Winter climate characterized by low temperature and snow cover influence the activity of various organisms that are involved in ecosystem functions of plant-soil system. Recently, the change of winter condition is one of the major concerns caused by the global climate change, which are less studied compared to summer condition change. To predict the future of terrestrial ecosystem functions, enhanced understanding of the consequences of winter climate change is required.

In this symposium, we invite researchers studying the relationship between winter climate and plant functional traits, plant-insect interaction and related biogeochemical cycles. In addition, the results from advanced projects investigating the effect of snow cover manipulation will be introduced. At the end, we would like to discuss new directions of research to understand plant-soil systems utilizing the geographical and climate conditions unique to Japan.

Commentator: Takuya Kajimoto (FFPRI)

Discussion towards the unique study of winter climate change in snow rich and/or temperate region