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Mini Project
PhD theme Patterns of secondary succession in
old fields of Northern Greece
Chrisoula Karakosta Laboratory of Rangeland
Ecology Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,
Greece
Course Restoration Summer School 2009
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Introduction
Research aim To study mechanisms of vegetation
succession on abandoned fields
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The main questions of the research are

• Which factors control the succession pattern,
• ii) Which development model describes better this
  successional pattern and outline,
• iii) How do life form and species richness change
  along successional gradient,
• iv) Which are the effects of land use change on
  plant functional traits (PFTs).

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• Methods Data
• Old fields representing a gradient of land use
  abandonment (1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000,
  and 2007)
• Vegetation sampling (spring-summer)
• Soil samples (autumn)
• Topographic, geological and climatic data
• Trait data measurements (spring-summer)

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Methods Data

• species composition (point method)
• species cover (point method)
• biodiversity indices (quadrat)
• aboveground biomass (harvesting)
• -sorted out current years and old
• growth components

Vegetation data
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Methods Data

• N, P, K, Ca, Mg concentration
• pH, organic matter
• texture

Soil data (depth 2 lever 0-5cm and 5-20cm)

• Altitude
• Aspect
• slope

Topographic data
Geological data
derived from a geological maps
Climatic data
Collected from meteorological station
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Methods Data TRAIT MEASUREMENTS
Measurements on the dominant species in each old
field
Leaf traits
SLASpecific leaf area LDMCLeaf dry matter
content LNCLeaf nitrogen concentration LPCLeaf
phosphorus concentration LCC-Leaf carbon
concentration
Stem traits StDMCStem dry matter content
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Pending

• -Laboratory work
• Chemical analysis
• -Data analysis
• Data collection for species traits from
  bibliography (life forms, life cycle, Pollination
  mode, dispersal mode, Clonality, etc.)
• - Statistical analysis

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Thank you for your attention !!!