This is the homepage of the former DFG Research Unit "BEF-China" (FOR 891) which ended in 2017.
A new homepage for the BEF-China tree diversity experiment has been set up
Please visit: https://bef-china.com
The joint Chinese-German-Swiss research project “BEF-China” (FOR 891) integrated more than 15 German, Swiss, and Chinese universities and institutes into 13 collaborative subprojects. The project was funded over three phases from 2008-2017.
In 2009 and 2010, the BEF-China project established a large forest biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF) experiment at the subtropical forest site Xingangshan in Jiangxi Province, China. The BEF-China project is the first BEF forest experiment in the highly species-rich subtropics.
The present research concentrates on measuring ecosystem functions in the experimental plots, namely primary productivity, carbon and nitrogen storage, nutrient cycling, and prevention of soil erosion. The latter process is an ecosystem service which has until now never been studied in an experimental biodiversity manipulation, but has prominent importance in this region. An additional research focus will be interactions with other trophic levels and strata (herb layer, soil macrofauna, herbivores, decomposers, mycorrhiza, soil microorganisms). To meet these objectives, a wide range of scientists contribute to the BEF-China project, involving groups focusing on tree growth allometries, plant functional traits, plant-insect interactions, wood decomposition, phosphorus cycling and erosion potential.
