Impact of climate change on alpine grassland ecosystems: Responses in structure and function

The drought experiment was established at three characteristic grassland sites in the Swiss Central Alps with contrasting conditions in macroclimate and geology: (1) a site at Albula Pass with low precipitation and calcareous bedrock (LC site), (2) a site at Furka Pass with high precipitation and calcareous bedrock (HC site), and (3) a site at Furka Pass with high precipitation and siliceous bedrock (HS site). The sites were located on steep mountain slopes representing the predominant landform at this elevation. The slopes with calcareous bedrock were characterised by a 30° inclination, a southern aspect, and the one with siliceous bedrock by a 40° inclination and a western aspect.