From June 18 to 23, members of the Zhu Lab, together with Dr. Inés Ibáñez, embarked on a research trip to the University of Minnesota to explore various field experiments there.
We first visited the Cedar Creek Long Term Ecological Research at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. Dr. Peter Reich introduced the BioCON (Biodiversity, CO2, and Nitrogen) experiment, the “Big” Biodiversity Experiment, the BAC (biodiversity and climate) experiment, a forest biodiversity experiment as part of the IDENT and TreeDiv network, and a savanna fire frequency experiment. We also paid tribute to Raymond Lindeman by visiting Cedar Bog Lake, where Lindeman conducted groundbreaking research in ecosystem ecology.
Then we visited the B4WARMED (Boreal Forest Warming at an Ecotone in Danger) research sites located at the Cloquet Forestry Center and at the Hubachek Wilderness Research Center. The researchers and students also gave us a symposium about their previous studies from B4WARMED, across various disciplines of phenology, seedling growth and survival, leaf litter decomposition, ectomycorrhizal fungi community, microbiome, soil respiration, leaf photosynthetic traits and invasive species.
We are immensely grateful to the researchers at both sites for their generous hospitality and invaluable insights. They have made our trip not only educational but also enjoyable. We look forward to further communication and collaboration with these dedicated teams.
