We study the effects of plants and root-associated fungi on wind erosion within the alpine environment of Tibet. China is one of the countries most affected by desertification processes and Tibet, in particular, a key region in desertification combat. The presented project focuses on the Barkha Plain surrounded by Mount Kailash and the Lake of Manasarovar (Ngari Prefecture). This Western Tibet region experienced little scientific attention but, nowadays, faces rapidly increasing touristic activities and expanding local settlements associated with socio-economic changes that are serious threats to the delicate ecological balance and potential triggers of desertification. It exists almost unanimous agreement that revegetation is the most efficient and promising strategy to combat wind erosion and desertification in the long term. However, re-colonising success is often poor, mainly under extreme environmental conditions. Compared to conventional practices, the approach of the presented project attains better accordance with natural succession processes and promises acceleration of both plant and soil development and, conclusively, more efficient desertification control. The project assesses the potential of native plants and symbiotic fungi to control wind erosion and desertification processes. It aims to identify key plants and fungi that increase soil aggregate stability and efficiently drive succession into a natural and self-maintaining cycle of the ecosystem. Furthermore, it provides crucial information for implementing environmentally compatible and cost-effective measures to protect high-elevation ecosystems against desertification. Within three successional stages (early, intermediate, late), field investigations are performed on the basis of Modified-Whittaker plots. Classic methods of vegetation analysis and myco-sociology are combined with analysis of distribution patterns at different scales (patchiness, connectivity). Comprehensive soil analysis is performed comprising grain size distribution, aggregate stability, pH as well as water and nutrient contents. Additionally, important parameters of wind erosion are measured concurrently and continuously to assess their magnitude and variability with respect to vegetation and soil at different levels of development. The parameters addressed, include sediment transport, air temperature, radiation, precipitation, relative humidity as well as speed and direction of wind. Surface moisture is recorded periodically and roughness described. Species and environmental parameters are checked for spatial correlation. Cutting edge technologies are applied in laboratory work, comprising molecular methods for fungal species identification and micro-tomography to analyse soil structure. Furthermore, successfully cultivated fungi and plants are subject of synthesis experiments and industrial propagation in view of practical implementation in restoration measures.
Im letzten Jahrzehnt war der grönländische Eisschild mehreren Extremereignissen ausgesetzt, mit teils unerwartet starken Auswirkungen auf die Oberflächenmassebilanz und den Eisfluss, insbesondere in den Jahren 2010, 2012 und 2015. Einige dieser Schmelzereignisse prägten sich eher lokal aus (wie in 2015), während andere fast die gesamte Eisfläche bedeckten (wie in 2010).Mit fortschreitendem Klimawandel ist zu erwarten, dass extreme Schmelzereignisse häufiger auftreten und sich verstärken bzw. länger anhalten. Bisherige Projektionen des Eisverlustes von Grönland basieren jedoch typischerweise auf Szenarien, die nur allmähliche Veränderungen des Klimas berücksichtigen, z.B. in den Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), wie sie im letzten IPCC-Bericht genutzt wurden. In aktuellen Projektionen werden extreme Schmelzereignisse im Allgemeinen unterschätzt - und welche Konsequenzen dies für den zukünftigen Meeresspiegelanstieg hat, bleibt eine offene Forschungsfrage.Ziel des vorgeschlagenen Projektes ist es, die Auswirkungen extremer Schmelzereignisse auf die zukünftige Entwicklung des grönländischen Eisschildes zu untersuchen. Dabei werden die unmittelbaren und dauerhaften Auswirkungen auf die Oberflächenmassenbilanz und die Eisdynamik bestimmt und somit die Beiträge zum Meeresspiegelanstieg quantifiziert. In dem Forschungsprojekt planen wir zudem, kritische Schwellenwerte in der Häufigkeit, Intensität sowie Dauer von Extremereignissen zu identifizieren, die - sobald sie einmal überschritten sind - eine großräumige Änderung in der Eisdynamik auslösen könnten.Zu diesem Zweck werden wir die dynamische Reaktion des grönländischen Eisschilds in einer Reihe von Klimaszenarien untersuchen, in denen extreme Schmelzereignisse mit unterschiedlicher Wahrscheinlichkeit zu bestimmten Zeitpunkten auftreten, und die Dauer und Stärke prognostisch variiert werden. Um indirekte Effekte durch verstärktes submarines Schmelzen hierbei berücksichtigen zu können, werden wir das etablierte Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) mit dem Linearen Plume-Modell (LPM) koppeln. Das LPM berechnet das turbulente submarine Schmelzen aufgrund von Veränderungen der Meerestemperatur und des subglazialen Ausflusses. Es ist numerisch sehr effizient, so dass das gekoppelte PISM-LPM Modell Ensemble-Läufe mit hoher Auflösung ermöglicht. Folglich kann eine breite Palette von Modellparametern und Klimaszenarien in Zukunftsprojektionen in Betracht gezogen werden.Mit dem interaktiv gekoppelten Modell PISM-LPM werden wir den Beitrag Grönlands zum Meeresspiegelanstieg im 21. Jahrhundert bestimmen, unter Berücksichtigung regionaler Veränderungen von Niederschlag, Oberflächen- und Meerestemperaturen, und insbesondere der Auswirkungen von Extremereignissen. Ein Hauptergebnis wird eine Risikokarte sein, die aufzeigt, in welchen kritischen Regionen Grönlands zukünftige extreme Schmelzereignisse den stärksten Eisverlust zur Folge hätten.
The basidiomycete Armillaria mellea s.l. is one of the most important root rot pathogens of forest trees and comprises several species. The aim of the project is to identify the taxa occurring inSwitzerland and to understand their ecological behaviour. Root, butt and stem rots caused by different fungi are important tree diseases responsible for significant economic losses. Armillaria spp. occur world-wide and are important components of many natural and managed forest ecosystems. Armillaria spp. are known saprothrophs as well as primary and secondary pathogens causing root and butt rot on a large number of woody plants, including forest and orchard trees as well as grape vine and ornamentals. The identification of several Armillaria species in Europe warrants research in the biology and ecology of the different species. We propose to study A. cepistipes for the following reasons. First, A. cepistipes is dominating the rhizomorph populations in most forest types in Switzerland. This widespread occurrence contrasts with the current knowledge about A. cepistipes, which is very limited. Second, because the pathogenicity of A. cepistipes is considered low this fungus has the potential for using as an antagonist to control stump colonising pathogenic fungi, such as A. ostoyae and Heterobasidion annosum. This project aims to provide a better understanding of the ecology of A. cepistipes in mountainous Norway spruce (Picea abies) forests. Special emphasis will be given to interactions of A. cepistipes with A. ostoyae, which is a very common facultative pathogen and which often co-occurs with A. cepistipes. The populations of A. cepistipes and A. ostoyae will be investigated in mountainous spruce forests were both species coexist. The fungi will be sampled from the soil, from stumps and dead wood, and from the root system of infected trees to determine the main niches occupied by the two species. Somatic incompatibility will be used to characterise the populations of each species. The knowledge of the spatial distribution of individual genets will allow us to gain insights into the mode of competition and the mode of spreading. Inoculation experiments will be used to determine the variation in virulence expression of A. cepistipes towards Norway spruce and to investigate its interactions with A. ostoyae.
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.
In the Earth, the dynamo action is strongly linked to core freezing. There is a solid inner core, the growth of which provides a buoyancy flux that drives the dynamo. The buoyancy in this case derives from a difference in composition between the solid inner core and the fluid outer core. In planetary bodies smaller than the Earth, however, this core differentiation process may differ - Fe may precipitate at the core-mantle boundary (CMB) rather than in the center and may fall as iron snow and initially remelt with greater depth. A chemical stable sedimentation zone develops that comprises with time the entire core - at that time a solid inner core starts to grow. The dynamics of this system is not well understood and also whether it can generate a magnetic field or not. The Jovian moon Ganymede, which shows a present-day magnetic dipole field, is a candidate for which such a scenario has been suggested. We plan to study this Fe-snow regime with both a numerical and experimental approach. In the numerical study, we use a 2D/3D thermo-chemical convection model that considers crystallization and sinking of iron crystals together with the dynamics of the liquid core phase (for the 3D case the influence of the rotation of the Fe snow process is further studied).The numerical calculations will be complemented by two series of experiments: (1) investigations in metal alloys by means of X-ray radioscopy, and (2) measurements in transparent analogues by optical techniques. The experiments will examine typical features of the iron snow regime. On the one hand they will serve as a tool to validate the numerical approach and on the other hand they will yield important insight into sub-processes of the iron snow regime, which cannot be accessed within the numerical approach due to their complexity.
Background: Ghanas transition forests, neighbouring savannahs and timber plantations in the Ashanti region face a constant degradation due to the increased occurrence of fires. In most cases the fires are deliberately set by rural people for hunting purposes. Main target is a cane rat, here called grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus), whose bushmeat is highly esteemed throughout the country. The animal is a wild herbivorous rodent of subhumid areas in Africa south of the Sahara. The grasscutter meat is an important source of animal protein. Existing high-value timber plantations (mainly Teak, Tectona grandis) are affected by fires for hunting purposes. Thus resulting in growth reduction, loss of biomass or even complete destruction of the forest stands. It became obvious that solutions had to be sought for the reduction of the fire risk. Objectives: Since 2004 the Institute for World Forestry of the Federal Research Centre for Forestry and Forest Products, Hamburg, Germany is cooperating with a Ghanaian timber plantation company (DuPaul Wood Treatment Ltd.) the German Foundation for Forest Conservation in Africa (Stiftung Walderhaltung in Afrika) and the Center for International Migration with the purpose to improve the livelihood of the rural population in the surroundings of the forest plantation sites and simultaneously to safeguard and improve the timber plantations. The introduction of grasscutter rearing systems to local farmers accompanied by permanent agricultural and agroforestry practices appeared to be a promising approach for the prevention of fires in the susceptible areas. Additionally a functioning grasscutter breeding system could contribute to the improvement of food security, development of income sources and the alleviation of poverty. The following measures are implemented: - Identification of farmers interested in grasscutter captive breeding, - Implementation of training courses for farmers on grasscutter rearing, - Delivery of breeding animals, - Supervision of rearing conditions by project staff, - Development of a local extension service for monitoring activities, - Evaluation of structures for grasscutter meat marketing. Results: After identification of key persons for animal rearing training courses were successfully passed and animals were delivered subsequently. Further investigations will evaluate the effects of the grasscutter rearing in the project region. This will be assessed through the - Acceptance of grasscutter rearing by farmers, - Success of the animal caging, - Reproduction rate, - Meat quality, - Marketing success of meat, - Reduction of fire in the vicinity of the timber plantations, - Improvement of peoples livelihood.
Die Nukleation von Eispartikeln spielt eine wichtige Rolle bei der Wolken- und Niederschlagsbildung, mit Konsequenten für die atmosphärische Chemie, die Wolkenphysik und das Erdklima. Für eine Quantifizierung und Vorhersage des Einflusses von Wolken in Wettervorhersage- und Klimamodellen muss die Bildung von Eispartikeln daher in einer realistischen Art und Weise beschrieben werden. Einer der wichtigen Bildungsmechanismen ist dabei die heterogene Eisnukleation im Immersionsmodus, bei dem Eis an der Oberfläche eines in einem wässrigen Tröpfchen suspendierten Eiskeims - zum Beispiel eines Mineralstaub- Partikels - gebildet wird. Wir werden im Rahmen dieses Forschungsprojekts zahlreiche Gefrierexperimente im Immersionsmodus durchführen. So werden eine Reihe verschiedener, als Aerosolpartikel in der Atmosphäre vorkommende Materialien auf ihre Eisnukleationseigenschaften hin untersucht werden. Insbesondere sollen hier die Temperatur- und Zeitabhängigkeit der von diesen Materialien ausgelösten Eisnukleation quantifiziert werden. Dabei werden wir spezielles Augenmerk auf die systematische Untersuchung der von porösen Materialien ausgelösten Eisnukleation legen. Es sollen sowohl synthetische Materialien wie beispielsweise mesoporöse Silikate untersucht werden, als auch natürlich vorkommende Materialien wie etwa mikroporöse Zeolithe.
The Tropical Glaciology Group's research on Kilimanjaro started in 2002 and is in progress. Central aspects of our research plan are: 1) Development of the working hypothesis: From a synopsis of (i) proxy data indicating changes in East African climate since ca. 1850, (ii) 20th century instrumental data (temperature and precipitation), and (iii) the observations and interpretations made during two periods of fieldwork (June 2001 and July 2002) a scenario of modern glacier retreat on Kibo is reconstructed. This scenario offers the working hypothesis for our project. 2) Impact of local climate on the glaciers: This goal involves micrometeorological measurements on the glaciers, and the application of collected data to full glacier energy and mass balance models. These models quantify the impact of local climate on a glacier, based on pure physical system knowledge. Our models are validated by measured mass loss and surface temperature. 3) Latest Extent of the Kilimanjaro glaciers: Here, a satellite image was analyzed to derive the surface area and spatial distribution of glaciers on Kilimanjaro in February 2003. To validate this approach, an aerial flight was conducted in July 2005. 4) Linking local climate to large-scale circulation: As glacier behavior on Kilimanjaro, a totally free-standing mountain, is likely to reflect changes in larger-scale climate, this goal explores the large-scale climate mechanisms driving local Kilimanjaro climate. Well known large-scale forcings of east African climate are sea surface temperature variations in the Pacific and, more important, in the Indian Ocean. 5) Regional modification of large-scale circulation: The regional precipitation response in East Africa due to large-scale forcing is not adequately resolved in a global climate model as used in 4). Thus, mesoscale model experiments with the numerical atmospheric model RAMS will be conducted within this goal. They are thought to reveal the modification of atmospheric flow by the Kilimanjaro massif on a regional scale. 6) Practical aspects: Based on micro- and mesoscale results, (i) how much water is provided by glaciers, (ii) providing future projections of glacier behavior as basis for economic and societal studies (practical part), e.g., for studies on the impact of vanishing glaciers on Kibo's touristic appeal, and (iii) which impact does deforestation on the Kilimanjaro slopes have on summit climate? Referring to item 2), two new automatic weather stations have been installed in February 2005. They complete a station operated by Massachusetts University on the surface of the Northern Icefield since 2000.
Durum wheat is mainly grown as a summer crop. An introduction of a winter form failed until now due to the difficulty to combine winter hardiness with required process quality. Winter hardiness is a complex trait, but in most regions the frost tolerance is decisive. Thereby a major QTL, which was found in T. monococcum, T.aestivum, H. vulgare and S.cereale on chromosome 5, seems especially important. With genotyping by sequencing it is now possible to make association mapping based on very high dense marker maps, which delivers new possibilities to detect main and epistatic effects. Furthermore, new sequencing techniques allow candidate gene based association mapping. The main aim of the project is to unravel the genetic architecture of frost tolerance and quality traits in durum. Thereby, the objectives are to (1) determine the genetic variance, heritability and correlations among frost tolerance and quality traits, (2) examine linkage disequilibrium and population structure, (3) investigate sequence polymorphism at candidate genes for frost tolerance, and (4) perform candidate gene based and genome wide association mapping.
Cydia pomonella granulovirus (CpGV, Baculoviridae) is one of the most important agents for the control of codling moth (CM, Cydia pomonella, L.) in both biological and integrated pest management. The rapid emergence of resistance against CpGV-M, which was observed in about 40 European CM field populations from 2003 on, could be traced back to a single, dominant, sex-linked gene. Since then, resistance management has been based on mixtures of new CpGV isolates (CpGV-I12, -S), which are able to overcome this resistance. Recently, resistance even to these novel isolates was observed in CM field populations. This resistance does not follow the described dominant, sex-linked inheritance trait. At the same time, another isolate CpGV-V15 was identified showing high virulence against these resistant populations. To elucidate this novel resistance mechanism and to identify the resistance gene(s) involved, we propose a comprehensive analysis of this resistance on the cellular and genomic level of codling moth. Because of the lack of previous knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of virus resistance in insects, several different and complementary approaches will be pursued. This study will not only give an in-depth insight into the genetic possibilities for development of baculovirus resistance in CM field populations and how the virus overcomes it, but can also serve as an important model for other baculovirus-host interaction systems.
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