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

Halbritter, Aud H., De Boeck, Hans J., Eycott, Amy E., Reinsch, Sabine, Robinson, David A., Vicca, Sara, Berauer, Bernd, Christiansen, Casper T., Estiarte, Marc, Grunzweig, Jose M., Gya, Ragnhild, Hansen, Karin, Jentsch, Anke, Lee, Hanna, Linder, Sune, Marshall, John, Penuelas, Josep, Schmidt, Inger Kappel, Stuart-Haentjens, Ellen, Wilfahrt, Peter, Vandvik, Vigdis, Abrantes, Nelson, Almagro, Maria, Althuizen, Inge H. J., Barrio, Isabel C., te Beest, Mariska, Beier, Claus, Beil, Ilka, Berry, Z. Carter, Birkemoe, Tone, Bjerke, Jarle W., Blonder, Benjamin, Blume-Werry, Gesche, Bohrer, Gil, Campos, Isabel, Cernusak, Lucas A., Chojnicki, Bogdan H., Cosby, Bernhard J., Dickman, Lee T., Djukic, Ika, Filella, Iolanda, Fuchslueger, Lucia, Gargallo-Garriga, Albert, Gillespie, Mark A. K., Goldsmith, Gregory R., Gough, Christopher, Halliday, Fletcher W., Hegland, Stein Joar, Hoch, Guenter, Holub, Petr, Jaroszynska, Francesca, Johnson, Daniel M., Jones, Scott B., Kardol, Paul, Keizer, Jan J., Klem, Karel, Konestabo, Heidi S., Kreyling, Juergen, Kroel-Dulay, Gyorgy, Landhausser, Simon M., Larsen, Klaus S., Leblans, Niki, Lebron, Inma, Lehmann, Marco M., Lembrechts, Jonas J., Lenz, Armando, Linstaedter, Anja, Llusia, Joan, Macias-Fauria, Marc, Malyshev, Andrey, Mand, Pille, Marshall, Miles, Matheny, Ashley M., McDowell, Nate, Meier, Ina C., Meinzer, Frederick C., Michaletz, Sean T., Miller, Megan L., Muffler, Lena, Oravec, Michal, Ostonen, Ivika, Porcar-Castell, Albert, Preece, Catherine, Prentice, Iain C., Radujkovic, Dajana, Ravolainen, Virve, Ribbons, Relena, Ruppert, Jan C., Sack, Lawren, Sardans, Jordi, Schindlbacher, Andreas, Scoffoni, Christine, Sigurdsson, Bjarni D., Smart, Simon, Smith, Stuart W., Soper, Fiona, Speed, James D. M., Sverdrup-Thygeson, Anne, Sydenham, Markus A. K., Taghizadeh-Toosi, Arezoo, Telford, Richard J., Tielboerger, Katja, Topper, Joachim P., Urban, Otmar, van der Ploeg, Martine, Van Langenhove, Leandro, Vecerova, Kristyna, Ven, Arne, Verbruggen, Erik, Vik, Unni, Weigel, Robert, Wohlgemuth, Thomas, Wood, Lauren K., Zinnert, Julie, and Zurba, Kamal (2020) The handbook for standardized field and laboratory measurements in terrestrial climate change experiments and observational studies (ClimEx). Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 11 (1). pp. 22-37.

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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.

Item ID: 62261
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 2041-210X
Keywords: best practice, coordinated experiments, data management and documentation, ecosystem, experimental macroecology, methodology, open science, vegetation
Copyright Information: © 2019 The Authors. Methods in Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Funders: ClimMani COST Action (2014‐2018)
Projects and Grants: Grant Award Number: ES1308
Date Deposited: 12 Feb 2020 07:39
FoR Codes: 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4101 Climate change impacts and adaptation > 410102 Ecological impacts of climate change and ecological adaptation @ 100%
SEO Codes: 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9608 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity > 960806 Forest and Woodlands Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity @ 100%
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