TreeTOP: Plant experimental platforms in canopy space
- 1Plant Ecology and Geobotany, University of Marburg
Abstract
1. Forest canopies harbour strong microclimatic gradients that shape plant performance, species interactions and ecosystem processes. Yet, despite renewed interest sparked by global change, forest canopies remain difficult-to-access experimental spaces. 2. With the goal to expand access to tree canopies as experimental arenas, we designed, built, and tested TreeTOP, a standardized experimental platform that opens canopy space for manipulative ecological experiments, specifically with potted plants. TreeTOP features lightweight aluminum frames placed in mature tree canopies non-invasively, allowing potted plants to be placed in three different heights, ground level, shade canopy, and sun canopy. 3. We implemented TreeTOP using two contrasting infrastructure concepts to demonstrate its applicability in both highly equipped canopy research facilities and forests without permanent canopy infrastructure. One installation relied on a canopy crane, grid power and fully automated irrigation, whereas the second was built by certified tree climbers and was equipped with an autonomous solar-powered, battery-operated irrigation system. At both sites, environmental sensor networks monitor the experiment. 4. TreeTOP successfully reproduced characteristic canopy microclimatic gradients, including increasing light availability, daytime air temperatures and thermal extremes with canopy height. Despite differing infrastructures, both implementations generated comparable microclimatic patterns, demonstrating that standardized canopy experiments are feasible in forests with or without permanent canopy access. By opening canopy space for manipulative experiments, TreeTOP provides a transferable framework for investigating plant performance, phenology, species interactions and microbiome assembly under realistic forest conditions.
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BibTeX
@misc{baumeister2026treetop,
title = {{TreeTOP: Plant experimental platforms in canopy space}},
author = {J. Baumeister and M. M. Bakhtiari and M. Schreiber and M. Eisenring and M. Gossner and S. Walden and A. Becker and M. L. Bouffaud and S. Cesarz and B. Dauphin and N. Eisenhauer and K. Goldmann and L. Heidrich and S. Jurburg and R. R. Junker and J. Kreuzwieser and C. Lampei and T. Nauss and M. Peter and L. Prada-Salcedo and M. Tarkka and C. Werner and D. Zeuss and S. Herrmann and F. Buscot and K. Heer and L. Opgenoorth},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.64898/2026.08.30.748063},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.30.748063v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - TreeTOP: Plant experimental platforms in canopy space
AU - J. Baumeister
AU - M. M. Bakhtiari
AU - M. Schreiber
AU - M. Eisenring
AU - M. Gossner
AU - S. Walden
AU - A. Becker
AU - M. L. Bouffaud
AU - S. Cesarz
AU - B. Dauphin
AU - N. Eisenhauer
AU - K. Goldmann
AU - L. Heidrich
AU - S. Jurburg
AU - R. R. Junker
AU - J. Kreuzwieser
AU - C. Lampei
AU - T. Nauss
AU - M. Peter
AU - L. Prada-Salcedo
AU - M. Tarkka
AU - C. Werner
AU - D. Zeuss
AU - S. Herrmann
AU - F. Buscot
AU - K. Heer
AU - L. Opgenoorth
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/30
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.08.30.748063
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.30.748063v1
AB - 1. Forest canopies harbour strong microclimatic gradients that shape plant performance, species interactions and ecosystem processes. Yet, despite renewed interest sparked by global change, forest canopies remain difficult-to-access experimental spaces. 2. With the goal to expand access to tree canopies as experimental arenas, we designed, built, and tested TreeTOP, a standardized experimental platform that opens canopy space for manipulative ecological experiments, specifically with potted plants. TreeTOP features lightweight aluminum frames placed in mature tree canopies non-invasively, allowing potted plants to be placed in three different heights, ground level, shade canopy, and sun canopy. 3. We implemented TreeTOP using two contrasting infrastructure concepts to demonstrate its applicability in both highly equipped canopy research facilities and forests without permanent canopy infrastructure. One installation relied on a canopy crane, grid power and fully automated irrigation, whereas the second was built by certified tree climbers and was equipped with an autonomous solar-powered, battery-operated irrigation system. At both sites, environmental sensor networks monitor the experiment. 4. TreeTOP successfully reproduced characteristic canopy microclimatic gradients, including increasing light availability, daytime air temperatures and thermal extremes with canopy height. Despite differing infrastructures, both implementations generated comparable microclimatic patterns, demonstrating that standardized canopy experiments are feasible in forests with or without permanent canopy access. By opening canopy space for manipulative experiments, TreeTOP provides a transferable framework for investigating plant performance, phenology, species interactions and microbiome assembly under realistic forest conditions.
ER -