Recent and predicted increases in extremely dry and hot summers emphasise the need for silvicultural approaches to increase the drought tolerance of existing forests in the short-term, before adaptation through species changes may be possible. We aim to investigate whether resistance during droughts, as well as the recovery following drought events (resilience), can be increased by allocating more growing space to individual trees through thinning. Thinning increases access of promoted trees to soil stored water, as long as this is available. However, these trees may also be disadvantaged through a higher transpirational surface, or the increased neighbourhood competition by ground vegetation. To assess whether trees with different growing space differ in drought tolerance, tree discs and cores from thinning experiments of Pinus sylvestris and Pseudotsuga menziesii stands will be used to examine transpirational stress and growth reduction during previous droughts as well as their subsequent recovery. Dendroecology and stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen in tree-rings will be used to quantify how assimilation rate and stomatal conductance were altered through thinning. The results will provide crucial information for the development of short-term silvicultural adaptation strategies to adapt forest ecosystems to climate change. In addition, this study will improve our understanding of the relationship between resistance and resilience of trees in relation to extreme stress events.
Agriculture is the major contributor of nitrogen to ecosystems, both by organic and inorganic fertilizers. Percolation of nitrate to groundwater and further transport to surface waters is assumed to be one of the major pathways in the fate of this nitrogen. The quantification of groundwater and associated nitrate flux to streams is still challenging. In particular because we lack understanding of the spatial distribution and temporal variability of groundwater and associated NO3- fluxes. In this preliminary study we will focus on the identification and quantification of groundwater and associated nitrate fluxes by combining high resolution distributed fiber-optic temperature sensing (DTS) with in situ UV photometry (ProPS). DTS is a new technique that is capable to measure temperature over distances of km with a spatial resolution of ca1 m and an accuracy of 0.01 K. It has been applied successfully to identify and quantify sources of groundwater discharge to streams. ProPS is a submersible UV process photometer, which uses high precision spectral analyses to provide single substance concentrations, in our case NO3-, at minute intervals and a detection limit of less than 0.05 mg l-1 (ca.0.01 mg NO3--Nl-1). We will conduct field experiments using artificial point sources of lateral inflow to test DTS and ProPS based quantification approaches and estimate their uncertainty. The selected study area is the Schwingbach catchment in Hessen, Germany, which has a good monitoring infrastructure. Preliminary research on hydrological fluxes and field observations indicate that the catchment favors the intended study.
Sandy soils of the arid/semiarid dune fields of the Palestinian Gaza Strip and the Israeli western Negev are extensively covered by biological soil crusts (BSC), which stabilize the surface and prevent desertification. Political discussions in Israel suggest transferring a large part of this sand belt to the Gaza Strip within a final peace accord. Inappropriate land uses may lead to destruction of the BSC and initiate desertification, as already occurring in parts of the Gaza Strip. In this interdisciplinary project the influence of environmental factors on the vitality, stability and the recovery potential of the BSC will be investigated in order to evaluate the carrying capacity of this fragile landscape, in relation to rainfall, soil and relief conditions. A transect stretching from the Mediterranean coast in the Palestinian Gaza Strip (370 mm rainfall) to 65 km southwards in Israel ( Nizzana , less than 100 mm rainfall) has been selected. The interactions of molecular biological, physiological, physical and soil chemical processes, expressed in specific characteristics of the BSC and the underlying soil, will be assessed from the molecular to the landscape scale.
The CHAMP mission provided a great amount of geomagnetic data all over the globe from 2000 to 2010. Its dense data coverage has allowed us to build GRIMM - GFZ Reference Internal Magnetic Model - which has the highest ever resolution for the core field in both space and time. We have already modeled the fluid flow in the Earth's outer core by applying the diffusionless magnetic induction equation to the latest version of GRIMM, to find that the flow evolves on subdecadal timescales, with a remarkable correlation to the observed fluctuation of Earth rotation. These flow models corroborated the presence of six-year torsional oscillations in the outer core fluid. Torsional oscillation (TO) is a type of hydromagnetic wave, theoretically considered to form the most important element of decadal or subdecadal core dynamics. It consists of relative azimuthal rotations of rigid fluid annuli coaxial with the mantle's rotation and dynamically coupled with the mantle and inner core. In preceding works, the TOs have been studied by numerical simulations, either with full numerical dynamos, or solving eigenvalue problems ideally representing the TO system. While these studies drew insights about dynamical aspects of the modeled TOs, they did not directly take into account the observations of geomagnetic field and Earth rotation. Particularly, there have been no observation-based studies for the TO using satellite magnetic data or models. In the proposed project, we aim at revealing the subdecadal dynamics and energetics of the Earth's core-mantle system on the basis of satellite magnetic observations. To that end, we will carry out four work packages (1) to (4), for all of which we use GRIMM. (1) We perform timeseries analyses of core field and flow models, to carefully extract the signals from TOs at different latitudes. (2) We refine the conventional flow modeling scheme by parameterizing the magnetic diffusion at the core surface. Here, the diffusion term is reinstated in the magnetic induction equation, which is dynamically constrained by relating it to the Lorentz term in the Navier-stokes equation. (3) We develop a method to compute the electromagnetic core-mantle coupling torque on the core fluid annuli, whereby the energy dissipation due to the Joule heating is evaluated for each annulus. This analysis would provide insights on whether the Earth's TOs are free or forced oscillations. (4) Bringing together physical implications and computational tools obtained by (1) to (3), we finally construct a dynamical model for the Earth's TOs and core-mantle coupling such that they are consistent with GRIMM and Earth rotation observation. This modeling is unique in that the force balances concerning the TOs are investigated in time domain, as well as that the modeling also aims at improving the observation-based core flow model by considering the core dynamics.
For surface soils, the mechanisms controlling soil organic C turnover have been thoroughly investigated. The database on subsoil C dynamics, however, is scarce, although greater than 50 percent of SOC stocks are stored in deeper soil horizons. The transfer of results obtained from surface soil studies to deeper soil horizons is limited, because soil organic matter (SOM) in deeper soil layers is exposed to contrasting environmental conditions (e.g. more constant temperature and moisture regime, higher CO2 and lower O2 concentrations, increasing N and P limitation to C mineralization with soil depth) and differs in composition compared to SOM of the surface layer, which in turn entails differences in its decomposition. For a quantitative analysis of subsoil SOC dynamics, it is necessary to trace the origins of the soil organic compounds and the pathways of their transformations. Since SOM is composed of various C pools which turn over on different time scales, from hours to millennia, bulk measurements do not reflect the response of specific pools to both transient and long-term change and may significantly underestimate CO2 fluxes. More detailed information can be gained from the fractionation of subsoil SOM into different functional pools in combination with the use of stable and radioactive isotopes. Additionally, soil-respired CO2 isotopic signatures can be used to understand the role of environmental factors on the rate of SOM decomposition and the magnitude and source of CO2 fluxes. The aims of this study are to (i) determine CO2 production and subsoil C mineralization in situ, (ii) investigate the vertical distribution and origin of CO2 in the soil profile using 14CO2 and 13CO2 analyses in the Grinderwald, and to (iii) determine the effect of environmental controls (temperature, oxygen) on subsoil C turnover. We hypothesize that in-situ CO2 production in subsoils is mainly controlled by root distribution and activity and that CO2 produced in deeper soil depth derives to a large part from the mineralization of fresh root derived C inputs. Further, we hypothesize that a large part of the subsoil C is potentially degradable, but is mineralized slower compared with the surface soil due to possible temperature or oxygen limitation.
Rain-cracking limits the production of many soft and fleshy fruit including sweet cherries world wide. Cracking is thought to result from increased water uptake through surface and pedicel. Water uptake increases fruit volume, and hence, turgor of cells (Pcell) and the pressure inside the fruit (Pfruit) and subjects the skin to tangential stress and hence, strain. When the strain exceeds the limits of extensibility the fruit cracks. This hypothesis is referred to as the Pfruit driven strain cracking. Based on this hypothesis cracking is related to two independent groups of factors: (1) water transport characteristics and (2) the intrinsic cracking susceptibility of the fruit defined as the amount of cracking per unit water uptake. The intrinsic cracking susceptibility thus reflects the mechanical constitution of the fruit. Most studies focussed on water transport through the fruit surface (factors 1), but only little information is available on the mechanical constitution (i.e., Pfruit and Pcell, tensile properties such as fracture strain, fracture pressure and modulus of elasticity of the exocarp; factors 2). The few published estimates of Pfruit in sweet cherry are all obtained indirectly (calculated from fruit water potential and osmotic potentials of juice extracts) and unrealistically high. They exceed those measured by pressure probe techniques in mature grape berry by several orders of magnitude. The objective of the proposed project is to test the hypothesis of the Pfruit driven strain cracking. Initially we will focus on establishing systems of widely differing intrinsic cracking susceptibility by varying species (sweet and sour cherry, Ribes and Vaccinium berries, plum, tomato), genotype (within sweet cherry), stage of development and temperature. These systems will then be used for testing the hypothesis of Pfruit driven strain cracking. We will quantify Pfruit und Pcell by pressure probe techniques and compression tests and the mechanical properties of the exocarp using biaxial tensile tests. When the presence of high Pfruit and Pcell is confirmed by direct measurements, subsequent studies will focus on the mode of failure of the exocarp (fracture along vs. across cell walls) and the relationship between failure thresholds and morphometric characteristics of the exocarp. However, when Pfruit und Pcell are low, the hypothesis of Pfruit driven strain cracking must be rejected and the mechanistic basis for low pressures (presence of apoplastic solutes) clarified on a temporal (in the course of development) and a spatial scale (exocarp vs. mesocarp). We focus on sweet cherry, because detailed information on this species and experience in extending the short harvest period is available. Where appropriate, other cracking susceptible species (sour cherry, plum, Vaccinium, Ribes, tomato) will be included to further extend the experimental period and to maximize the range in intrinsic cracking susceptibility.
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.
Magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) on microcosm soil cores (200 mm Ø) used for CeMiX, comprising naturally stacked subsoil down to 700 mm plus topsoil from CeFiT, will be implemented at a laterally partially open Split 1.5 T magnet, with intended final in-plane spatial resolution of 200 Micro m. Three-dimensional biopore distributions and dynamics of their formation within the cores will be determined non-invasively and compared to complementing CT analyses of SP 2. One major aim is a non-invasive differentiation of the biopores into earthworm- and root system-originating ones and currently air-, water-, root- and earthwormfilled ones, based on NMR relaxation parameters. Attempts will additionally be made to classify different wall coatings of the biopores with regard to their water affinity. Dynamics of water distribution within the microcosm core and its biopore structures, starting from initial values taken from CeFiT (SP 3), will be documented with an in-plane resolution of 5 mm, in parallel to measurements of root growth dynamics for calculation of biomass and root surface area. Special emphasis will be put on the role of the plant root system for a re-distribution of water/D2O (and solutes) between different soil layers. Finally we will attempt MRT-controlled sample collection from the microcosm cores, to get - together with our research unit partners of SPs 4-8 - repeated access to minimally invasively acquired data on nutrient and microorganism distributions in concert with non-invasively collected water and root distribution data as a basis for dynamic modelling of water and solute circuits in SP 10. Beside the microcosm cores, flat rhizotrons as used in SP 3 will be employed to enable measurements of root and shoot hydrostatic pressure profiles with pressure probes, in addition to MRT measurements. In this way water distributions and corresponding driving forces and growth dynamics will be measured altogether in a minimally invasive manner.
The biogeochemical interface (BGI) in this project is defined as the organo-mineral surface of soil particles colonized by microorganisms. In the preceding project it was demonstrated that the different soil particle size fractions were associated with specifically structured microbial communities, a characteristic amount of soil organic carbon, and a specific capacity for adsorption of the organic chemicals phenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol, respectively. While the diversity of the microbial community was responsive to fertilization-determined additional organic soil carbon in the larger particle size fractions, it was unaffected in clay. Stable isotope probing with 13C-labelled phenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol revealed that the soil organic carbon in the BGIs also affected the diversity of microorganisms involved in the degradation of these chemicals. All these results are yet only based on studying one soil with three organic carbon variants (Bad Lauchstädt) and only two organic compounds. The objective of this 2nd phase project is to apply the innovative technology developed in the 1st phase for studying the BGI processes with soil organic carbon variants from another soil (Ultuna, SPP 1315 site) and with the chiralic anilide Fungicide metalaxyl as an additional compound. This 2nd phase SPP 1315 project will also, in a collaborative effort with two other SPP 1315 partners, investigate (1) the importance of BGIs for the entantio-selective degradation of metalaxyl and (2) the role of soil microorganisms in the formation of bound residues, respectively. Furthermore, the project will utilize stable isotope probing and next-generation DNA sequencing to link the structural and functional diversity of the microbial communities responsible for metabolism of organic chemicals in the different BGIs determined by particle size fractions and soil organic carbon variants.
The formation of biogeochemical interfaces in soils is controlled, among other factors, by the type of particle surfaces present and the assemblage of organic matter and mineral particles. Therefore, the formation and maturation of interfaces is studied with artificial soils which are produced in long-term biogeochemical laboratory incubation experiments (3, 6, 12, 18 months. Clay minerals, iron oxides and charcoal are used as major model components controlling the formation of interfaces because they exhibit high surface area and microporosity. Soil interface characteristics have been analyzed by several groups involved in the priority program for formation of organo-mineral interfaces, sorptive and thermal interface properties, microbial community structure and function. Already after 6 months of incubation, the artificial soils exhibited different properties in relation to their composition. A unique dataset evolves on the development and the dynamics of interfaces in soil in the different projects contributing to this experiment. An integrated analysis based on a conceptual model and multivariate statistics will help to understand overall processes leading to the biogeochemical properties of interfaces in soil, that are the basis for their functions in ecosystems. Therefore, we propose to establish an integrative project for the evaluation of data obtained and for publication of synergistic work, which will bring the results to a higher level of understanding.
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