Space-for-time approaches, where spatial gradients are taken as a proxy for temporal change, are often used in ecological and geological research. Within my PhD I tried to combine this approach with manipulated environmental conditions on-site, to study if short-term responses in plant-soil feedbacks follow the same trajectory as the long-term dynamics.
In my PhD I used transplant experiments and rainout shelters to disentangle the relationships between climate, vegetation and geochemical effects on nutrient cycling along a climate gradient. My project is part of the EarthShape project, which explores how biological processes from soil, influence topography, and thereby shape the Earth surface and modulates the impact of climate change on the Earth surface.
During my PostDoc I focus on the interaction between herbivores and drought on vegetation, using field and greenhouse experiments.
Publications: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Liesbeth-Brink
