IDENT (Canada, USA, Germany, Italy, Ethiopia)

The International Diversity Experiment Network with Trees (IDENT) is a network of Biodiversity - Ecosystem Functioning (BEF) experiments in North America, Europe, and Africa. The main characteristics of IDENT within TreeDivNet are the focus on the early years of tree development, the role of functional diversity, and BEF relationships over stress gradients. The experiment consists of eight sites: six in temperate ecoregions, one in a Mediterranean region, and one in a tropical region. In total, 2241 plots have been planted with native as well as exotic tree species. At four of the sites, the impacts of water availability and nutrient addition are studied as well.
Application trials linked to this experiment are: Bessonne, Lac-aux-Brochets, and Lyster (Canada).

map with the seven sites of IDENT
The eight sites of the IDENT experiment

aerial view of the Sault-Ste-Marie site (2019)
Aerial view of the Sault-Ste-Marie site (2019)


Design
Two gradients are established, i.e., a species richness (SR) gradient and a functional diversity (FD) gradient, in order to allow separating the two different diversity effects. The FD gradient consists of species combinations of equal SR but different FD. To enable isolating the effect of FD, as opposed to the impact of the presence/absence of specific species or traits, the FD levels are repeated using different species compositions and are pooled in groups of similar FD value.

SR and FD ranges
Schematic representation of the species richness (SR) and functional diversity (FD) gradients studied in IDENT. Monocultures of all species are always present. Smaller squares behind larger ones indicate replications of the same FD level with different species combinations. The sites may differ in the length of the gradients, and the number of replications within gradients.


On different sites, IDENT also includes additional experimental treatments that are related to the link between climate change, stress gradients and forest resilience, and the interactions between native and exotic species. Water availability is manipulated through irrigation or partial removal of rainfall at two of the sites. Nets are used for the shading treatment at the Ethiopia site. Six congeneric pairs of North American and European tree species are planted at four of the sites. The fertilization treatment (1 site) consists of N addition, P addition, and N+P addition. The extra treatments are implemented by doubling the replication of a given FD gradient over a constant SR level to accommodate both a control and a manipulated treatment.

irrigation treatment rain removal
Irrigation and rain removal equipment at the Sault-Ste-Marie site (2016, 2019)

shading treatment
Equipment for the shading treatment at the Ethiopia site (2020)


As the focus in IDENT is on the early successional stage of stand development, the trees are planted in high density, i.e., 40 to 60 cm apart, to accelerate species interactions. In most cases, square plots contain 7 x 7 or 8 x 8 trees. At each site, the plots are positioned randomly in a block.



Site characteristics

site Montreal Auclair Cloquet Sault-Ste-Marie Freiburg FAB
country Canada Canada USA Canada Germany USA
former land use high-input agriculture low-input abandoned agriculture forest low-input abandoned agriculture grassland pasture low-input abandoned fields
altitude (m) 39 333 383 210 278 279
soil type sandy loam sandy loam sandy loam sandy sandy
area (ha) 0.53 0.34 0.34 1.0 1.1 0.28
no of plots 216 192 192 184 408 140
plot size (m2) 16 10.24 10.24 10.24 12.96 20.25
no of trees planted 13 824 9408 9408 9016 19 992 8960
planting date 2009 2010 2010 2013 2013 2013
diversity variables SR, FD SR, FD SR, FD SR, FD, PD SR, FD, PD SR, FD, PD
- SR levels 1,2,4,12 1,2,6 1,2,6 1,2,4,6 1,2,4,6 1,2,5,12
- FD levels 8 3 3 3 3 4
- PD angiosperm/
coniferous
28 levels
treatments native/exotic native/exotic native/exotic water native/exotic
fertilization
size species pool 19 12 12 6 12 12
species pool Abies balsamea, Acer platanoides, A. rubrum, A. saccharum, Betula alleghaniensis, B. papyrifera, Larix decidua, L. laricina, Picea abies, P. glauca, P. omorika, P. rubens, Pinus resinosa, P. strobus, P. sylvestris, Quercus robur, Q. rubra, Tilia cordata, Thuja occidentalis Acer platanoides, A. saccharum, Betula papyrifera, B. pendula, Larix decidua, L. laricina, Picea abies, P. glauca, Pinus strobus, P. sylvestris, Quercus robur, Q. rubra Acer saccharum, Betula papyrifera, Larix laricina, Picea glauca, Pinus strobus, Quercus rubra Acer platanoides, A. saccharum, Betula papyrifera, B. pendula, Larix decidua, L. laricina, Picea abies, P. glauca, Pinus strobus, P. sylvestris, Quercus robur, Q. rubra Acer negundo, Acer rubrum, Betula papyrifera, Juniperus virginiana, Pinus banksiana, Pinus resinosa, Pinus strobus, Quercus alba, Quercus ellipsoidalis, Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus rubra, Tilia americana



site Macomer Ethiopia Outaouais
country Italy Ethiopia Canada
former land use tree nursery, unused for 5 years cropland Old experimental plot with shrubs, grasses and trees
altitude (m) 615 2200 175
soil type silt loam Vertisol (FAO system) Sandy loam
area (ha) 0.6 0.9 0.6
no of plots 308 270 316
plot size (m2) 10.24 32.49 108 plots of 12.25 and 208 of 16
no of trees planted 19 712 17 280 15788 (2020) - 1536 (2021) 1280 (2022)
planting date 2014 2019 2020-2021-2022
diversity variables SR, FD, PD SR, FD SR, FD, PD
- SR levels 1,2,4,6 1,2,4 1,2,3,4
- FD levels 3 3 4
- PD evergreen/
deciduous
angiosperm/
coniferous
treatments water Shading (nets) continuous water stress vs high water stress every 2 years, vertical/horizontal spatial heterogeneity
size species pool 12 9 6
species pool Acer monspessulanum, Arbutus unedo, Fraxinus ornus, Olea europea, Phillyrea latifolia, Pinus halepensis, P. pinaster, P. pinea, Pistacia lentiscus, Quercus ilex, Q. pubescens, Q. suber Acacia abyssinica, Afrocarpus falcatus, Cordia africana, Dodonaea angustifolia, Dovyalis abyssinica, Faidherbia albida, Juniperus procera, Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata, Ziziphus spina-christi Acer saccharum, Quercus rubra, Betula alleghaniensis, Picea glauca, Pinus resinosa, Larix laricina


The site established in Macomer, Italy, was established and is maintained with the much welcomed help and support of the "Sant'Antonio Forest nursery in Macomer-Ente Foreste della Sardegna".



Research

The four research foci are relevant measures of diversity, underlying mechanisms and scale dependency, importance of trophic interactions, and BEF effects over environmental gradients. The experiment wants to answer the following questions: (1) How do the different components of diversity, i.e., species richness and functional diversity, contribute to ecosystem functioning? (2) Which species and traits to choose for creating the desired functional diversity gradient? (3) Is complementarity the driving mechanism of overyielding in young tree communities? (4) How does neighbourhood diversity drive the realized FD and trait values? (5) At which spatial and temporal scales do complementarity effects occur? (6) How can we test for trophic-mediated complementarity? (7) How do environmental conditions influence species interactions?



Outreach

IDENT also invests in public education on the importance of trees and biodiversity. Therefore, IDENT-Cité was created. IDENT-Cité serves as a link between the research done in TreeDivNet and people. For more info about IDENT-Cité, see the pdf.

design IDENT-Cité photo millionth tree
The IDENT-Cité plantation in Montreal. People walk along a gradient of diversity in a double spiral. Maximum diversity is reached at the center, where activities will be held and information panels installed. The millionth TreeDivNet tree, a Pinus parviflora, planted in IDENT-Cité



Extra information

Contact info
IDENT is a network within TreeDivNet, scientifically coordinated by Alain Paquette and Christian Messier. Each site has a local Principal Investigator, who coordinates the local research and maintenance.

Site Contact persons Affiliation
IDENT (general) Alain Paquette
Christian Messier
Centre for Forest Research
Université du Québec à Montréal
P.O. Box 8888, Centre-ville Station
Montreal, QC H3C 3P8 Canada
Auclair Dominique Gravel Département de biologie
Université du Québec à Rimouski
300, Allée des Ursulines
Rimouski, Qc, G5L 3A1 Canada
Cloquet Peter Reich Department of Forest Resources
University of Minnesota
St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Ethiopia Bart Muys
Emiru Birhane
Forest Nature and Landscape, KU Leuven
https://ees.kuleuven.be/fnl/
Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, Mekelle University
http://www.mu.edu.et/
FAB Jeannine Cavender-Bares
Rebecca Montgomery
University of Minnesota
Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior; Department of Forest Resources
St. Paul
MN 55108, USA
Freiburg Michael Scherer-Lorenzen
Friderike Beyer
Jürgen Bauhus
Peter Hajek
University of Freiburg
Chair of Geobotany
Schaenzlestr. 1
79104 Freiburg, Germany
Outaouais Christian Messier
Benoit Gendreau-Berthiaume
Centre for Forest Research
Université du Québec à Montréal
P.O. Box 8888, Centre-ville Station
Montreal, QC H3C 3P8 Canada
ISFORT (Institut des Sciences de la forêt tempérée),
58 rue Principale, Ripon, Qc, J0V 1V0, Canada
www.isfort.uqo.ca
Macomer Simone Mereu Department of Science for Nature and Environmental Resources
University of Sassari
Via Enrico de Nicola, 9
07100-Sassari, Italy
Montreal Alain Paquette
Christian Messier
Centre for Forest Research
Université du Québec à Montréal
P.O. Box 8888, Centre-ville Station
Montreal, QC H3C 3P8 Canada
Sault-Ste-Marie Bill Parker Ontario Forest Research Institute
1235 Queen St. E.
Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada


Publications
theses

  • Kovach, K (2021) Measurements of canopy properties to reveal biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships in tree diversity experiments using UAV remote sensing. PhD thesis, University of Freiburg
  • Kothari S (2020) Blinded by the Light: The Functional Ecology of Plant-Light Interactions. PhD Thesis, University of Minnesota
  • Grossman J (2018) Consequences of Biodiversity in Tree Diversity Experiments. PhD Thesis, University of Minnesota
  • Van de Peer T (2018) Effects of tree species diversity on early-stage forest dynamics. PhD thesis, KU Leuven
  • Williams L (2018) Scaling the effects of interactions among plants from individuals to ecosystems in experimental tree communities. PhD Thesis, University of Minnesota
  • Khlifa R (2016) Effets de la diversité des arbres sur le fonctionnement de l'écosystème dans deux plantations de forêts tempérées. PhD thesis, Université Laval
  • Garbe CM (2013) Tree functional traits. Understanding their variation - from intraspecific plasticity to the effects of trait diversity on ecosystem functioning. PhD thesis, UQAM
papers
  • Urgoiti J, Messier C, Keeton WS, Belluau M, Paquette A (2023) Functional diversity and identity influence the self-thinning process in young forest communities. Journal of Ecology (Early View) - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14158
  • Berthelot S, Bauhus J, Dormann CF, Gravel D, Messier C, Nock CA, Paquette A, Reich PB, Fründ J (2023) Exotic tree species have consistently lower herbivore load in a cross-Atlantic tree biodiversity experiment. Ecology (e4070) - https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4070 /v1
  • Melis R, Morillas L, Roales J, Costa-Saura JM, Cascio ML, Spano D, Mereu S (pre-print) Functional traits related to competition for light influence tree diameter increments in a biodiversity manipulation experiment. Research Square - https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1841505/v1
  • Cesarz S, Craven D, Auge H, Bruelheide H, Castagneyrol B, Gutknecht J, Hector A, Jactel H, Koricheva J, Messier C, Muys B, Brien MJO, Paquette A, Ponette Q, Potvin C, Reich PB, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Smith AR, Verheyen K, Eisenhauer N (2022) Tree diversity effects on soil microbial biomass and respiration are context dependent across forest diversity experiments. Global Ecology and Biogeography 31:872-885 - https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13461
  • Hajek P, Link RM, Nock CA, Bauhus J, Gebauer T, Gessler A, Kovach K, Messier C, Paquette A, Saurer M, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Rose L, Schuldt B (2022) Mutually inclusive mechanisms of drought-induced tree mortality. Global Change Biology - https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16146
  • Martin-Guay M-O, Belluau M, Côté B, Handa IT, Jewell MD, Khlifa R, Munson AD, Rivest M, Whalen JK, Rivest D (2022) Tree identity and diversity directly affect soil moisture and temperature but not soil carbon ten years after planting. Ecology and Evolution 12(1): e8509 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8509
  • Maxwell TL, Fanin N, Parker WC, Bakker MR, Belleau A, Meredieu C, Augusto L, Munson AD (2022) Tree species identity drives nutrient use efficiency in young mixed-species plantations, at both high and low water availability. Functional Ecology - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14109
  • Schuster MJ, Williams LJ, Stefanski A, Bermudez R, Belluau M, Messier C, Paquette A, Gravel D, Reich PB (2022) Patterns of belowground overyielding and fine-root biomass in native and exotic angiosperms and gymnosperms. Oikos e08877 - https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.08877
  • Urgoiti J, Messier C, Keeton WS, Reich PB, Gravel D, Paquette A (2022) No complementarity no gain - Net diversity effects on tree productivity occur once complementarity emerges during early stand development. Ecology Letters 25(4): 851-862 - https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13959
  • Belluau M, Paquette A, Gravel D, Reich PB, Stefanski A, Messier C (2021) Exotics are more complementary over time in tree biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiments. Functional Ecology 00:1-12 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13900
  • Belluau M, Vitali V, Parker WC, Paquette A, Messier C (2021) Overyielding in young tree communities does not support the stress-gradient hypothesis and is favoured by functional diversity and higher water availability. Journal of Ecology - DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.13602
  • Berthelot S, Frühbrodt T, Hajek P, Nock CA, Dormann CF, Bauhus J, Fründ J (2021) Tree diversity reduces the risk of bark beetle infestation for preferred conifer species, but increases the risk for less preferred hosts. Journal of Ecology 109(7) 2649-2661 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13672
  • Kothari S, Montgomery RA, Cavender-Bares J (2021) Physiological responses to light explain competition and facilitation in a tree diversity experiment. Journal of Ecology 109:2000-2018 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13637
  • Messier C, Bauhus J, Sousa-Silva R, Auge H, Baeten L, Barsoum N, Bruelheide H, Caldwell B, Cavender-Bares J, Dhiedt E, Eisenhauer N, Ganade G, Gravel D, Guillemot J, Hall JS, Hector A, Hérault B, Jactel H, Koricheva J, Kreft H, Mereu S, Muys B, Nock CA, Paquette A, Parker JD, Perring MP, Ponette Q, Potvin C, Reich PB, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schnabel F, Verheyen K, Weih M, Wollni M, Zemp DC (2021) For the sake of resilience and multifunctionality, let's diversify planted forests! Conservation Letters e12829 - https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12829
  • Strukelj M, Parker W, Corcket E, Augusto L, Khlifa R, Jactel H, Munson AD (2021) Tree species richness and water availability interact to affect soil microbial processes. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 108180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108180
  • Kwon T, Shibata H, Kepfer-Rojas S, Schmidt IK, Larsen KS, Beier C, Berg B, Verheyen K, Lamarque J-F, Hagedorn F, Eisenhauer N, Djukic I, TeaCompositionNetwork (2021) Effects of climate and atmospheric nitrogen deposition on early to mid-term stage litter decomposition across biomes. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 4: 678480 - https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2021.678480
  • Williams LJ, Butler EE, Cavender-Bares J, Stefanski A, Rice KE, Messier C, Paquette A, Reich PB (2021) Enhanced light interception and light use efficiency explain overyielding in young tree communities. Ecology Letters 24(5): 996-1006 - https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13717
  • Grossman JJ, Cavender-Bares J, Hobbie SE (2020) Functional diversity of leaf litter mixtures slows decomposition of labile but not recalcitrant carbon over two years. Ecological Monographs 90:e01407 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1407
  • Poeydebat C, Jactel H, Moreira X, Koricheva J, Barsoum N, Bauhus J, Eisenhauer N, Ferlian O, Francisco M, Gottschall F, Gravel D, Mason B, Muiruri E, Muys B, Nock C, Paquette A, Ponette Q, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Stokes V, Staab M, Verheyen K, Castagneyrol B (2020) Climate affects neighbour-induced changes in leaf chemical defences and tree diversity-herbivory relationships. Functional Ecology - doi:10.1111/1365-2435.13700
  • Williams LJ, Cavender-Bares J, Townsend PA, Couture JJ, Wang Z, Stefanski A, Messier C, Reich PB (2020) Remote spectral detection of biodiversity effects on forest biomass. Nature Ecology & Evolution - doi:10.1038/s41559-020-01329-4
  • Williams LJ, Cavender-Bares J, Paquette A, Messier C, Reich PB (2020) Light mediates the relationship between community diversity and trait plasticity in functionally and phylogenetically diverse tree mixtures. Journal of Ecology 108(4): 1617-1634 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13346
  • Garau G, Morillas L, Roales J, Castaldi P, Mangia NP, Spano D, Mereu S (2019) Effect of monospecific and mixed Mediterranean tree plantations on soil microbial community and biochemical functioning. Applied Soil Ecology 140: 78-88 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2019.04.005
  • Grossman JJ, Butterfield AJ, Cavender-Bares J, Hobbie SE, Reich PB, Gutknecht J, Kennedy PG (2019) Non-symbiotic soil microbes are more strongly influenced by altered tree biodiversity than arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi during initial forest establishment. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 95(10) - https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiz134
  • Grossman JJ, Cavender-Bares J, Reich PB, Montgomery RA, Hobbie SE (2019) Neighborhood diversity simultaneously increased and decreased susceptibility to contrasting herbivores in an early stage forest diversity experiment. Journal of Ecology 107:1492-1505 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13097
  • Martin-Guay MO, Paquette A, Reich PB, Messier C (2019) Implications of contrasted above- and below-ground biomass responses in a diversity experiment with trees. Journal of Ecology 108(2): 405-414 - doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.13265
  • Archambault C, Paquette A, Messier C, Khlifa R, Munson AD, Handa I T (2019) Evergreenness influences fine root growth more than tree diversity in a common garden experiment. Oecologia 189: 1027-1039 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04373-5
  • Raymond-Léonard L J, Gravel D, Handa I T (2019) A novel set of traits to describe Collembola mouthparts: taking a bite out of the broad chewing mandible classification. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 138: 107608 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.107608
  • Rissanen K, Martin-Guay M-O, Riopel-Bouvier A-S, Paquette A (2019) Light interception in experimental forests affected by tree diversity and structural complexity of dominant canopy. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 278: 107655 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.107655
  • Rivest M, Whalen JK, Rivest D (2019) Tree diversity is not always a strong driver of soil microbial diversity: a 7-yr-old diversity experiment with trees. Ecosphere 10(4): e02685 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2685
  • Ruiz-González C, Archambault E, Laforest-Lapointe I, del Giorgio P A, Kembel S W, Messier C, Beisner B E (2018) Soils associated to different tree communities do not elicit predictable responses in lake bacterial community structure and function. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 94(8) - https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiy115
  • Raymond-Léonard L J, Gravel D, Reich P B, Handa I T (2018) Springtail community structure is influenced by functional traits but not biogeographic origin of leaf litter in soils of novel forest ecosystems. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285(1879) - https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.0647
  • Djukic I, Kepfer-Rojas S, Kappel Schmidt I, Steenberg Larsen K, Beier C, Berg B, Verheyen K, TeaComposition (2018) Early stage litter decomposition across biomes. Science of the Total Environment
  • Grossman JJ, Vanhellemont M, Barsoum N, Bauhus J, Bruelheide H, Castagneyrol B, Cavender-Bares J, Eisenhauer N, Ferlian O, Gravel D, Hector A, Jactel H, Kreft H, Mereu S, Messier C, Muys B, Nock C, Paquette A, Parker J, Perring MP, Ponette Q, Reich PB, Schuldt A, Staab M, Weih M, Zemp DC, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Verheyen K (2018) Synthesis and future research directions linking tree diversity to growth, survival, and damage in a global network of tree diversity experiments. Environmental and Experimental Botany - doi: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2017.12.015
  • Van de Peer T, Mereu S, Verheyen K, Costa Saura JM, Morillas L, Roales J, Lo Cascio M, Spano D, Paquette A, Muys B (2018) Tree seedling vitality improves with functional diversity in a Mediterranean common garden experiment. Forest Ecology and Management 409: 614-633 - doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2017.12.001
  • Grossman JJ, Cavender-Bares J, Hobbie SE, Reich PB, Montgomery R (2017) Species richness and traits predict overyielding in stem growth in an early-successional tree diversity experiment. Ecology 98: 2601-2614 - doi: 10.1002/ecy.1958
  • Jewell MD, Shipley B, Low-Décarie E, Tobner CM, Paquette A, Messier C, Reich PB (2017) Partitioning the effect of composition and diversity of tree communities on leaf litter decomposition and soil respiration. Oikos 126:959-971 - doi: 10.1111/oik.03868
  • Khlifa R, Paquette A, Messier C, Reich PB, Munson AD (2017) Do temperate tree species diversity and identity influence soil microbial community function and composition? Ecology and Evolution 7: 7965-7974 - doi: 10.1002/ece3.3313
  • Laforest-Lapointe I, Paquette A, Messier C, Kembel SW (2017) Leaf bacterial diversity mediates plant diversity and ecosystem function relationships. Nature 546: 145-147 - doi: 10.1038/nature22399
  • Williams LJ, Paquette A, Cavender-Bares J, Messier C, Reich PB (2017) Spatial complementarity in tree crowns explains overyielding in species mixtures. Nature Ecology & Evolution 1: 0063 - doi: 10.1038/s41559-016-0063
  • Nguyen NH, Williams L, Vincent JB, Stefanski A, Cavender-Bares J, Messier C, Paquette A, Gravel D, Reich PB, Kennedy PG (2016) Ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungal diversity are linked to different tree community attributes in a field-based tree experiment. Molecular Ecology 25: 4032-4046 - doi: 10.1111/mec.13719
  • Pourhassan N, Bruno S, Jewell MD, Shipley B, Roy S, Bellenger J-P (2016) Phosphorus and micronutrient dynamics during gymnosperm and angiosperm litters decomposition in temperate cold forest from Eastern Canada. Geoderma 273: 25-31 - doi: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.03.018
  • Tobner CM, Paquette A, Gravel D, Reich PB, Williams LJ, Messier C (2016) Functional identity is the main driver of diversity effects in young tree communities. Ecology Letters 19: 638-647 - doi: 10.1111/ele.12600
  • Wein A, Bauhus J, Bilodeau-Gauthier, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Nock C, Staab M (2016) Tree species richness promotes invertebrate herbivory on congeneric native and exotic tree saplings in a young diversity experiment. PLoS ONE 11: e0168751 - doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0168751
  • Jewell MD, Shipley B, Paquette A, Messier C, Reich PB (2015) A traits-based test of the home-field advantage in mixed-species tree litter decomposition. Annals of Botany 116: 781-788 - doi: 10.1093/aob/mcv105
  • Paine CET, Amissah L, Auge H, Baraloto C, Baruffol M, Bourland N, Bruelheide H, Daïnou K, de Gouvenain RC, Doucet J-L, Doust S, Fine PVA, Fortunel C, Haase J, Holl KD, Jactel H, Li X, Kitajima K, Koricheva J, Martínez-Garza C, Messier C, Paquette A, Philipson C, Piotto D, Poorter L, Posada JM, Potvin C, Rainio K, Russo SE, Ruiz-Jaen M, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Webb CO, Wright SJ, Zahawi RA, Hector A (2015) Globally, functional traits are weak predictors of juvenile tree growth, and we do not know why. Journal of Ecology 103: 978-989 - doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.12401
  • Rivest D, Paquette A, Shipley B, Reich PB, Messier C (2015) Tree communities rapidly alter soil microbial resistance and resilience to drought. Functional Ecology 29: 570-578 - doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.12364
  • Tobner CM, Paquette A, Reich PB, Gravel D, Messier C (2014) Advancing biodiversity-ecosystem functioning science using high-density tree-based experiments over functional diversity gradients. Oecologia 174: 609-621 - doi: 10.1007/s00442-013-2815-4
  • Tobner CM, Paquette A, Messier C (2013) Interspecific coordination and intraspecific plasticity of fine root traits in North American temperate tree species. Frontiers in Plant Science 4(242): 1-11 - doi: 10.3389/fpls.2013.00242



Auclair in fall 2010 Macomer in summer 2015
The Auclair and Macomer sites one and two years after planting (fall 2010, summer 2015)
Montreal drone 2015 Freiburg and ECOLINK-Salix in summer 2021
(left) The Montreal site six years after planting (summer 2015 (EXO-Tactik)). (right) The IDENT Freiburg site and ECOLINK-Salix site (Summer 2021, Peter Hajek).