Alpine geo- and biodiversity during environmental changes

Interactions between organisms, water, climate and the Earths surface are dynamic and have shaped our planet for more than two billion years. Comparatively recently, humans have become one of the major agents influencing and increasingly also being impacted by these interactions. However, many of these interactions are only poorly understood. To predict and assess the impact of future environmental changes on biological and geological diversity, an in-depth understanding of the interactions between the biosphere and the geosphere (including the hydrosphere and the atmosphere) is required. This can only be gained by an interdisciplinary approach integrating research of different (sub-) disciplines. Being able to bridge disciplinary gaps will also be essential for a new generation of scientists and future decision makers to catalyse societal transformation towards more resilience and sustainability. Based on our experience in the Doctoral School PLUS Dynamic Mountain Environments and Society (DynamitE), we have identified the European Alps as an ideal model system to study interactions between the geo- and biosphere. The Alps harbour high geo- and biodiversity and are highly impacted by past, present and future environmental changes. In our new doctoral program AlpsChange we join forces to develop a state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research and training agenda. With a consortium involving scientists across a wide range of disciplines including geology, geomorphology, ecological and evolutionary botany and zoology, as well as history, we ask: (1) What are the effects of environmental perturbations on geo- and biosystems, and how do changes in one system translate to the other system? (2) What are the feedback loops between geo- and biosystems? (3) Which past and future dynamics can be inferred when integrating data from geoscience, bioscience and history? We will take advantage of the breadth of expertise present in our consortium: state-of-the-art approaches and methods of geo- and biosciences as well as historical methodologies, ranging from analyses of historic and current data, ecological and geological field observations including remote sensing, field and laboratory experiments, and analyses to numerical and analogue modelling. Our envisioned training program includes novel interdisciplinary educational offers, and will facilitate the training of open-minded scientists fully aware of interactions between geo- and biosystems across a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. The new generation of experts will thus be able to bridge disciplinary gaps between the geo- and biosciences and to establish links to social sciences skills that are essential to address the challenges caused by the ongoing climate and biodiversity crises.