Research Group of Plant &
Vegetation Ecology
• Department of Biology, University of
Antwerpen
• Some 20 people (16 scientists and 4
technical staff)
• Plant - vegetation - ecosystem - landscape
• Present and mainly future climate
conditions
• http://bio-www.uia.ac.be/bio/pleco/
Research Group PLECO, UA
(ctd.)
• Experience with EC projects (Ecocraft,
Euroflux & CarboEuroflux, Popface,
Mefyque, ……)
• Experience with modelling (poplar, Scots
pine, process-based, mechanistic, Mefyque)
• Some experience with data bases (Ecocraft
& Euroflux)
University of Antwerpen UIA
Prof. R. Ceulemans and Dr. G. Deckmyn
• Objectives / Deliverables
– Creation and maintenance of a database
– Further development of a mechanistic model and
inclusion of ozone effects
Database
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Access database (Microsoft)
List of data and data sets available: YOU
Templates to include data: us
Data to be delivered by you in Excel
spreadsheets according to template
• Both raw data and averages + STD !?
Database
• Parameter values which have been derived
from data according to an agreed set of
equations or protocols.
• Meta-data about the experiments and about
the parameter values.
• Implemented in Microsoft Access 97 or
Access 2000. One of these programs is
required, but proficiency in Access is not
required.
Database
• Include date, time (when relevant),
frequency of measurements, position in
crown, age of leaf or tree, ozone treatment,
…..
• Units (SI !) and predefined
• Include all your parameters and variables ?
• Or only those needed in the modelling
exercise ?
Experiment Table
Experiment Name
Site Name
Latitude
Longitude
Species
Provenance
Institution
Type of experiment
Description of chamber / forest stand
Rooting volume
Start date
End date
Age of plants at start of treatment
Pretreatment of plants
Source of plants
Pests or diseases, and treatment
Soil type
Watering regime
Fertilization regime
Average daily max temperature
(growing season)
Average daily min temperature
(growing season)
Average annual precipitation
Operator
Reference
Treatment Conditions
No. of replicates for each treatment
Other Notes
Database (ctd.)
• Climatological variables and ozone
• All parameters and variables ?
• What with parameters/variables necessary
for the modelling, but not measured ?
• Strict rules and policies
• Availability ? Restrictions of data ?
• Who will put on the www ? Coordinator
• http://www.ierm.ed.ac.uk/ecocraft/database
page.html
Modelling
• Whole-tree and stand level modelling
• Including ozone effects on various or all
processes
• Scaling and integration
University of Antwerpen UIA
Prof. R. Ceulemans and Dr. G. Deckmyn
The model
– Mechanistic
– Forest scale, different species, including management,
competition, wood quality
– Modular:
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photosynthesis (Farquhar)
light (new code)
climate (weather generator or data)
soil (Thornley)
water (ETP)
allocation (new code)
management (to be done)
– Current state: nearly running, no ozone effects
University of Antwerpen UIA
Prof. R. Ceulemans and Dr. G. Deckmyn
Rainfall Interception
Canopy
Evaporation
Precip
Climate
Humidity
ETp
Soil-water input
Temp
Soil Evaporation
Stomatal Control
Radiation
Transpiration
Light interception
Photosynthesis
Photosyn
params
Plant/Stand
Properties
Carbon Gain/
Loss
Tree Allocation
Litter production
Standing
biomass
Respiration
Stem Allocation
Architecture
Physiological
Control
Water
retention
Soil Properties
Soil C, N Fluxes
C, N pools
Wood Quality
University of Antwerpen UIA
Prof. R. Ceulemans and Dr. G. Deckmyn
Strong points of the model
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allocation includes wood development
interaction between trees
data base for input values: soils, climate and species
mechanistic but reasonable number of parameters
University of Antwerpen UIA
Prof. R. Ceulemans and Dr. G. Deckmyn
Allocation module
– Functional balance = relationship between leaf area, sapwood
area and fine root biomass
– Refinement of the functional balance: in stead of sapwood area
use actual vessel/pipe data: flow depends on radius and number
of active vessels in the sapwood
– Detailed phasing of the alocation procedures allows
differentiation between early wood and latewood
– Pipe/vessel functionality is lost as a function of random
embolition as well as death of associated leaves/needles
– as a result, water movement through the tree is described in
function of stomatal conductance, width and number of pipes in
branches and stem and soil water potential.
University of Antwerpen UIA
Prof. R. Ceulemans and Dr. G. Deckmyn
Allocation module
– Depending on the growing phase (trigerred by tree
development, temperature and soil water potential)
trees allocate carbon
– Phase 1: refill existing crown, formation of new pipes
(stemwidth)
– Phase 2: new height and crown with associated leaves,
branches, roots and stemwidth
– phase 3: latewood, cessation of height growth and start
of storage of C for spring regrowth
– Phase 4: autumn leaf fall, depends on functionality of
the leaves
University of Antwerpen UIA
Prof. R. Ceulemans and Dr. G. Deckmyn
Live branches
Fallen branches
Knot free
University of Antwerpen UIA
Prof. R. Ceulemans and Dr. G. Deckmyn
latewood
heartwood
earlywood
University of Antwerpen UIA
Prof. R. Ceulemans and Dr. G. Deckmyn
Necessary changes and additions
• General model
– Debugging and validation of new code (allocation and
light)
– include management: thinning, rotation period,…
– improve interface input/output
– validate for European forests
– validate weather generator outside UK
University of Antwerpen UIA
Prof. R. Ceulemans and Dr. G. Deckmyn
Necessary Changes and additions
• Ozone effects
– Include ozone input, possibly through weather module,
including shade versus sunlit crown
– Improve stomatal modelling: currently Ball-Berry,
needs more detailed mechanistic modelling based on
recent papers and new data
– Include mycorrhizae
– Include effects on photosynthesis
– Include effects on allocation
– Include effects on phasing
University of Antwerpen UIA
Prof. R. Ceulemans and Dr. G. Deckmyn
Necessary Input
– New data and publications on:
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stomatal effects
Vcmax, Jmax
Rhizomes
allocation: R/S, SLA, LAR
Stemwood???
Biomass
Soil processes
respiration
University of Antwerpen UIA
Prof. R. Ceulemans and Dr. G. Deckmyn
Timing
• Model Improvements and Validation
– 2003
• Ozone effects
– 2004
• Final validation and output
– Jan to Octobre 2005