Research
Mission
CAVElab contributes to an increased understanding of ecosystem functioning in a changing environment, to nature conservation and development cooperation. To do this, we train scientists and conduct question-driven research on vegetation ecology and biogeochemistry of terrestrial ecoystems, with a strong focus on tropical forest ecosystems.
Vision
CAVELab aims to catalyse innovative, fundamental and applied research through the integration of vegetation modelling and field work. We believe that team dynamics lift our science to a higher level and therefore invest energy both in personal and team goals. Good personal relationships and job satisfaction are key. We are committed to share our research with the widest possible audience; therefore, we publish in high quality scientific journals and invest in public outreach. We value ethics and invest resources for capacity building for our activities in developing countries. We believe that true collaborative research is only possible by sharing: open source software and codes, data sharing, open access publications.
Our research lines
- Vegetation dynamics in the climate response of (tropical) woody ecosystems (e.g. lianas, succession, monodominance, phenology, functional diversity & disturbance)
- Biogeochemical cycles in (tropical) forests (C-N-P, water) in response to climate and land use change, including land-atmosphere interactions.
- The role of vegetation structure in ecosystem functioning.
Our methodologies
- Process-based vegetation models. We are currently running projects where we develop, parameterise and apply various vegetation models including ED2, ORCHIDEE, LPJ-GUESS and FORMIND. We integrate vegetation models with multiscale observational data from leaf level gas-exchange, over plot-scale inventories and eddy covariance fluxes to remote sensing data.
- Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). We use 3D TLS data to virtually reconstruct forests that can be used as input for vegetation models; to assess their aboveground biomass; or to understand their natural structural dynamics or response to disturbances.
- Field observational work. We go out in the field to do a range of measurement, particularly in data-poor regions, like the Congo Basin. We do ecophysiological observations, eddy covariance measurement (Congoflux), inventories, traits sampling, …
Our ecosystems
- We work in wet tropical forest in French Guiana, Panama, DR Congo and Australia; in tropical mountain forests in Ecuador and Africa; in temperate forest in Europe.
- We work in dryland savannas in Senegal and Australia.
- Urban ecosystems. We study city trees and their ecosystem services in Belgium and France, and work closely together with the council of Ghent.
Networks
- CAVElab is a member of the Natural Capital platform of the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University, Belgium.
- CAVElab is a member of CAFRINAT, an international centre of excellence for the African Great Lakes' Natural Capital
- CAVElab is a member of the NASA CEOS Aboveground Biomass Product validation
- Via the Congoflux fluxtower, CAVElab is member of ICOS
- We participate in the COST Action 3DForEcoTech on three-dimensional forest ecosystem monitoring and better understanding by terrestrial-based technologies
Current Research Projects
FWO-project: Does liana proliferation cool down tropical forests?
Team: Hans Verbeeck, Felicien Meunier, Kasper Coppieters (UGent) & Marco Visser (ULeiden)
Funding: Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
FWO-project: There’s no such thing as “The Tropical Rainforest”: incorporating heterogeneity of tropical forests in a global vegetation model
Team: Hans Verbeeck, Pascal Boeckx, Marc Peaucelle, Félicien Meunier, Marijn Bauters Ines Vieira (UGent)
Funding: Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
FWO jr postdoc grant - Félicien Meunier
Modelling the current and future impacts of liana infestation on
the demography and biogeochemical cycles of tropical forests; PI: Félicien Meunier; 2019-2022
Funding: Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO), junior postdoctoral fellowship
FWO jr postdoc grant - Marijn Bauters
Evaluating and understanding the role of biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus in regrowth forests in central Africa (RDC, Regrow Deforested Congo); PI: Marijn Bauters; 2019-2022
Funding: Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO), junior postdoctoral fellowship
DG-DEVCO/FWO-project: Congoflux
Continuous monitoring of atmosphere-ecosystem exchange of greenhouse gasses in the Congo Basin forest: Building a flux tower in the Yangambi Man and Biosphere Reserve;
Funding: DG-DEVCO, FWO-IRI
BRAIN-project: COBECORE
Congo basin eco-climatological data recovery and valorization
2017-2020 (extended)
Funding: Federal funding, BELSPO BRAIN
BOF-PhD grant - Louise Terryn
Winners and Losers: does water availability affect the Structural Economic Spectrum of tropical forests? 2019-2023
Funding: Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund (BOF)
BOF-PhD grant - Franklin Marin
Disentangling potential drivers of success in ecological restoration along an altitudinal gradient in the Andes, Ecuador; 2021-2025
Funding: Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund (BOF)
VLIR-UOS-project: COFOREC II
Consolidating a long-term forest monitoring network in a human modified landscape in Northern Ecuador; 2020-2021 (extended 2022)
Funding: Federal funding, VLIR-UOS
CSC - PhD grant - Liu Chang
Automatic Estimation of Forest Structural Parameters in Multiple Forest Conditions Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning; 2019-2023
Funding: State Scholarship Fund awarded by China Scholarship Council
STEREO-project: UTURN I & II
Understanding turning points in dryland ecosystem functioning; 2016-2020 (extended)
Funding: Federal funding, BELSPO STEREO III
EU-Interreg2-project: Nature Smart Cities
Research towards evidence-based business models for greener cities
Funding: European Union’s Interreg 2
CSC - PhD grant - Xi Peng
Structural Traits Relationships and the Structural Economics Spectrum of Woody Plant; 2021-2025
Funding: State Scholarship Fund awarded by China Scholarship Council
CSC - PhD grant - Quan Pan
Mapping plant functional traits in forest; 2021-2025.
Funding: State Scholarship Fund awarded by China Scholarship Council
CSC - Visiting scientist grant - Tao Chen
Research on the spatiotemporal patterns and driving mechanism of carbon and water fluxes in tropical and subtropical forest ecosystems of China; 2021-2022
Funding: State Scholarship Fund awarded by China Scholarship Council
CSC - PhD grant - Xingyan Cao
Impact of lianas on forest structure and function; 2020-2024
Funding: State Scholarship Fund awarded by China Scholarship Council
FWO - SB PhD grant - Barbara D'hont
Better Quantifying Ecosystem Services through Digital Twins of Urban Trees; 2021-2025
FWO PhD fellowship strategic basic research
BEAMS
Biocarbon Europe: Advancing Measurement Standards (BEAMS)
Funding: Climate Solutions Exchange, UK
ICOS Belgium research infrastructure
ICOS Belgium research infrastructure; 2021-2025
Funding: FWO – FINANCIERING VAN ONDERZOEKSINFRASTRUCTUUR
TREE4FLUX
Monitoring trees in intensive, large-scale and long-term inventory plots for scaling eddy covariance carbon dioxide fluxes in Congo basin fluxes (TREE4FLUX)
Funding: ESFRI-FED
Previous Research Projects
MSCA-project: LEAF-2-TBM
From Leaf to Terrestrial Biosphere Model: Integrating multi-scale observations of highly diverse tropical ecosystems for global scale simulations; PI: Marc Peaucelle; 2020-2022 (ended in Nov. 2021 when dr Peaucelle was offered a permanent position at INRAE, France)
Funding: European funding: framework programme, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action
MSCA-project: 3D-FOGROD
Understanding forest growth dynamics using novel 3D measurements and modelling approaches; PI: Kim Calders; 2019-2021
Funding: European funding: framework programme, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action
ERC-Starting Grant: TREECLIMBERS
Modelling lianas as key drivers of tropical forest responses to climate change
Funding: European funding: framework programme, ERC Starting Grant
STEREO-project: 3D Forest
Novel in-situ 3D forest structure and biomass estimates to validate air/spaceborne products
Funding: Federal funding, Belspo STEREO