Education Research Current About VU Amsterdam NL
Login as
Prospective student Student Employee
Bachelor Master VU for Professionals
Exchange programme VU Amsterdam Summer School Honours programme VU-NT2 Semester in Amsterdam
PhD at VU Amsterdam Research highlights Prizes and distinctions
Research institutes Our scientists Research Impact Support Portal Creating impact
News Events calendar Biodiversity at VU Amsterdam
Israël and Palestinian regions Culture on campus
Practical matters Mission and core values Entrepreneurship on VU Campus
Governance Partnerships Alumni University Library Working at VU Amsterdam
Sorry! De informatie die je zoekt, is enkel beschikbaar in het Engels.
This programme is saved in My Study Choice.
Something went wrong with processing the request.
Something went wrong with processing the request.

Climate change and ecosystem functioning

Climate change strongly affects the interactions between vegetation, fauna, soil, hydrosphere and atmosphere and has a strong impact on biodiversity.

In this research theme we investigate these interactions using a systems ecological approach with ramifications to soil microbial ecology and paying particular attention to feedback mechanisms. We use functional traits as the basis for response and effect parameters. The research is performed at the full array of hierarchical levels, going from soil microbial ecology to global scale vegetation- and biogeochemical models and our study sites range from Arctic tundra to tropical rain forest.

PROJECTS (ongoing)

ORCHIDEE Milestone 4.1 [Luyssaert, Naudts, Marie, Jeong, Peylin, Vuichard, Yue, Ghattas, Valade, Maignan, Guenet, Ottle, Bastrikov, Lanet]
Developing and maintaining the ORCHIDEE land surface model.

SafeNet and NextGenCarbon [Luyssaert, Naudts, Jeong, Guenet, Yueste]
Using the ORCHIDEE land surface model to quantify impacts, trade-offs, and synergies of forest management scenarios for forest on Europe’s GHG balance, soil quality, and water budget under future climate conditions and disturbance regimes.

ABC [Cornelissen, Bokhorst, Huisman, Ciric, Convey, Veraverbeke, Ellers, van Logtestijn, Fleming, British Antarctic Survey]
The Antarctic biota count: a functional trait-based approach to scale biodiversity and its ecosystem impact from plot to region. NWO-funded.

Loglife [Cornelissen, van Logtestijn, Berg, Tuo, Fujii, Chang, Loglife Team with Wageningen University and Utrecht University]
Tree cemetery experiment to study the role of deadwood traits of different tree species in forest carbon turnover and biodiversity.

VeenVitaal [Berg, Ellers, Halfwerk, Aerts, Cornelissen, Weedon, IVM and Athena]
Towards a sustainable and dynamic peat landscape for farmer, nature manager, citizen and biodiversity.

Early Career support program [Fleischer]
Dynamic belowground functions and interactions in Amazon forests under global change, next-generation process-based models.

AmazonFACE [Fleischer]
Assessing the effects of increased atmospheric CO2 on the ecology and resilience of the Amazon forest: research area modelling and model-data integration.

PROJECTS (past)

How animal-mediated mutualistic microbiomes modulate the environmental sensitivity of savanna carbon dynamics [Cornelissen, de Jong, Veldhuis, Berg, Olff, van Logtestijn, Weedon, Kiers].
NWO-funded.

FLARE [Cornelissen, Zhang, van Logtestijn, Aerts, van der Werf]
Fire Laboratory Amsterdam for Research in Ecology – with a focus on plant species effects on litter and vegetation flammability.

The effects of alien species on ecosystem functioning in polar habitats [Aerts, Bokhorst, van Loon-van Egmond, Convey, Cornelissen, British Antarctic Survey]

The impact of multiple extreme events on polar ecosystems [Aerts, Bokhorst, Heinzelmann]

Effects of salinization on Dutch peatland ecosystems [Aerts, Witte, Huizinga, Franken]

RETRAIT [Berg, Cornelissen, Ellers, Dias]
Understanding the impact of environmental change on ecosystem processes using Response-to-Effect trait frameworks.

BIOBUILD [Berg, Cornelissen, RUG]
Understanding the role of ecosystem engineers in community assembly, ecological networks and ecosystem stability using trait-based approaches.

CLIMPRO [Luyssaert, Marie, Jeong, Jactel]
Enhance the capability of ORCHIDEE to simulate abrupt mortality from storms, fires, drought, and pests and their biogeochemical and biophysical interactions. · HoliSoils [Luyssaert, Naudts, Jeong, Cornelissen, Berg, Guenet, Yueste, Flores, Schelhaas, Nabuurs] Using the ORCHIDEE land surface model to quantify impacts, trade-offs, and synergies of sustainable, Climate Smart Forest management scenarios for forest soils on Europe’s GHG balance, soil quality, and water budget under future climate conditions and disturbance regimes.

Quick links

Homepage Culture on campus VU Sports Centre Dashboard

Study

Academic calendar Study guide Timetable Canvas

Featured

VUfonds VU Magazine Ad Valvas Digital accessibility

About VU

Contact us Working at VU Amsterdam Faculties Divisions
Privacy Disclaimer Safety Web Colophon Cookie Settings Web Archive

Copyright © 2026 - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam