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Research

Our research focuses on the impacts of environmental changes, such as climate change and changes in land use, on ecosystems of the Tyrolean Alps. All three priority research themes
- Processoriented Ecosystem Research
- Biodiversity and Nature Conservation
- Socio Ecological Research
identified by the recently published White Paper „Next generation LTER“ in Austria (Mirtl et al. 2010) should and will likely be key elements of future process-oriented ecosystem research activities in the TA, including (1) regulation of primary production, removal and accumulation of dead organic material in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, taking particular account for the problem posed by greenhouse gases, (2) recycling and transformation of carbon and other nutrients in natural and disturbed ecosystems, and (3) impact of spatial-temporal patterns and the intensity of disturbances (including weather extremes) upon the stability of ecosystems.