The ExpeER call for Transnational Access (TA) proposals provides a unique opportunity for research teams and individuals to access some of Europe's major research infrastructures focused on ecosystem research. Each month, we will focus on one or two of these sites.

Focus on the Fruška Gora observational site (Serbia)

Fruška Gora facilities

Size : 34771 ha.
Biogeographic region : Pannonian.
Geological substrate : loess, marl, clay, sands, serpentine, limestone and flysch. Fruška gora is a National park; an object of geological heritage of Serbia, potential Emerald site and potential IPA.
This site is founded to explore climate change and air pollution impacts on forests, land use changes (primarily in forest ecosystems), the structure and function of forest ecosystems and its biodiversity and the structure and function of steppe habitats. It includes three research localities within the National Park. Multidisciplinary research will be strainghtened with application of ICT (Information and communication technologies) concepts, methods and tools in ecology, forestry and agriculture. Infrastructure for monitoring of forest ecosystems on Mt. Fruška gora follows the best European practices currently incorporated inside the framework of International Cooperative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forest operating under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution.
Infrastructure is composed of following :
1) Environmental wireless sensor network offering on-line internet access to data, based on state-of-the-art communications technology. Apart from real-time access to data, the system provides easy 2D and 3D visualization of data of interest across multiple years.
2) Laboratory for pedoecology and molecular laboratory.
3) Laboratory for ecosystem monitoring.
The infrastructure is a part of a network of 7 sites for monitoring forest ecosystems in Serbia focused on climate change and air pollution impacts on forests, as well as a part of LTER site Fruška gora.

• What are the new developments since the beginning of ExpeER?
"Since joining ExpeER, Fruška gora site has been included in interdisciplinary project on the national level: “Biosensing Technologies and Global System for Long-Term Research and Integrated Management of Ecosystems” funded by Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, encompassing quantification of main ExpeER parameters. Inclusion of Fruška gora site in interdisciplinary project of national importance improved national research coherence through finding mutual research benefits resulting with joint publications. On the other hand, connectivity on the national level resulted with more complex, challenging and more complete scientific grounds for European researchers. Six PhD students are doing research for their thesis on Fruška gora site using its infrastructure and obtained data. Due to national project involvement, Fruška gora site has been additionally equipped with Spectral Camera HS-CL-30-V10E Cased Version with shutter, ElvaX- X ray (EDXRF) fluorescence spectrometer, AlphaGUARD for Continuos radon monitoring, Infrared CO2/H2O analyzer, D-T neutron generator, Portable germanium detector with lead shielding for in – situ measurement."

ExpeER TNA accepted projects

• Three projects have been accepted so far:
- Biodiversity and ecology of forest-associated Diptera (BEFAD) - more
- Syrphidae (Diptera) as bioindicators (USB) - more
- ModEling The current and future HOverfly Distribution (METHOD) - more

• How did the Fruska Gora site get visitors?
"The Serbian team was very active in developing network of scientists focused on joint research at Fruška gora site. Interdisciplinary group of scientists from Serbia attracted colleagues from other European countries to run research on ExpeER site mostly by advertising our site potential in terms of scientific expertise. This resulted with a number of visits followed by joint publications (in prep.) and with potentially new research topics to be developed in the future. We believe that distribution of information for potential collaboration in addition to detailed description of research site possibilities is a good strategy for attracting researchers. In our opinion, this strategy resulted in significant number of successful visits to our site so far."

Feedback

Antonio Ramón Ricarte-Sabater (National Museums Scotland, Scotland) visited the Fruska Gora site in September, 2012: "Everyone who assisted me in the field or in the lab at the University of Novi Sad was very helpful and kind, but Dr Zorica Nedeljković was specially so, since she scored me every day to the field and provided technical support, etc. Also the TA coordination team (Cristina Martinez, etc) have been very helpful and courteous all the time." - Read all

Recent publications

Sonja Trifunov, Dušanka Krašić, Zlata Markov, Sonja Mudri-Stojnić, Branislava Butorac and A. Vujić (2013). Forest changes due to human activities in National park “Fruška gora” (Serbia) – Ecological and Economic Signals. Archives of Biological Sciences, vol 65 (2).

D. Štajner, S. Orlović, B. M. Popović, M. Kebert, S. Stojnić, and B. Klašnja (2013). Chemical Parameters of Oxidative Stress Adaptability in Beech. Journal of Chemistry, Volume 2013, Article ID 592695, 8 pages

Sonja Mudri-Stojnić, Andrijana Andrić, Zsolt Józan, Ante Vujić (2012). Pollinator diversity (Hymenoptera and Diptera) in semi-natural habitats in Serbia during summer. Archives of biological sciences, 64 (2), 777-786

Saša Orlović, Bojana Klašnja, Zoran Galić, Srđan Stojnić: Monitoring of forest Ecosystems in Serbia (2012). Essays on Fundamental and Applied Environmental Topics, 253-276

Srđan Stojnić, Saša Orlović, Andrej Pilipović, Dragica Vilotić, Mirjana Šijačić-Nikolić, Danijela Miljković (2012). Variation in leaf physiology among three provenances of eruopean beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in provenance trial in Serbia. Genetika, Vol. 44, No.2, 341-353