The overarching goal of our proposal is to understand the regulation of organic carbon (OC) transfor-mation across terrestrial-aquatic interfaces from soil, to lotic and lentic waters, with emphasis on ephemeral streams. These systems considerably expand the terrestrial-aquatic interface and are thus potential sites for intensive OC-transformation. Despite the different environmental conditions of ter-restrial, semi-aquatic and aquatic sites, likely major factors for the transformation of OC at all sites are the quality of the organic matter, the supply with oxygen and nutrients and the water regime. We will target the effects of (1) OC quality and priming, (2) stream sediment properties that control the advective supply of hyporheic sediments with oxygen and nutrients, and (3) the water regime. The responses of sediment associated metabolic activities, C turn-over, C-flow in the microbial food web, and the combined transformations of terrestrial and aquatic OC will be quantified and characterized in complementary laboratory and field experiments. Analogous mesocosm experiments in terrestrial soil, ephemeral and perennial streams and pond shore will be conducted in the experimental Chicken Creek catchment. This research site is ideal due to a wide but well-defined terrestrial-aquatic transition zone and due to low background concentrations of labile organic carbon. The studies will benefit from new methodologies and techniques, including development of hyporheic flow path tubes and comparative assessment of soil and stream sediment respiration with methods from soil and aquatic sciences. We will combine tracer techniques to assess advective supply of sediments, respiration measurements, greenhouse gas flux measurements, isotope labeling, and isotope natural abundance studies. Our studies will contribute to the understanding of OC mineralization and thus CO2 emissions across terrestrial and aquatic systems. A deeper knowledge of OC-transformation in the terrestrial-aquatic interface is of high relevance for the modelling of carbon flow through landscapes and for the understanding of the global C cycle.
Denitrifizierer (reduzieren N-Oxide zu N2O und/ oder N2), nicht-denitrifizierende N2O-Reduzierer (reduzieren N2O zu N2) und dissimilatorische Nitratreduzierer (DNRA; reduzieren N-Oxides zu NH4+) sind fakultative oder obligate Anaerobier, welche die Emission des Treibhausgases N2O genauso wie die Stickstoffretention beeinflussen. Nicht-denitrifizierende N2O-Reduzierer und dissimilatorische Nitratreduzierer stehen mit Denitrifizierern im Wettbewerb um Elektronendonatoren. Definierte mikrobielle Taxa haben definierte ökophysiologische Eigenschaften, welche ihre Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und Fähigkeit zur N-Gasproduktion bestimmen und werden daher unterschiedlich auf Umweltfaktoren reagieren. Solche Eigenschaften sind jedoch im Wesentlichen für unkultivierte Taxa unbekannt, obwohl diese für die N-Gas Emissionen und Stickstoffretention in Böden bedeutend sind. Daher werden folgende Hypothesen untersucht: (i) Die Denitrifikationsantwort auf Umweltfaktoren wird durch gegensätzliche mikrobielle Gemeinschaften, einschließlich bislang unbekannter Arten, bestimmt und kann durch deren intrinsische ökophysiologische Eigenschaften erklärt werden. (ii) Denitrifikations-, N2O-Reduktions- und DNRA-assoziierte Genexpression und Gemeinschaftsstruktur spiegeln metabolische Zustände und Potenziale wider, weshalb diese zu einer besseren Vorhersagbarkeit von N2O und N2 Flüssen führen. Hochdurchsatzinkubationen unter verschiedensten Bedingungen (einschließlich von 15N-Tracersubstanzen) kombiniert mit funktioneller Genexpression, sowie Gen- und Transkript-basierter Next-Generation-Sequencing-Methodik werden eingesetzt um apparente Michaelis-Menten-Kinetiken und physiologische Parameter stimulierter Taxa zu bestimmen. Funktionelle Gene von Denitrifizierern (nirK/S kodierend für dissimilatorische NO-bildende Nitritreduktasen; nosZI kodierend für N2-bildende dissimilatorische N2O-Reduktasen), nicht denitrifizierenden N2O-Reduzierern (nosZII kodierend für N2-bildende dissimilatorische N2O-Reduktasen der Nichtdenitrifizierer) und DNRA (nrfA kodierend für NH4+-bildende dissimilatorische Nitritreduktasen) werden bevorzugt analysiert. Reaktionsmuster der Zielgemeinschaften und/ oder funktionellen Genexpression auf definierte Umweltparameter werden in Mikrokosmen bestimmt. Der Effekt von Kontrollfaktoren der N-Gasdynamik und Pflanzen auf die Zielgemeinschaften wird in Mesokosmen analysiert. Die Daten werden in der Entwicklung eines erweiterten Denitrifier-regulatory-phenotype-Konzeptes zusammengeführt und werden Einblicke in die Ökophysiologie und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit von Denitrifikanten, nicht-denitrifizierenden N2O-Reduzierern und DNRA unter vielfältigen Bedingungen geben. Antwortfunktionen der Aktivitäten dieser Gruppen auf organischen Kohlenstoff (d.h. Elektronendonatoren), Nitrat und Distickstoffmonoxid, deren Wachstumsraten, Erhaltungsraten und Gemeinschaftsstruktur werden für die Modellierung von Denitrifikation und N-Gasflüssen zur Verfügung gestellt.
The objective of the project is to support the client for successful development of CDM projects in the agro-industry sector in Thailand. Sector for CDM project development is agro-industry with focus on starch factories. Starch industry is highly energy intensive and produces significant amounts of wastewater. Furthermore, as part of the Cassava processing, pulp is separated as organic waste. The projects aim to introduce biogas generation from organic waste in starch production and decrease the factories dependence on fossil fuels. The supported CDM projects consist of two components: methane avoidance and fuel switch of electricity from the grid and fossil fuels to renewable energy. The technical solutions included the treatment of wastewater and pulp from starch industry for biogas production. The generated biogas will be used for electricity and heat generation. The development of the projects as CDM projects enables co-financing of the investment via the carbon sales. Services provided: The support consisted of 3 packages: Revision of the PDD for biogas from wastewater project: Technical revision of the Project Design Document as a '3rd party'; Assessment and revision of the 'additionality of the project and emission reduction calculations; Development of the PDD for the pulp to energy biogas projects: Development of a project design document (PDD) according to the regulations of the Kyoto protocol; Assessment and demonstration of the 'additionality of CDM projects which use pulp from starch factories for biogas generation; Preparation of the study about the pulp in the starch factories in Thailand: Development of the concept for the study; Determination of methodology, approach and stakeholders for the study development.
Introduction: In Malaysia, excessive nutrients from livestock waste management systems are currently released to the environment. Particularly, large amounts of manure from intensive pig production areas are being excreted daily and are not being fully utilised. Alternatively, the excess manure can be applied as an organic fertiliser source in neighbouring cropping systems on the small landholdings of the pig farms to improve soil fertility so that its nutrients will be available for crop uptake instead of being discharged into water streams. Thus, there is a need for better tools to analyse the present situation, to evaluate and monitor alternative livestock production systems and manure management scenarios, and to support farmers in the proper management of manure and fertiliser application. Such tools are essential to quantify, and assess nutrient fluxes, manure quality and content, manure storage and application rate to the land as well as its environmental effects. Several computer models of animal waste management systems to assist producers and authorities are now available. However, it is felt that more development is needed to adopt such models to the humid tropics and conditions of Malaysia and other developing countries in the region. Objectives: The aim is to develop a novel model to evaluate nutrient emission scenarios and the impact of livestock waste at the landscape or regional level in humid tropics. The study will link and improve existing models to evaluate emission of N to the atmosphere, and leaching of nutrients to groundwater and surface water. The simulation outputs of the models will be integrated with a GIS spatial analysis to model the distribution of nutrient emission, leaching and appropriate manure application on neighbouring crop lands and as an information and decision support tool for the relevant users.
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is grown worldwide and is one of the most important crops for human nutrition. Einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum) is a diploid relative of bread wheat and both have the A genome in common. The timing of flowering is of major importance for plants to optimally adjust their life cycle to diverse environments. QTL mapping studies indicated that flowering time in cereals is a complex trait, which is controlled by three different pathways: vernalization, photoperiod and earliness per se. In wheat, high-resolution genome-wide association mapping is now possible, because of the availability of a high density molecular marker chip. The main goal of the proposed project is to investigate the regulation of flowering time in wheat using a genome-wide association mapping approach based on a novel high-density SNP array. In particular, the project aims to (1) investigate the phenotypic variation of flowering time of bread wheat and Einkorn wheat in response to environmental cues in multilocation field trials, (2) study the effects of Ppd alleles on flowering time in a candidate 3 gene approach, (3) determine the genetic architecture of flowering time in a high-density genome-wide association mapping, and (4) investigate the plasticity of the genetic architecture of flowering time in wheat by a comparison between bread wheat and Einkorn wheat.
In dem Vorhaben wird untersucht, wie wirksam die absorbierte Lichtenergie in Biomasse konvertiert wird. Vergleichend werden Grünalgen und Diatomeen unter verschiedenen Licht- und Nährstoffbedingungen studiert. Auf diese Weise können die metabolischen Kosten unter Nährstoffmangel oder anderen produktivitätsbegrenzenden Bedingungen studiert werden. So wird auch die Säureanpassung ausgewählter Phytoplankter untersucht, um die Biomassebildung in extrem sauren Tagebaurestseen auf physiologischer Ebene zu verstehen. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass unter Stickstoffmangel die Überführung anorganischen Kohlenstoffs in Biomassebildung durch eine Veränderung der makromolekularen Zusammensetzung der Zellen ähnlicher Effizienz stattfindet, wie unter optimaler Stickstoffversorgung. Dies führt zu einer ökologisch bedeutsamen Teilentkopplung des C und N Kreislaufs im Ökosystem. Ähnliches beobachtet man auch bei der Anpassung von Phytoplanktonalgen an extrem saure Bedingungen wie man sie in sauren Tagebaurestseen vorfindet.
Die Hochwasserereignisse im Dezember 1993 und Januar 1995 am Rhein, Juli/August 1997 an der Oder sowie im August 2002 an der Elbe und die hervorgerufenen Schäden haben in Deutschland zu der Erkenntnis geführt, dass baulich-technische Hochwasserschutzmaßnahmen nicht ausreichen, sondern dass ein vorsorgeorientiertes, die Ziele einer dauerhaft umweltgerechten Entwicklung verfolgendes Hochwassermanagement erforderlich ist. Dazu zählen der technische Hochwasserschutz, die weitergehende Hochwasservorsorge und die Flächenvorsorge zum natürlichen Rückhalt als vorbeugender Hochwasserschutz. Allerdings treten Defizite bei der Operationalisierung dieser politischen Ziele und Strategien auf der Umsetzungsebene auf. Es bleibt bisher die Frage unbeantwortet, ob es sich dabei um Regelungs- oder Vollzugsdefizite handelt. Das Forschungsvorhaben am Institut für Forst- und Umweltpolitik verfolgt das Ziel, die Bedingungen für die Implementation von existierenden politischen Initiativen zum vorbeugenden Hochwasserschutz zu untersuchen. Bedeutsam für die Untersuchung ist dabei die Betrachtung von Akteuren der verschiedenen politischen Ebenen und Sektoren im Durchführungsprozess, deren Kommunikations- und Machtstrukturen sowie der eingesetzten Instrumente, um hieraus Erkenntnisse über die politische Steuerung und deren Wirkung gewinnen zu können. Die Politikfeldanalyse sieht den Vergleich der Hochwasserschutzpolitik der Bundesländer Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz und Baden-Württemberg vor und wird unter Verwendung von Methoden der qualitativen Sozialforschung durchgeführt. Im Ergebnis sollen Effizienzfaktoren ermittelt und schließlich Handlungsempfehlungen für die Implementation von ressort- und grenzübergreifenden Planungsprozessen in komplexen politischen Systemen abgeleitet werden.
The nature of the microbial communities inhabiting the deeper soil horizons is largely unknown. It is also not clear why subsurface microorganisms do not make faster use of organic compounds under field conditions. The answer could be provided by a reciprocal soil transfer experiment studying the response of transferred soils to fluctuations in microclimate, organic inputs, and soil biota. The subproject P9 will be responsible for the establishment of reciprocal transfer experiments offering a strong link between subgroups interested in organic matter quality, transport of organic substances, as well as functions of the soil microbial community. A single, high molecular weight substrate (13C labelled cellulose) will be applied at two different levels in the pre-experiment to understand the dose-dependent reaction of soil microorganisms in transferred surface and sub-soils. Uniformly 13C labelled beech roots - representing complex substrates - will be used for the main reciprocal soil transfer experiment. We hypothesize that transferring soil cores between subsoil and surface soil as well as addition of labelled cellulose or roots will allow us to evaluate the relative impact of surface/subsurface habitat conditions and resource availability on abundance, function, and diversity of the soil microbial community. The second objective of the subproject is to understand whether minerals buried within different soil compartments (topsoil vs. subsoil) in the field contribute to creation of hot spots of microbial abundance and activity within a period of two to five years. We hypothesize that soil microorganisms colonize organo-mineral complexes depending on their nutritional composition and substrate availability. The existence of micro-habitat specific microbial communities could be important for short term carbon storage (1 to 6 years). The third objective is to understand the biogeography and function of soil microorganisms in different subsoils. Parent material as well as mineral composition might control niche differentiation during soil development. Depending on size and interconnectedness of niches, colonization and survival of soil microbial communities might be different in soils derived from loess, sand, terra fusca, or sandstone. From the methodological point of view, our specific interest is to place community composition into context with soil microbial functions in subsoils. Our subgroup will be responsible for determining the abundance, diversity, und function of soil microorganisms (13C microbial biomass, 13C PLFA, enzyme activities, DNA extraction followed by quantitative PCR). Quantitative PCR will be used to estimate total abundances of bacteria, archaea and fungi as well as abundances of specific groups of bacteria at high taxonomic levels. We will apply taxa specific bacterial primers because classes or phyla might be differentiated into ecological categories on the basis of their life strategies.
Dairy farming across Germany displays diverse production systems. Factor endowment, management, technology adoption as well as competitive dynamics in the local or regional land, agribusiness and dairy processing sectors contribute to this differentiation on farm level. These differences impact on the ability of dairy farms and regional dairy production systems to successfully respond to pressures arising from future market and policy changes. The overall objective of the research activities of which this project is a part of, is to develop a thorough understanding of the processes that govern the spatial dynamics of dairy farm development in different regions in Germany. The central hypothesis of this research project is that management system and technological choices differ systematically across local production and market conditions. The empirical approach will focus on the estimation of farm specific nonparametric cost functions for dairy farms located in across Germany differentiated by time and location. A spatially differentiated data base with information on input use, resource availability, as well as local market conditions for land and output markets will be compiled. The nonparametric approach is specifically suited to disclose a more accurate representation of dairy production system heterogeneity across locations and time compared to parametric concepts as it provides the necessary flexibility to accommodate non-linearities relevant for a wide domain of explanatory variables. The methodology employed goes beyond the state of the art of the literature as it combines kernel density estimation with a Bayesian sampling approach to provide theory consistent parameters for each farm in the data sample.The specific methodological hypothesis is that the nonparametric approach is superior to current parametric techniques and this hypothesis is tested using statistical model evaluation. Regarding the farm management and technological choices, we hypothesize that land suitability for feed production determines the farm intensity of dairy production and thus management and technological choices. With respect to the ability of farms to successfully respond to market pressures we hypothesize that farms at the upper and lower tail of the intensity distribution both can generate positive returns from dairy production. These last two hypotheses will be tested using the estimated spatially differentiated farm specific costs and marginal costs.The expected outcomes are of relevance for the agricultural sector and the food supply chain economy as a whole as fundamental market structure changes in the dairy sector are ongoing due to the abolition of the quota regulation in the years 2014/2015. Thus, exact knowledge about differences and development of dairy cost heterogeneity of farms within and between regions are an important factor for the actors involved in the market as well as the political support of this process.
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