Das Projekt ÖkoKauf der Stadt Wien hat es sich zum Ziel gesetzt, durch die Erstellung von ökologischen Kriterien, Pilotprojekte und durch Bewusstseinsarbeit das Beschaffungswesen im Magistrat Wien weiter zu ökologisieren. In diesem Rahmen widmete sich der Arbeitskreis 'Desinfektionsmittel unter der Leitung der Wiener Umweltanwaltschaft (WUA) der Aufgabe, für Hygienefachleute ein Instrument zur Beurteilung der Auswirkungen von Desinfektionsmitteln auf Gesundheit und Umwelt zu erstellen. Das Österreichische Ökologie-Institut führte eine Daten- und Literaturrecherche durch, das Umweltbundesamt nahm ergän-zende ökotoxikologische Tests an Wirkstoffen und -produkten vor und 'die umweltberatung ermittelte stationsbezogene Desinfektionsmittelverbräuche in Wiener Krankenanstalten. Die Recherche- und Testergebnisse zu Desinfektionsmittelwirkstoffen und -produkten wurden in einer vom IFZ konzipierten und von der Magistratsabteilung 14 realisierten Datenbank zusammengefasst. Um die ökotoxikologischen Produkteigenschaften vergleichbar zu machen, wurde vom IFZ ein Bewertungsraster entwickelt und in die Datenbank integriert. Dabei werden nachteilige Wirkungen auf die Gesundheit anhand von vier Wirkungskategorien erfasst: Akute Giftigkeit; Reizwirkung auf die Haut; Sensibilisierung, allergenes Potenzial sowie Erbgutschädigende, krebserzeugende und fruchtschädigende Eigenschaften. Zusammen mit der Berücksichtigung des Verhaltens in Oberflächengewässern (Abbauverhalten, Bioakkumulationspotenzial, Toxizität für Wasserorganismen) sowie dem Verhalten in Kläranlagen werden insgesamt sechs Bewertungszahlen generiert, die auf einer Skala von 1 (vernachlässigbar) bis 5 (sehr hoch) das gesamte Gefährdungsprofil des Stoffes beschreiben sollen. Das Gefährdungsprofil eines Handelsproduktes errechnet sich aus den Gefährdungsprofilen der darin enthaltenen Wirkstoffe anhand eines Algorithmus: Dabei wird die Annahme getroffen, dass die Produkteigenschaften von der Konzentration der darin enthaltenen Wirkstoffe abhängen. Bei der Bewertung ist außerdem zu gewährleisten, dass ein Wirkstoff mit einem hohen Gefährdungspotenzial angemessen berücksichtigt wird, auch und gerade wenn seine Konzentration im Produkt gering ist. In der Literatur wird dazu eine logarithmische Skalierung vorgeschlagen. Die Bewertung berücksichtigt derzeit die Wirkstoffe sowie Anwendungsverdünnungen. Die Zusammenfassung der Produkte in Verwendungs- bzw. Expositionskategorien ermöglicht letztlich eine vergleichende Bewertung. Da das Bewertungsraster gerade auf eine vergleichende Bewertung von Produkten abzielt, unterliegt er einer ständigen kritischen Diskussion, die auch häufig von den Herstellern geführt wird. Dieser Umstand sowie das Faktum von Produktlebenszyklen erfordern ein ständiges Update der in der Datenbank enthaltenen Informationen und eine Anpassung des Bewertungsmodells an den aktuellen Stand von Forschung sowie Standards der Stoff- und Produktpolitik.
If one considers the high elevation treeline as a global phenomenon, many local drivers, which dominated the debate in the past, become less significant, they become modulators of a more fundamental, common cause. Our working hypothesis is that the major driver of treeline formation is the ability to form new structures, rather than the provision of raw materials for these structures. In other words, we suggest that the treeline is a sink (growth) rather then a source (photosynthesis) driven phenomenon, with temperature representing the single most important determinant. We do not question the influence of other factors, but we consider them to represent a suite of regional peculiarities, which may affect the actual position by not more then 100 m in elevation. A detailed discussion of the treeline issue can be found in: Our activities go in several directions. They include treering studies across the treeline ecotone (see ref. below), microclimate measurements at various latitudes and an assessment of the carbohydrate supply status at the tree limit. The worldwide treeline temperature assessment nears its end by 2001, when year-round data from ca. 30 different treeline sites around the globe will be available. As a standard procedure we measure root-zone temperature at 10 cm depth in the shade of tree crowns at the treeline using Tidbit (Onset Corp.) data loggers. Currently available data from 90 % of the stations average at seasonal mean ground temperatures of ca 6.5 C, with very little site to site variation, irrespective of latitude (minimum of 5.5 C on Mexican volcanos at 4000 m and maximum at some maritime temperate zone treelines of ca 7.5 C). The seasonal mean proved to be a better predictor of treeline position than warmest month temperatures or a suite of thermal sums tested. There are regions with no suitable treeline taxa where natural treelines occure at lower elevations (higher temperatures; e.g. Hawaii). In a work on carbohydrate pools we compare treelines in Mexico, the central Alps and in N-Sweden (Abisko). We see no decline of reserves as one approaches the existential limit of trees, in fact, carbohydrate and lipid stores reach a maximum at tree limit. Thus, it seems unlikely that carbon limitation is a cause of treeline formation.
Populations of P. fortinii from allover Europe are examined using microsatellites to construct gene genealogies and infer evolutionary history. The tree-root endophyte Phialocephala fortinii s.l. (mitosporic Ascomycota) is the dominant colonizer of conifer root systems in forests in the northern hemisphere. P. fortinii s.l. is genetically highly diverse and forms a complex of several cryptic species. Recombination occurs or has occurred within cryptic species and to some extent also among them (introgression). Cryptic species occur sympatrically and they can form large thalli, but it remains unclear whether the observed patterns of spatial distribution reflect local climax situations or are the results of recent gene and genotype flow. One of the key objectives will be to estimate population genetic parameters (eg. migration rates, genotype flow, recombination) within and among populations of cryptic species in forests where man-mediated genotype flow can be excluded. Other key objectives are the determination of the number, frequency, distribution and evolutionary history of the cryptic species in Europe and to identify the driving forces for speciation. The approach will be multidisciplinary and will include standard mycological and microbiological methods as well as molecular genetic techniques such as microsatellite fingerprinting and DNA sequencing. The evolutionary history of haplotypes at both the population and species level will be reconstructed and the results will be compared with known patterns of pleistocenic glaciations and postglacial recolonization of host trees. The project will be a significant contribution to the understanding of the population and evolutionary genetics of a versatile and ecologically extremely successful fungal genus and it will shed light on the effects of pleistocenic and postglacial climatic changes on fungal speciation.
Root competition for water and nutrient among species is an ubiquitous feature of terrestrial plant communities influencing abundance and distribution of plants and the dynamics of their communities. The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has emerged as a central issue in ecological and environmental sciences. It is commonly believed that increasing species richness increases the stability of communities. Higher plant species diversity might lead to increased exploitation of spatially heterogeneous resources by spatial niche complementarity. Tree species mixtures are generally believed to enhance ecosystem functioning in forests by niche partitioning and complementary resource exploitation due to differences in tree height, crown form, root depth and/ or phenology. In the past, however, most studies focused on the aboveground interaction and coexistence of the tree species, while factors controlling belowground species interactions remain less clear. There is experimental evidence to suggest that below-ground competition in herbaceous communities is size-symmetric in homogeneous soil. However, recent studies in tree communities indicate that fine-root competition may be asymmetric. The main purpose of this project is to characterize the underground niche separation and competition in relation to tree species diversity in mixtures comprising spruce, beech, oak and Douglas fir. Structural traits and spatial distribution of fine roots were investigated using a soil core method and fine-root growth is being assessed using the ingrowth core technique at a site in Kaltenborn, which is part of the long-term biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiment with tree species of temperate forests (BIOTREE). The objectives of this study were to test the following hypotheses: (1) overall level of soil exploitation increases with the tree species diversity; (2) competitive ability belowground is size-symmetric, and (3) the below-ground competitive ability is species specific. As part of this investigation, we will explore the potential of using Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy to identify the species identity of fine roots of the different tree species and to quantify the contribution of different fine roots in mixed root samples.
Der Sauerstoffgehalt kann auch in oberirdischen Pflanzenteilen, besonders in Baumstämmen, auf sehr niedrige Werte absinken. Es scheint, daß ein beträchtlicher Anteil des Sauerstoffs im lebenden Splintholz bei vielen Bäumen mit dem Transpirationsstrom und nicht über Diffusion durch das ziemlich undurchlässige Kambium zugeführt wird. Über die Kurzzeitdynamik der Schwankungen von Sauerstoffgehalten im Holz ist beinahe nichts bekannt. Ein Hauptgrund für die relativ geringe Aufmerksamkeit, die man bisher dem Sauerstoff im Stamm entgegengebracht hat, ist der, daß er mit den traditionellen Methoden schwierig und mühsam zu messen ist. Eine Sauerstoffelektrode auf Basis des Fluoreszenzquenchings erlaubt Punktmessungen von O2-Konzentrationen über längere Zeit und in kleinen Volumina. Sie verspricht, ein höchst wertvolles Werkzeug für ein besseres Verständnis der Sauerstoffverhältnisse in der Pflanze zu werden. Der erste Teil unserer Arbeiten soll einen Überblick über diurnale und jahreszeitliche Schwankungen im Stamm verschiedener Arten erbringen. Wir gehen von der Hypothese aus, daß die Sauerstoffverläufe eine Beziehung zur Anatomie des Baumes und zu seinen Standortsansprüchen, besonders zu seiner Überschwemmungstoleranz, haben werden. Wir stellen hier ferner die Hypothese auf, daß Sauerstoff ein bedeutender Streßfaktor bei Bäumen und besonders wichtig in den Beziehungen zwischen Bäumen und Pathogenen ist. Holzbesiedelnde Pilze könnten die Sauerstoffkonzentration verringern, und zwar entweder durch Atmung oder durch zusätzliche Verstopfung von Gefäßen und Tracheiden, wodurch der Transport mit dem Transpirationsstrom verhindert wird. Wenn Sauerstoff mit dem Transpirationsstrom zugeführt wird, können verschiedene Formen von Streß zur Abnahme der Sauerstoffkonzentrationen im Holz und sogar zu Anoxie führen: Überschwemmung, die den Sauerstoff im Boden verdrängt, starke Trockenheit, die den Saftfluß reduziert, und Infektionen, die die Atmung steigern und den Saftfluß reduzieren können. Anoxie führt oft zur Bildung von Ethanol, einem wichtigen Lockstoff für Borkenkäfer. Hier soll die Hypothese getestet werden, daß verschiedene Arten von Streß den Sauerstoffgehalt herabsetzen, wodurch Ethanol entsteht und Borkenkäfer anlockt. Jedoch werden Transpiration, Stammatmung und die Löslichkeit von Sauerstoff in Wasser auch ohne Streß stark von Klimafaktoren beeinflußt, was Voraussagen in diesem komplexen und ungenügend erforschten System erschwert.
Biodiversity indicators and monitoring frameworks are currently developed at global and European levels. A key tool for monitoring progress in achieving the EU target to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010 is the recently endorsed set of EU headline biodiversity indicators. A requirement by the EU is to complement the indicator set and the development of biodiversity monitoring frameworks with tools that are able to assess the impacts from Community policies on biodiversity. This BioScore proposal aims at satisfying this requirement by developing a tool for linking pressures from policy sectors to the (change of) state of biodiversity as measured by the presence and abundance of individual species. A database is proposed that will contain information on the ecological preferences of individual species, in relation to individual sectoral pressures and relating to selected Community policies as well as the EU headline biodiversity indicators. This tool will be applied for assessing impacts and the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation policies based on historic data as well as for forecasting future impacts based on existing scenario studies. The results of these assessments will consist of European maps. The BioScore tool will be integrated into existing biodiversity monitoring frameworks and incentives for uptake will be formulated. Also the database will be made freely accessible on the Internet. The specific objectives of this proposal are to: - build a cost-effective impact assessment tool in the form of a European species database with sensitivity scores;apply the tool for the purpose of assessing the impacts of key drivers and pressures on biodiversity; - apply the tool for analysing the efeffectiveness of European policy responses; - apply the tool for modelling European-wide scenarios for selected drivers; - integrate the database into a common monitoring framework to assess the impact of selected pressures on biodiversity.
Phosphorous (P) is an essential component of all cells. P assimilation occurs mainly in the form of phosphate via the reactions of the energy and carbon metabolism. Therefore, the P metabolism is closely intertwined with the energy and the central carbon metabolism: only with sufficient P supply an optimal energy and carbon metabolism is possible. As the latter generates precursor metabolites for the biosynthesis of amino acids, the interplay of P and C metabolism is of particular importance in amino acid producing Corynebacterium glutamicum. The Institute of Biotechnology 1 at the Research Center Jülich successfully worked on the biochemical and genetic characterisation of the main amino acid biosynthesis pathways in C. glutamicum as well as on the central carbon metabolism. Moreover, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies and stable isotope labeling techniques, in vivo activities of single enzymes and pathways were quantified. These informations were used to optimize amino acid production with C. glutamicum (metabolic design, Sahm et al. 2000). Within the project, the P metabolism and its regulation shall be characterized in depth using the genome sequence of C. glutamicum. The phosphate stimulon of C. glutamicum will be defined using DNA microarray technology. Among this group of genes showing differential expression in dependence of phosphate availability, genes of the energy and central carbon metabolism will be of particular interest. In Jülich, the equipment for the generation and application of DNA microarrays is available as well as expertise to use this key technology for genome-wide expression analyses in E. coli (Zimmer et al. 2000). A parallel approach will focus on unraveling the molecular mechanism(s) of phosphate regulation with particular emphasis on two-component regulatory sytems, which in E. coli and B. subtilis play central roles in this regulation. Regarding the analysis of genetic regulatory mechanisms, extensive experience has been gained for the genetic and biochemical characterization of two-component sytems in enterobacteria (Kaspar et al. 1999).
The project focuses on R&D concerning ash related problems in biomass combustion and co-firing of biomass in coal fired plants. The main objectives of the project will be to investigate the release of ash forming compounds from biomass fuels in fixed-bed and pulverised fuel combustion systems, to determine presently not available thermodynamic data concerning the melting behaviour of Na, Zn and Pb-rich ashes, to further develop simulation tools for aerosol and deposit formation and to develop and test a new technology (an aerosol condenser) for efficient and cost effective aerosol precipitation in small-scale biomass combustion units. The project will also investigate the influence of particulate emissions from biomass combustion and co-firing plants on the regional air quality and parameters influencing health effects caused by these emissions. Comprehensive laboratory, pilot-scale and large-scale test runs at biomass combustion and co-firing plants as well as modelling of relevant mechanisms for aerosol and deposit formation will form the basis of the work performed and will complement each other. By reaching the aims of the project deposit formation in biomass combustion and co-combustion shall be significantly reduced by optimisation of furnace and boiler designs as well as control systems and by a better choice of fuel blends used. Concerning small-scale biomass combustion, aerosol emissions will significantly be reduced by the application of the new precipitation technology. New data concerning the influence of particulate emissions from biomass combustion and co-firing on health risks will be evaluated and form the basis for a recommendation of emission limits. The project results will contribute to a higher energy efficiency and availability of biomass combustion and co-firing plants and to a significant reduction of aerosol emissions from small-scale biomass combustion plants, promoting the increased use of biomass for energy production in Europe.
Objective: The melting of continental ice (glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets) is a substantial source of current sea-level rise, and one that is accelerating more rapidly than was predicted even a few years ago. Indeed, the most recent report from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change highlighted that the uncertainty in projections of future sea-level rise is dominated by uncertainty concerning continental ice, and that understanding of the key processes that will lead to loss of continental ice must be improved before reliable projections of sea-level rise can be produced. The ice2sea programme will draw together European and international partners, to reduce these uncertainties. We will undertake targeted studies of key processes in mountain glacier systems and ice caps (e.g. Svalbard), and in ice sheets in both polar regions (Greenland and Antarctica) to improve understanding of how these systems will respond to future climate change. We will improve satellite determinations of continental ice mass, and provide much-needed datasets for testing glacier-response models. Using newly developed ice-sheet/glacier models, we will generate detailed projections of the contribution of continental ice to sea-level rise over the next 200 years, and identify thresholds that commit the planet to long-term sea-level rise. We will deliver these results in forms accessible to scientists, policy-makers and the general public, which will include clear presentations of the sources of uncertainty. The ice2sea programme will directly inform the ongoing international debate on climate-change mitigation, and European debates surrounding coastal adaptation and sea-defence planning. It will leave a legacy of improved understanding of key cryospheric processes affecting development of the Earth System and the predictive tools for glacier-response modelling, and it will train a new generation of young European researchers who can use those tools for the future benefit of society.
Objective: Healthy housing and good indoor air quality are important goals of public health. However, biological indoor pollution due to dampness, moisture and mold is an emerging environmental health issue, as recognized in EU indoor air policy documents. Prevalence of dampness is remarkable, and may still increase due to demands of energy savings and extreme weather periods and floods associated with climate change. The exposure may lead to long-term impacts such as asthma. The documentation is strong on association between building mold and health, but the causative agents and disease mechanisms are largely unknown, which impedes recognition of a mold-affected patient in health care. Efficient control and regulation are hampered by the insufficient understanding of these causalities. Understanding of the links between building practices and health is lacking. There is an urgent need for European-wide knowledge to form a basis for establishing building-associated criteria for healthy indoor environments. The aim of this proposal is to clarify the health impacts of indoor exposures on children and adults by providing comprehensive exposure data on biological and chemical factors in European indoor environments.
| Organisation | Count |
|---|---|
| Bund | 49 |
| Europa | 3 |
| Wissenschaft | 29 |
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| Förderprogramm | 49 |
| License | Count |
|---|---|
| Offen | 49 |
| Language | Count |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | 11 |
| Englisch | 48 |
| Resource type | Count |
|---|---|
| Keine | 35 |
| Webseite | 14 |
| Topic | Count |
|---|---|
| Boden | 44 |
| Lebewesen und Lebensräume | 49 |
| Luft | 37 |
| Mensch und Umwelt | 49 |
| Wasser | 44 |
| Weitere | 49 |