During the first project period we developed a general approach to quantify soil pore structure based on X-ray micro-tomography Vogel et al. (2010) which is applicable at various scales to cover soil pores larger that 0.05 mm in a representative way. Based on this method we generated equivalent network models to numerically simulate flow and transport of dissolved chemicals. The existing network model was extended to handle reactive transport and infiltration processes which are especially critical for matter flux in soil. The results were compared to experimental findings. The original research question 'what does a particle see on its way through soil' could be answered quantitatively for various boundary conditions including steady state flux and infiltration. However, we identified various critical aspects of the proposed modeling concept which will be in the focus of the second period. This includes 1) the spatial arrangement of interfaces having different quality which is crucial for chemical interactions and pore scale water dynamics, 2) the realistic multiphase dynamics at the pore scale which need to reflect the dynamic pressure and movement of trapped non-wetting phase and 3) the parametrization of structural complexity which need to be developed beyond the measurement of continuous Minkowski functions to allow the development of quantitative relations between structure and function. These aspects will be explored in a joint experiments in cooperation with partners within the SPP.
In many plant species, FLOWERING LOCUS T and related proteins are the mobile signal that communicates information on photoperiod from the leaves to the shoots, where the transition to flowering is realized. FT expression is tightly controlled at the transcriptional level so that it is restricted to leaves, occurs only in appropriate photoperiods, and integrates ambient temperature and developmental cues, as well as information on biotic and abiotic stress. We previously established that FT transcription in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana requires proximal promoter cis-elements and a distal enhancer, both evolutionary conserved among Brassicacea species. In addition, FT transcription is blocked prior vernalization in biannual accessions and vernalization-dependency of FT is controlled through a CArG-box located in the first intron that binds the transcriptional repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). Chromatin-mediated repression by the Polycomb Group (PcG) pathway is required for photoperiod-dependent FT regulation and participates in FT expression level modulation in response to other cues.In this project, I propose to explore the available sequence data from the 1001 genome project in Arabidopsis to evaluate how often changes in regulatory cis-elements at FT have occurred and how these translate into an adaptive value. Allele-specific FT expression pattern will be measured in F1 hybrids of different accessions in response to varying environmental conditions. FT alleles that show cis-regulatory variation will be further analyzed to pinpoint the causal regulatory changes and study their effect in more detail. The allotetrapolyploid species Brassica napus is a hybrid of two Brassiceae species belonging to the A- and C-type genome, which are in turn mesopolyploid due to a genome triplication that occurred ca. 10x106 years ago. We will determine allele-specific expression of FT paralogs from both genomes of a collection of B. napus accessions. The plants will be grown in the field in changing environmental conditions to maximize the chance to detect expression variation of the paralogs. We will compare the contribution of the founder genomes to the regulation of flowering time and asses variation in this contribution. A particular focus will be to study the impact of chromatin-mediated repression on allele selection in B. napus.
Beach sand deposits are widespread in the area around Sandefjord, at the western coast of the Oslofjord, southern Norway. The age of the deposits continuously increases with elevation, as the area has been subject to steady glacio-isostatic uplift throughout the Holocene. Existing local sea level curves provide age control related to elevation. Thus, the area offers excellent conditions to test hypotheses on soil formation and OSL dating. A chronosequence covering the last 10 000 years will be established. A preliminary study showed that soil formation leads to Podzols within 4300 - 6600 years. Micromorphological analyses suggest that clay illuviation takes place before and below podzolisation. It is hypothesised that clay translocation goes on contemporarily with podzolisation, but at greater soil depth, where the chemical conditions are suitable. This hypothesis will be proved by more detailed micromorphological investigation and chemical analyses. The factors controlling soil forming processes and their rates, will be determined by analyzing elemental composition, primary minerals and clay mineralogy. Preliminary OSL dating tests suggest that the beach sand deposits are OSL dateable despite the high latitude. This hypothesis will be checked by comparing OSL datings to ages derived from the 14C-based sea level curves.
Im Auftrag des Bayerischen Landesamtes für Umwelt hat bifa den erstmals 2003 durchgeführten Ökoeffizienzvergleich der Entsorgungsstrukturen Bayerns, Deutschlands und der Schweiz erweitert und aktualisiert. Die Ergebnisse aus dem Jahr 2003 zeigten, dass der bayerische Weg zur Gestaltung der Abfallwirtschaft in seiner Ökoeffizienz im Vergleich mit den Entsorgungsstrukturen der Schweiz und dem deutschen Durchschnitt am besten abschnitt. Nach der, im Rahmen der aktuellen Beauftragung, durchgeführten Datenaktualisierung, der Bilanzierung zusätzlicher Wertstoffströme und der Berücksichtigung des Verbots der Ablagerung nicht vorbehandelter Abfälle rücken die Entsorgungsstrukturen hinsichtlich Ihrer Ökoeffizienz deutlich enger zusammen. Die Entsorgungsstruktur Bayerns weist im Vergleich zur Entsorgungsstruktur Deutschlands zwar noch ein geringfügig besseres ökologisches Gesamtergebnis auf, ist aber gleichzeitig mit leicht höheren Gesamtkosten verbunden. Die Entsorgungsstruktur der Schweiz ist etwas weniger ökoeffizient. Die Ursachen dafür sind eine geringere Umweltentlastung im ökologischen Gesamtergebnis, gepaart mit vergleichsweise hohen Entsorgungskosten. Methoden: Analyse und Moderation sozialer Prozesse, Ökobilanzierung und Systemanalyse, Ökonomie und Managementberatung.
In my project I aim at a better understanding of the evolution of malacostracan crustaceans, which includes very different groups such as mantis shrimps, krill and lobsters. Previous studies on Malacostraca, on extant as well as on fossil representatives, focussed on adult morphology.In contrast to such approaches, I will apply a Palaeo-Evo-Devo approach to shed new light on the evolution of Malacostraca. Palaeo-Evo-Devo uses data of different developmental stages of fossil malacostracan crustaceans, such as larval and juvenile stages. With this approach I aim at bridging morphological gaps between the different diverse lineages of modern malacostracans by providing new insights into the character evolution in these lineages.An extensive number of larval and juvenile malacostracans is present in the fossil record, but which have only scarcely been studied. The backbone of this project will be on malacostracans from the Solnhofen Lithographic Limestones (ca. 150 million years old), which are especially well preserved and exhibit minute details. During previous studies, I developed new documentation methods for tiny fossils from these deposits, e.g., fluorescence composite microscopy, and also discovered the first fossil mantis shrimp larvae. For malcostracan groups that do not occur in Solnhofen, I will investigate fossils from other lagerstätten, e.g., Mazon Creek and Bear Gulch (USA), or Montceaules- Mines and La-Voulte-sur-Rhône (France). The main groups in focus are mantis shrimps and certain other shrimps (e.g., mysids, caridoids), as well as the bottom-living ten-footed crustaceans (reptantians). Examples for studied structures are leg details, including the feeding apparatus, but also eyes. The results will contribute to the reconstruction of 3D computer models.The data collected in this project will be used for evaluating the relationships within Malacostraca, but mainly for providing plausible evolutionary scenarios, how the modern malacostracan diversity evolved. With the Palaeo-Evo-Devo approach, I am also able to detect shifts in developmental timing, called heterochrony, which is interpreted as one of the major driving forces of evolution. Finally, the reconstructed evolutionary patterns can be compared between the different lineages for convergencies. These comparisons might help to explain the convergent adaptation to similar ecological niches in different malacostracan groups, e.g., life in the deep sea, life on the sea bottom, evolution of metamorphosis or of predatory larvae.As the project requires the investigation of a large number of specimens in different groups, I will assign distinct sub-projects to three doctoral researchers. The results of this project will not only be published in peer-reviewed journals, but will also be presented to the non-scientific public, e.g., during fossil fairs or museum exhibitions with 3D models engraved in glass blocks.
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.
Chlorinated ethylenes are prevalent groundwater contaminants. Numerous studies have addressed the mechanism of their reductive dehalogenation during biodegradation and reaction with zero-valent iron. However, despite insight with purified enzymes and well-characterized chemical model systems, conclusive evidence has been missing that the same mechanisms do indeed prevail in real-world transformations. While dual kinetic isotope effect measurements can provide such lines of evidence, until now this approach has not been possible for chlorinated ethylenes because an adequate method for continuous flow compound specific chlorine isotope analysis has been missing. This study attempts to close this prevalent research gap by a combination of two complementary approaches. (1) A novel analytical method to measure isotope effects for carbon and chlorine. (2) A carefully chosen set of well-defined model reactants representing distinct dehalogenation mechanisms believed to be important in real-world systems. Isotope trends observed in biotic and abiotic environmental dehalogenation will be compared to these model reactions, and the respective mechanistic hypotheses will be confirmed or discarded. With this hypothesis-driven approach it is our goal to elucidate for the first timdehalogenation reactions.
It has been suggested that dying and decaying fine roots and root exudation represent important, if not the most important, sources of soil organic carbon (SOC) in forest soils. This may be especially true for deep-reaching roots in the subsoil, but precise data to prove this assumption are lacking. This subproject (1) examines the distribution and abundance of fine roots (greater than 2 mm diameter) and coarse roots (greater than 2 mm) in the subsoil to 240 cm depth of the three subsoil observatories in a mature European beech (Fagus sylvatica) stand, (2) quantifies the turnover of beech fine roots by direct observation (mini-rhizotron approach), (3) measures the decomposition of dead fine root mass in different soil depths, and (4) quantifies root exudation and the N-uptake potential with novel techniques under in situ conditions with the aim (i) to quantify the C flux to the SOC pool upon root death in the subsoil, (ii) to obtain a quantitative estimate of root exudation in the subsoil, and (iii) to assess the uptake activity of fine roots in the subsoil as compared to roots in the topsoil. Key methods applied are (a) the microscopic distinction between live and dead fine root mass, (b) the estimation of fine and coarse root age by the 14C bomb approach and annual ring counting in roots, (c) the direct observation of the formation and disappearance of fine roots in rhizotron tubes by sequential root imaging (CI-600 system, CID) and the calculation of root turnover, (d) the measurement of root litter decomposition using litter bags under field and controlled laboratory conditions, (e) the estimation of root N-uptake capacity by exposing intact fine roots to 15NH4+ and 15NO3- solutions, and (f) the measurement of root exudation by exposing intact fine root branches to trap solutions in cuvettes in the field and analysing for carbohydrates and amino acids by HPLC and Py-FIMS (cooperation with Prof. A. Fischer, University of Trier). The obtained data will be analysed for differences in root abundance and activity between subsoil (100-200 cm) and topsoil (0-20 cm) and will be related to soil chemical and soil biological data collected by the partner projects that may control root turnover and exudation in the subsoil. In a supplementary study, fine root biomass distribution and root turnover will also be studied at the four additional beech sites for examining root-borne C fluxes in the subsoil of beech forests under contrasting soil conditions of different geological substrates (Triassic limestone and sandstone, Quaternary sand and loess deposits).
BACKGROUND: The Kingdom of Jordan belongs to the ten water scarcest countries in the world, and climate change is likely to increase the frequency of future droughts. Jordan is considered among the 10 most water impoverished countries in the world, with per capita water availability estimated at 170 m per annum, compared to an average of 1,000 m per annum in other countries. Jordan Government has taken the strategic decision to develop a conveyor system including a 325 km pipe to pump 100 million cubic meters per year of potable water from Disi-Mudawwara close to the Saudi Border in the south, to the Greater Amman area in the north. The construction of the water pipeline has started end of 2009 and shall be finished in 2013. Later on, the pipeline could serve as a major part of a national water carrier in order to convey desalinated water from the Red Sea to the economically most important central region of the country. The conveyor project will not only significantly increase water supplies to the capital, but also provide for the re-allocation of current supplies to other governorates, and for the conservation of aquifers. In the context of the Disi project that is co-funded by EIB two Environmental and Social Management Plans have been prepared: one for the private project partners and one for the Jordan Government. The latter includes the Governments obligation to re-balance water allocations to irrigation and to gradually restore the protected wetlands of Azraq (Ramsar site) east of Amman that has been depleted due to over-abstraction by re-directing discharge of highland aquifers after the Disi pipeline becomes operational. The Water Strategy recognizes that groundwater extraction for irrigation is beyond acceptable limits. Since the source is finite and priority should be given to human consumption it proposes to tackle the demand for irrigation through tariff adjustments, improved irrigation technology and disincentive to water intensive crops. The Disi aquifer is currently used for irrigation by farms producing all kinds of fruits and vegetables on a large scale and exporting most of their products to the Saudi and European markets and it is almost a third of Jordan's total consumption. The licenses for that commercial irrigation were finished by 2011/12. Whilst the licenses will be not renewed the difficulty will be the enforcement and satellite based information become an important supporting tool for monitoring. OUTLOOK: The ESA funded project Water management had the objective to support the South-North conveyor project and the activities of EIB together with the MWI in Jordan to ensure the supply of water for the increasing demand. EO Information provides a baseline for land cover and elevation and support the monitoring of further stages. usw.
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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