Mongolian vegetation in the past and present

This project addresses changes in plant phenology, nutrients, and vegetation across space and time within Mongolia. We use near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure nutrient content in herbarium specimens (collected roughly between 1960-2025) to track changes in phosphorous, nitrogen and carbon content in dominant typical steppe species across space and time. Furthermore, we analyse changes in community composition and plant traits along a precipitation gradient using repeated vegetation surveys over 12-year time period. In addition, we study plant flowering phenology using both long-term field data and herbarium specimens to assess changes at local and national scales.