Although the use of genetically modified plants for bioremediation, or the in situ cleaning of contaminated sites, has been known for quite some time, little attention has so far been paid to the production of antibodies in plants and their ex vivo application in selective depletion. Therefore, highly affine and specific antibodies against algal toxins using microcystin as an example will be produced in plants at low cost within this research project. The basis is a monoclonal antibody (Mab 10E7, species: mouse) generated in a former research project. The sequence of the variable domains will be determined, optimized for plants and sub cloned into suitable plant transformation vectors, which already contain constant antibody sequences. In addition, a scFv fragment containing different tag sequences and fusion proteins will be constructed. Leaf-based (tobacco) as well as seed-based (barley) systems will be used.Affinity-purified plant-produced antibodies (plantibodies) will be characterized in detail for their binding properties using microtitre plate-ELISA and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The monoclonal mouse antibody will be used as reference. To assure cost-efficiency for future applications, roughly purified fractions (sequential pH and temperature treatment followed by filtration) will be tested for the upscaling. Following immobilization of the plantibody fractions on suitable substrates, for instance membranes, porous polymer monoliths or in porous glasses, their application for depletion will be defined using model water samples spiked fortified with microcystins.
Objectives: Focus of investigations is in development of species and ecosystem diversity (alpha-, beta- and gamma-diversity) as well as on ecological and population biological processes on landscape and ecosystem levels. The project asks questions on the function of forest management and landscape units for dispersal and establishment of typical forest plants (herb, shrub and tree layer), in particular on the exchange of diaspores (dispersal units) and the recolonization of biocoenologically impoverished, partly fragmented forest ecosystems. We will also check to what extent species or species groups and habitat structures can be used as indicators for monitoring of biological diversity in forests on landscape level. Major questions are: (1) How to maintain or re-create a biological diversity that is typical and as large as possible for the respective forest ecosystem? (2) What spacious effects does forest management have for the biological diversity at landscape level? (3) Which role do wild animals (e.g. hoofed game, birds) play in the diaspore dispersal of vascular forest plants? (4) How can the biological diversity be monitored with simple methods? Results: - The comparison of the recent and the ancient forest cover shows in total an increasing forest area of 636 ha. On the soils of the ground and terminal moraines deforestation exceeds by far the reforestation (balance -544ha). On the sander the afforestation of former heathland, communal pasture and fields increases the forest area round about 1.198 ha. - The rare vascular plant species, selected on the basis of their frequency in the distribution atlas of the flora of Schleswig-Holstein, are mainly found on the nutrient rich and moist sites of the recent moraine, especially in the Alno-Ulmion and the Hordelymo-Fagetum. - A comparison of the presence of the rare vascular plant species with informations in the distribution atlas leads to the presumption of a decrease of the occurence of a lot of these species. The reasons for this are discussed. - The strict relationship of the rare forest vascular plant species to sites with continously forest cover is remarkable. Only 12 of the 72 sites with at least one rare plant species are clearly afforestated agricultaral area. - Hoofed game species transport numerous plant species - partially in large amounts - over relatively long distances, both by the faeces after gut passage (endozoochory) and by adhesion to the coats and hooves (epizoochory). Especially wild boar are of particular importance, as they may potentially disperse almost plant species.
Das im Rahmen des Vorgängerprojektes NAFT erstellte Lawinenprognosemodell hat die Möglichkeiten numerischer Lawinenprognose aufgezeigt. Obwohl die verschiedenen entwickelten Lawinenprognosemodelle den Gefahrentrend und die allgemeine Situation den Erwartungen entsprechend richtig angezeigt haben, zeigte sich dennoch ein Nachteil sehr deutlich. Die gewünschten Informationen werden vom Praktiker vor Ort nicht als allgemeine - talschaftsbezogene - Information gewünscht, sondern sollen auf die einzelnen Gefahrenorte, bzw. Lawinenstriche bezogen sein. Als Ziel für NAFT2000 galt es daher die regionale Prognose zu verbessern als auch ein Modell für die lokale Prognose zu entwickeln. Die Optimierung der regionalen, talschaftsbezogenen Prognose war sehr erfolgreich. Durch Einbeziehung der Expositionen in die statistischen Analysen und in die Genetischen Algorithmen konnte die Trefferwahrscheinlichkeit im Durchschnitt um 5 Prozent gesteigert werden (mittlere Trefferrate bei Lawinentagen 85 Prozent). Erfreulich dabei ist, dass nicht nur die Lawinentage sondern auch die Nichtlawinentage besser erkannt wurden. Dadurch wird das Ergebnis für den Praktiker verlässlicher, weil es seltener überwarnt. Die lokale, hangbezogene Lawinenprognose konnte ebenfalls erfolgreich abgeschlossen werden. Die Ergebnisse stellen nicht nur eine Verbesserung hinsichtlich der Trefferquote dar. Alleine die Tatsache, dass die Gefahr differenziert für die einzelnen Hangbereiche visualisiert wird, stellt einen praxisrelevanten Fortschritt dar. Auch die zusätzliche Angabe relevanter Faktoren wie Strahlung und Schneehöhe in den einzelnen Abbruchgebieten fand große Zustimmung bei den Anwendern. Einer der größten Vorteile des vorgestellten lokalen Prognosekonzepts liegt weiters darin, dass keine langjährigen Datenreihen notwendig sind. Außer der eigentlichen Datenimplementierung und geringfügigen Adaptierungen müssen keine Zeitreihenanalysen wie bei der regionalen Prognose durchgeführt werden.
In strict nature reserves and core zones of protected areas hunting and forestry operations are often restricted or banned. However, regarding the management of Wild boar, such hunt-free zones are discussed controversially and can lead to conflict. Hunters whose areas border no-hunting zones (and who have to reimburse farmers for crop damages caused by Wild boar) are concerned that the boars may evade effective population management by staying within the limits of the no-hunting zone, and farmers fear increased crop damage in the surroundings of such areas. Some conservationists are also concerned because Wild boars increasingly root protected habitats and can cause damage to rare plant assemblies. The three-year project Wild boar problem in the vicinity of protected areas by the Game Research Institute (Wildforschungsstelle) at the Centre for Agriculture Baden-Württemberg (LAZBW) aims at investigating if and how no-hunting zones might affect Wild boar activity, movement patterns, home range size, and habitat use, as well as crop damage caused by boars, by comparing these aspects between hunting-free zones and unprotected areas. Although there have already been a number of telemetry studies on Wild boar, including space use in the context of hunting activity, to date there is no study that has specifically investigated spatial and ecological aspects in and around protected areas. My dissertation Ecology of Wild boar Sus scrofa in the vicinity of protected areas is being carried out within the scope of the Game Research Institutes project and apart from the aims outlined above, further aspects of Wild boar ecology will be investigated, especially the role of Wild boar as bio-engineer and habitat creator for other species vs. unwanted damages at protected sites. Twenty-seven Vectronic GPS-GSM satellite collars with integrated activity sensors are available to tag Wild boars in three study areas: the non-protected Altdorfer Forest near Aulendorf with regular hunting activity and forestry, the nature reserve Wurzacher Ried with its ca. 700 ha core zone that is a strict reserve with no human activity, and the Biosphere Reserve Swabian Jura, especially in the surroundings of the former military training area near Münsingen and the 170 ha no-usage-area Föhrenberg.
Climate conditions along the Antarctic Peninsula have considerably changed in the last 50 years. The glaciers on the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) have already shown reactions of change by speedup and surface lowering. The disintegration of the Larsen-A and B Ice Shelves, the ice shelves in the Larsen Inlet, Prinz-Gustav-Channel and Wordie Ice Shelf have led to a surge-type behaviour of tributary glaciers to which much of the current contribution of Antarctic Peninsula ice to sea level rise is attributed. However, quantifications of mass loss from the peninsula using different observations and methods are still ambiguous. We propose to improve the quantifications of mass loss in the area of the former Northern Larsen-A embayment as well as for Western Antarctic Peninsula glaciers including tributaries to former Wordie Ice Shelf. In order to achieve those goals we analyse time series of SAR satellite data from the ESA archive to determine glacier velocity changes for these regions over the last 20 years. We use data from the new national mission TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X to generate ice velocity fields, to determine surface elevation changes and to map the grounding line of tidewater glaciers. We will back our products with ground truth measurements from two field campaigns and laser altimetry from collaborating partners. In an integrated analysis we link those data sets to achieve a better glaciological understanding of underlying processes. We apply a novel approach to quantify volume changes and to derive ice thickness maps for selected areas using a mass conserving approach that leverages on the various remote sensing data sets generated.
In my Phd-study, I examine the resource conflict over industrial logging in the South Moresby area on Haida Gwaii (former Queen Charlotte Islands) from 1974 to 1993. On this remote archipelago on British Columbias west-coast, a fierce dispute over logging practices, land rights, Aboriginal land claims and environmental issues had emerged in the face of devastating logging practices were not only threatening to destroy large parts of Moresby Island but also resulted in the destruction of salmon streams. The two major natural resources available on the islands were at stake during the 'war in the woods.' Together with environmentalist, the Haida First Nation successfully fought for the preservation of Gwaii Haanas (South Moresby Island) with blockades, protests, environmental campaigns, lobbying and legal action. The area is now protected as the 'Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve.-' Using a cultural approach combining aspects of 'storytelling,' the 'cultural memory' and 'actor-network-theory' (ANT), the core question arises whether the (Western) dualisms between 'nature' and 'culture' and between 'fact' and 'fiction' should be dissolved. Latour argues that such dualisms and even the separation between the human and non-human world (i.e., the world of things) do not exist. Assmann claims that we do not necessarily remember what has really happened', but what was repeatedly told us to have happened. Along with Thomas King, J. Edward Chamberlin and William Cronon, I stress the point that stories - fictitious or based on facts - do matter. The effect of stories on the way we understand our past, might often be more important than that of 'hard' facts: Stories shape both a societys concept of the past and its present identity. Canada, with its heterogeneous population, is a particularly interesting place to conduct research about different concepts of 'nature' and culture'. Analyzing the different stories that evolved around South Moresby, and taking into account diverging messages of native and non-native stories, offers a new perspective on similar resource conflicts that continue to exist and arise all over the world.
The HyTEC project will expand the existing European network of hydrogen demonstration sites into two of the most promising early markets for hydrogen and fuel cells, Denmark and the UK. The capital cities of Copenhagen and London will deploy a fleet of 30 next generation hydrogen fuel cell passenger vehicles in three different vehicle classes taxis, passenger cars and scooters. These state-of-the-art vehicles will be used in day to day urban fleet operations, thus taking a step forward from technology demonstration projects, towards fuel cell vehicles in the hands of real users. New publicly accessible fuelling stations will lead to genuine refueling networks covering each capital city. These will be appropriate for expanding the pre-commercial rollout of hydrogen vehicles. An extensive research program will assess the technical performance of the vehicles over a two year demonstration period, a life cycle impact assessment of the vehicles will demonstrate the overall well to wheels impacts and social studies will investigate the non-technical barriers. The results of the project will inform future commercialization and infrastructure rollout planning by policy makers and industry players. A widespread dissemination campaign will be aimed at improving public awareness of the potential for hydrogen vehicles as a future low carbon transport solution. This will be backed up by a more targeted campaign aiming at industry players, opinion formers and key policy makers across Europe. For the first time, the project will create genuine links between the new and existing European hydrogen demonstration projects, with a view to informing ongoing strategic planning for hydrogen rollout and also ensuring a common voice towards the expansion of the hydrogen vehicle fleet in Europe towards commercialization.
Large areas of abandoned pasture land in the Alps are currently encroached by shrub at a breathtaking speed, with green alder (Alnus viridis) playing the most prominent role. Dense Alnus thickets reduce plant diversity in former species-rich upper montane grassland, prevent natural forest succession, change the water relations at the landscape scale by reducing runoff, contribute through symbiotic N2 fixation substantially to eutrophication by leaching nitrate to the river system and exert risks to local drinking water springs. Paradoxically, this conversion into species-poor, nitrogen enriching and releasing Alnus thickets occurs in mountain regions considered particularly rich in biodiversity and essential for the continuing provision of many ecosystem goods and services, particularly for clean and plentiful water. Except from local sources, critical loads for nitrogen by atmospheric deposition are only rarely exceeded in these high elevation regions. The project ALNEX is designed (1) to quantify the water quality impact of Alnus by measuring the nitrogen pools and fluxes from single alder shrub to catchment-wide landscapes, (2) to elaborate land management guidelines towards preserving of open, centuries-old pasture land and (3) to assess the policy implications in a critical load and biodiversity context.
Arbuscular- (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi influence soil organic matter (SOM) quantity and quality using different mechanisms. So far little is known how changes in the dominating mycorrhiza type occurring after land use change from arable crops to short rotation forestry (SRF) affect the quantity, composition and turnover of SOM. Therefore, we will manipulate the dominating mycorrhiza type in field and lab experiments to test the following hypotheses: (1) A change from AM to EM, expected under SRF, results in SOM storage due to mycelium formation and SOM stabilising hydrophobin production; (2) A back-change to AM in crops after SRF stimulates saprotrophs to decompose the previously stored SOM and forms new SOM using aggregating effects of glomalin. Accordingly, we will sample recent and former long term SRF and their corresponding reference sites. We will investigate the mycorrhizal colonisation, the amount and molecular composition of SOM including markers (chitin, hydrophobin, glomalin). The microbial decomposition of SOM in the presence and absence of EM will be investigated using 13C studies in incubation experiments. This will prove the importance and sustainability of mycorrhizal C for SOM formation.
Implementation of EU waste legislation shows large differences in the EU Member States especially with regard to municipal waste management. Major discrepancies prevail particularly in the implementation and application of the Waste Framework Directive and proper transposition of EU requirements into national legislation. The waste management performance of all EU Member States was subject to screening to identify those Member States with the largest implementation gaps, in particular in relation to municipal waste management. For screening the main elements and legal requirements stemming from EU waste directives (mainly from the Waste Framework and the Landfill Directive) were considered for the design of suitable criteria. These core elements comprise the practical implementation of the waste management hierarchy, application of economic and legal instruments to move up the waste hierarchy, sufficiency of treatment infrastructure and quality of waste management planning, the fulfilment of targets and infringement procedures. These elements were assessed by 18 criteria for each Member State taking into account information sources at EU, national or regional level. Latest available statistical data and data of former years for comparison of development within a country were extracted from the EUROSTAT database. References comprised reports published by the European Commission, the European Topic Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production, internal working documents of EUROSTAT and the EU Commission as well as national/regional Waste Management Plans. Where available also Waste Prevention Programmes were screened. The screening results confirmed the assumption of large differences within the EU-27 with regard to treatment of municipal waste, compliance with the WFD and Landfill Directives and application of legal or economic instruments as well as planning quality. For each criterion two, one or zero points could be achieved, leading to maximum points of 42 for all criteria. The methodology includes weighting of results for three selected criteria related to the application of the treatment options recycling, energy recovery and disposal of municipal waste.
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