Part I Research Programme and Study Area- 1 General Concept of the Research Programme and Methodology of Investigations- Otto Fränzle, Ludger Kappen, Hans-Peter Blume, Klaus Dierssen, Ulrich Irmler, Winfrid Kluge, Uwe Schleuß and Joachim Schrautzer- 2 Ecological Setting of the Study Area- Hans-Peter Blume, Otto Fränzle, Georg Hörmann, Ulrich Irmler, Winfried Kluge, Uwe Schleuß and Joachim Schrautzer - Part II Structure and Function of Ecosystems in a Complex Landscape- 3 Ecophysiological Key Processes in Agricultural and Forest Ecosystems- Oliver Dilly, Christiane Eschenbach, Werner Leo Kutsch, Ludger Kappen and Jean Charles Munch- 4 Carbon and Energy Balances of Different Ecosystems and Ecosystem Complexes of the Bornhöved Lake District- Werner L. Kutsch, Georg Hörmann and Ludger Kappen- 5 Water Relations at Different Scales- Georg Hörmann, Matthias Herbst and Christiane Eschenbach- 6 Site-Related Biocoenotic Dynamics- Ulrich Irmler, Oliver Dilly, Joachim Schrautzer and Klaus Dierssen- 7 Biocoenotic Interactions between Different Ecotopes- Ulrich Irmler, Franz Hölker, Hans-Werner Pfeiffer, Walter Nellen and Hauke Reuter - 8 Element Fluxes in Atmosphere, Vegetation and Soil- Otto Fränzle and Claus-Georg Schimming- 9 Transport Processes between Lake Belau and its Drainage Basin- Winfrid Kluge and Otto Fränzle - 10 Lake Belau- Otto Fränzle and Gerald Schernewski- 11 Ecological Gradients as Causes and Effects of Ecosystem Organization- Felix Müller, Otto Fränzle, Claus-G Schimming - Part III From Research to Application- 12 An Indicator-Based Characterization of the Bornhöved Key Ecosystems - Joachim Schrautzer, Felix Müller, Hans-Peter Blume, Uwe Heinrich, Ernst-Walter Reiche , Uwe Schleuß and Klaus Dierssen- 13 Ecosystem Research and Sustainable Land Use Management- Jan Barkmann, Hans-Peter Blume, Ullrich Irmler, Winfried Kluge, Werner Kutsch, Heinrich Reck, Ernst-Walter Reiche , Michael Trepel, Wilhelm Windhorst and Klaus Dierssen- 14 Conclusions: Perspectives for an Integrative Landscape Planning, Management and Monitoring- Klaus Dierssen and Jan Barkmann