Introduction |
Austria holds an expanded network of Natural Forest
Reserves. They are dedicated to research and preservation of biological
diversity. The majority of biodiversity is hidden in the soil. Soil
and its organisms provide the basis for a vigorous forest ecosystem.
The exploratory focus is on the maintenance of forest’s vitality,
taking into account the principles of ecological sustainable forest
management. |
 |
Soil animals and microorganisms form a regulating community,
which breaks down dead organic matter and releases therein bound plant
nutrients. In our forest soils live approximately one thousand animal
species with one to two million individuals per square meter. The
biomass of a fertile soil can add up to more than twenty tons per
hectare.
Since decades, biologists have been trying to find strategies for
conserving biodiversity. The establishment of natural forest reserves
should set a trend. The actual effectiveness of the measures however
can only be proven by appropriate long-term scientific documentation. |
Aim of the project |
is the monitoring and comparison of biodiversity, and
population ecology of different groups of organisms in forest communities
typical for Austria. Thus, the contribution of distinct forest communities
to the conservation of biodiversity can be determined.
Central questions: |
- Which groups of organisms are suitable as indicators for a high
biodiversity?
- Is there a correlation between the biodiversity of different
trophic levels (e.g. Microfauna – Mesofauna – Macrofauna)
and the spatial structure of the study site?
- Is there a relationship between biodiversity and nutrient turnover?
- What are the consequences on ecosystem processes if biodiversity
changes?
- Can we deduce guidelines and recommendations for sustainable
forest management?
|
Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests
| Forest ecology | Soil
biology 
