creating new opportunities for meaningful and high-quality generalizations and improved process understanding. However, significant challenges exist related to data availability and/or compatibility across studies, compromising opportunities for data re-use, synthesis and upscaling. Many of these challenges relate to a lack of an established ‘best practice’ for measuring key impacts and responses. This restrains our current understanding of complex processes and mechanisms in terrestrial ecosystems related to climate change. To overcome these challenges, we collected best-practice methods emerging from major ecological research networks and experiments, as synthesized by 115 experts from across a wide range of scientific disciplines. Our handbook contains guidance on the selection of response variables for different purposes, protocols for standardized measurements of 66 such response variables and advice on data management. Specifically, we recommend a minimum subset of variables that should be collected in all climate change studies to allow data re-use and synthesis, and give guidance on additional variables critical for different types of synthesis and upscaling. The goal of this community effort is to facilitate awareness of the importance and broader application of standardized methods to promote data re-use, availability, compatibility and transparency. We envision improved research practices that will increase returns on investments in individual research projects, facilitate second-order research outputs and create opportunities for collaboration across scientific communities. Ultimately, this should significantly improve the quality and impact of the science, which is required to fulfil society's needs in a changing world.

Original languageEnglish
JournalMethods in Ecology and Evolution
Number of pages40
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2020

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