Das Projekt "Element cycles in mountain regions under various land use" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Bayreuth, Fachgruppe Geowissenschaften, Bayreuther Zentrum für Ökologie und Umweltforschung (BayCEER), Lehrstuhl für Agrarökosystemforschung durchgeführt. Research question: What is the role of agricultural land use in changes of nutrient cycles and losses dependingon surface slope and climate? Approach: Annual balance of main nutrients for 3-4 main agricultural farms based on fertilizer input, partitioning of nutrients in above and below ground plant parts, output with harvest, losses with DOM and erosion (in collaboration with other TP). The balances will be done depending on agricultural practices in Eger and Haean Catchment and will be compared with adjacent grassland and forest. Obtained element cycles will be upscaled from farm area to the level of both catchments basins depending on specific land use, surface slope and climate. Research question: Can we reconstruct previous erosion and nutrient losses and separate them under forest and under agricultural use? Approach: Undisturbed sediment cores (7 for Eger and 7 for Haean) will be taken from the lakes and soils of landscapes subordinated to agricultural fields. Three radiocarbon data of wood particles at increasing depth for each sediment core will be used as references. The age of the bottom sediment layer should be less than 1000 years. The total content of C, N, P, K, Mg, Ca, Si will be analyzed in individual laminae or sediment layers. Conclusions will be drawn based on the thickness of the laminae, their elements content and the ratio between nutrients and Si. The conclusions will be proven by 13C (vegetation change) and 15N (N input by fertilizers) of individual laminae. Research question: What are the best management practices for sloping uplands? Approach: Measured element cycles and losses under various agriculture practice will be analysed and practices with the least nutrient losses and erosion will be selected. The best management practices for landscapes with different slopes will be elaborated.
Das Projekt "A5: Limitations to the growth of epiphytes and the productivity of associated methanogens in neotropical moist forests" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Oldenburg, Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften, Arbeitsgruppe Funktionelle Ökologie der Pflanzen durchgeführt. Epiphytes play an important role in tropical forest ecosystem processes by influencing fluxes of water, carbon and nutrients. Tank bromeliads, a common group of epiphytes, also affect atmospheric CH4 budgets by hosting active communities of methanogens. At present, the limitations to epiphyte growth and the productivity of associated methanogens are poorly understood. The proposed study addresses two main questions: (1) To what extent are establishment and growth of epiphytes in undisturbed montane forest limited by nutrient availability? Epiphyte growth response to fertilisation with moderate doses of N, P, and NP will be monitored in late juveniles of selected vascular species from different functional and taxonomical groups. Additionally, epiphyte propagules (angiosperms, foliose lichens) will be sown experimentally to determine fertilisation effects on early establishment rates and seedling growth. (2) How do per capita and ecosystem-level CH4 emissions from bromeliad tanks change with elevation, and which factors limit the productivity of bromeliad methanogens? Data on per capita CH4 emissions and bromeliad densities will be taken along an elevational gradient of 250-3000 m asl. Furthermore, limitations to methanogens (water, carbon, nutrients, temperature) will be explored through in situ greenhouse experiments.
Das Projekt "Quantification of the Erosion Resistance of Undisturbed Cohesive Sediments of the Belgian Atlantic Coast" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Stuttgart, Institut für Wasserbau durchgeführt.
Das Projekt "Monitoring of Water Content Distributions inside a Lysimeter with GPR-Tomography" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Angewandte Geowissenschaften, Fachgebiet Angewandte Geophysik (mit Schwerpunkt Umwelt- und Ingenieurgeophysik) durchgeführt. A lysimeter is a vessel containing soil placed with its top edge to the ground surface. Lysimeter are used to study phases of the hydrological cycle in terms of water content and dynamics, e.g. infiltration, evapotranspiration or runoff. Lysimeter provide a good alternative to carry out and test various methods or theoretical theories under relative undisturbed circumstances. In cooperation with the Institute of Chemistry and Dynamics of the Geosphere, IV Agrosphere (ICG-IV) of the Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, the solute transport inside a lysimeter ought to be investigated.To avoid the inevitable problem of the boundary conditions for electromagnetic geophysical methods of a normal lysimeter with its metal wall, an alternative had to be found. Therefore PVC-cylinders were chosen with 1.5 m height and 1.2 m diameter. The dielectric permittivity of soils depends strongly on the water content. Therefore, GPR was used as it can provide non-invasive high-resolution information regarding the distribution of the dielectric permittivity of a heterogeneous medium. Because the used lysimeter has PVC walls tomographic measurements can be performed. Considering the relatively small dimensions of the lysimeter (1.2m diameter, 1.5m height) and the armament with sensors for other methods, a pair of shielded antennas was chosen with centre frequencies of approx. 750 MHz. In April and September 2002 first measurements were carried out on a filled but unequipped lysimeter to check signal quality, feasibility as well as the needed time to gather a dataset under ideal conditions. Furthermore pot irrigation tests were made in 2002 and 2004 to estimate the actual resolution with the available equipment. To derive the volumetric water content, the calculated dielectric permittivity values have to be transformed. Based on the soil inside the lysimeter (approx. 80% sand, 15% silt and 5% clay with approx. 40% porosity) appropriate mixing formulas for bulk dielectric permittivity have to be chosen and compared to the results gathered from alternative methods.
Das Projekt "Soil degradation and nutrient export in the upper alpine level of the Reuss watershed" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Basel, Umweltgeowissenschaften durchgeführt. Soil degradation of upland soils, especially export of nutrients, influences nutrient content and biogeochemistry of riparian zones and wetlands in catchments significantly. Our hypothesis was that due to the fact that oxic upland soils with a predominantly assimilatory metabolism differ significantly from anoxic wetland soils and riparian zones with dissimilatory metabolism, stable isotopes of sulphur, nitrogen, oxygen and carbon can be used as potential tracers for the erosion of soil material from upland to lowland sites. Gradients from uplands to wetlands were recorded, both for sites influenced by erosion and non-degraded sites. The bulk d18O signal of a soil represents a mixing signature of all components of the soil. Differences between upland and wetland soils are expected to be due to changing mixing ratio and due to fractionation processes in the soil. As stable oxygen isotopes have not often been used in soil sciences so far, a new method had to be developed. Both, carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures are different for upland and wetland sites. For wetlands more negative d13C and d15N values are recorded than for uplands which is principally caused by less decomposed organic matter in the wetland. An influence of soil degradation from the upland site (erosion source) in the wetland (sink area) is detectable in both the d15N and the d13C signal of the wetland. Stable isotope signatures of the top horizons in the wetland are shifted towards heavier values in comparison to an undisturbed site, representing a mixed signal of upland and wetland soil isotopic signature. However, sites which are treated with farmyard manure show heavier d15N values than untreated reference sites. Therefore it is assumed that a possible contribution of erosion to the d15N is masked by the application of manure.
Das Projekt "Effects of different tillage methods on runoff, soil loss, and erosion related soil quality indicators on sloped cropland" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Institut für Hydraulik und landeskulturelle Wasserwirtschaft durchgeführt. Bodenerosion ist eine der größten Bedrohungen der Ressource Boden. Abtrag des Oberbodens sowie Deposition des erodierten Bodenmaterials beeinflussen alle Bodenfunktionen wie Bodenproduktivität, Filter-, Puffer- und Transformatorfunktion. Im Jahr 1994 wurde an drei Standorten in Niederösterreich ein Feldversuch begonnen, um die Auswirkungen unterschiedlicher Bodenbearbeitungen auf Pflanzenertrag, Oberflächenabfluss, Bodenabtrag sowie Nährstoff- und Pestizidverluste zu untersuchen. Bei den Bearbeitungsvarianten handelt es sich um 1) konventionelle Bodenbearbeitung, 2) bodenschonende Bodenbearbeitung mit Wintergründecke, und 3) Minimalbodenbearbeitung mit Wintergründecke. Acht Jahre nach Beginn dieses Versuches sollen im Rahmen dieses Projektes die Auswirkungen der unterschiedlichen Bodenbearbeitungen auf Bodenqualitätskennwerte untersucht werden. Ziele dieses Vorhabens bestehen in 1) der Untersuchung der Auswirkungen konventioneller, bodenschonender und Minimalbodenbarbeitung auf physikalische, chemische und biologische Bodenkennwerte, 2) der Untersuchung der infolge Bodenbearbeitung hervorgerufenen räumliche und zeitliche Variabilität von Bodenkennwerten entlang von Hängen und 3) der Sammlung von Daten zur Bewertung von 'best management practices' (BMP). Die Erosionsmessungen werden an den drei Standorten für jede Variante an 4 m breiten und 15 m langen Messflächen vorgenommen. Die Hangneigungen betragen zwischen 6 und 16 Prozent. Abfluss, Bodenabtrag sowie gelöste und an Sediment gebundenen Nährstoff- und Pestizidabträge werden für jedes erosive Ereignis gemessen. Zur Abschätzung langjähriger Auswirkungen von Bodenbearbeitung/bewirtschaftung auf Bodenqualität werden an jedem Standort und von jeder Variante ungestörte und gestörte Bodenproben aus unterschiedlichen Bodentiefen entnommen und die wesentlichen bodenphysikalischen, -chemischen und -biologischen Kennwerte bestimmt. Um die zeitliche und räumliche Variabilität zu untersuchen, werden bei jeder Variante drei Hangabschnitte festgelegt und zwar Oberhang, Mittelhang und Hangfuß. Bodenwassergehalt und Bodenwasserspannung werden in wöchentlichen Intervallen gemessen, um ev. Unterschiede der hydrologischen Zuständen in unterschiedlichen Hangbereichen zu erfassen. In etwa vierwöchigen Abständen werden aus 0-30cm Bodentiefe Bodenproben entnommen und physikalische, chemische und biologische Bodenparameter bestimmt. Bei der Ernte wird für jeden Hangabschnitt der Pflanzenertrag gemessen. Verbesserte Bodenqualität verringert mögliche Beeinträchtigungen der Umwelt wie etwa potentielle Kontamination von Oberflächen- und Grundwässern durch Nährstoffe und Pestizide. Weiters wird das Projekt Daten für die Bewertung von BMPs und Informationen über die Lage von 'sensitiven' Gebieten innerhalb von Einzugsgebieten liefern.
Das Projekt "Development and evaluation of micro push-pull tests to investigate rhizosphere processes" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Institut für terrestrische Ökosysteme, Ökosystemmanagement durchgeführt. The rhizosphere, the soil under the direct influence of active plant roots, differs in many aspects from the bulk soil due to root, microbial and fungal activities. Most mechanistic rhizosphere research has been undertaken in microcosms, often in the absence of soil. The understanding of mechanistic processes in the rhizosphere soil is therefore highly fragmented. The use of micro-techniques for the collection of soil solution enables non-destructive in situ observation of soil solution chemistry at high spatial and temporal resolution. Micro suction cups were used successfully in conjunction with rhizoboxes that allow observing the development of root systems through a transparent front plate and allow a localized sampling of soil solution. Suction cups cannot only be used to extract solution from soils but also to inject small amounts of solution. Single-well injection-withdrawal tests, called 'push-pull' tests, have been used since many years for the quantitative determination of a wide rang of aquifer physical, biological and chemical characteristics. In a push-pull test a prepared solution containing one or more solutes and a non-reactive tracer is injected into the aquifer using an existing well; the test solution/ groundwater mixture is then extracted from the same location. Similar to investigations of subsurface microbial activity in aquifers, the scientific community agrees that in situ techniques are needed for rhizosphere research. This project aims to combine micro-suction cups with the push-pull test to create a miniaturized system that will be applicable to study reactions in the rhizosphere. It also aims for the first time to apply a push-pull test to investigate soil solution under unsaturated conditions. These micro-push-pull tests will allow us to get not only concentrations of solutes in the rhizosphere but to study in situ reactions in the rhizosphere at defined distances from the root. This project is based on the combined expertise on rhizosphere sampling and reactions in the Soil Protection Group and the expertise of the Soil Biology group on aquifer push-pull tests and the in situ investigation of microbial activity. The new micro push-pull test is expected to yield new in situ information not only of concentrations in solution but especially of reaction and exudation rates under conditions as undisturbed as possible.
Das Projekt "Cassava for food security and sustainability in Colombia: Biotechnological application of mycorrhizal fungi" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universite de Lausanne, Departement de medecine interne, Division de pneumologie durchgeführt. The Eastern Plains region of Colombia is a large tract of tropical savannah covering approximately 17Prozent of the Colombian land mass. It is an agriculturally poor region where current agricultural practices of cattle ranching have rapidly lead to poor soil fertility and low productivity. In Colombia, agriculture represents a very important part of the economy. In an attempt to economically stabilize the region the government has developed a regional plan for the Eastern Plains. This includes converting pasture land into cropping systems that provide food security for the growing Colombian population and reducing poverty.Cassava is the key crop in the regional plan for economic development and stability. However, cassava is a plant that is almost completely dependent on a symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to efficiently obtain nutrients and grow. AMF have already been shown to greatly enhance cassava yields in the field, even when added to soil that already contains AMF. They also allow farmers to reduce fertilizer inputs and use much cheaper sources of phosphate. However, to realistically use AMF to increase cassava yields and make cassava cropping more profitable, it is necessary to inoculate with native AMF in a sterile based carrier, with low transport costs. This project seeks to isolate native AMF from soils in the eastern plains and from the roots of cassava in native undisturbed populations, screen them for effectiveness in increasing cassava yields and then put some of the most effective ones into a clean sterile culture system on artificial media for mass production. These AMF isolates will be used as inocula in field trials. Because cassava is so mycorrhiza-dependent, we also propose to screen the genetic diversity of cassava for mycorrhizal responsiveness. The Swiss group will use their expertise in molecular genetics of AMF to develop a molecular marker system for quality control of AMF inoculum in cassava roots and perform a pilot AMF breeding approach to cross AMF and obtain genetically novel AMF for use in the field. The Swiss partner will train the Colombian group in these technologies. The results of the project will be disseminated within the framework of the socio-economic plan for the region developed by the National University of Colombia's Institute for Studies in Orinoquia. Researchers in that institute will use the results of this project to make economic projections of the impact of the results on small farms and cooperatives in the Eastern Plains and at the whole regional level. They will then accordingly disseminate the information to agronomists, farmers and land-owners in the region.
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