Das Projekt "Effects of biochar amendment on plant growth, microbial communities and biochar decomposition in agricultural soils" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau Deutschland e.V. durchgeführt. Biochar has a great potential to ameliorate arable soils, especially those that are low in organic matter due to intensive use or erosion. Biochar is carbonised organic material with high porosity that brings about changes in physical, chemical and biological soil functions. Biochar amended soils show a higher water and cation exchange capacity with reduced leaching and enhanced availability of plant nutrients. The microbial biomass in biochar amended soils is enhanced and more diverse. Biochar is stabilised organic material, which is likely to remain for hundreds of years in the soil. Photosynthetically fixed atmospheric CO2 stabilised in biochar may thus act as a direct carbon sink and help to mitigate climate change. As feedstock and production conditions produce different biochar qualities predictions of effects in soil need to consider biochar and soil properties case by case. To date biochar has been approved to ameliorate highly weathered tropical soils with positive effects on crop growth and yield. Distinct microbial groups were reported to be enhanced in soils but if this depends on the particular soil or biochar or a combination of both is an open question, especially in temperate climates. Likewise, it is not known if microorganisms colonising biochar surfaces are responsible for its mineralization or if they just use the new niches provided. The aim of the proposed project is to investigate the influence of two biochar types on soil-plant systems by determining i) soil nutrient availability, plant growth and nutrient uptake, ii) structure and function of soil microbial communities, iv) the decomposition and fate of biochar in soils. We will use two loessial soils from the well-known DOK-trial with different soil organic matter content. Other soils from the region will be selected to provide a wider range of soil quality, in particular pH. The biochars will be produced by pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) from the C4-plant Miscanthus gigantea. Pyrolysis derived material has bigger pore sizes due to the evaporating gasses and is commonly alkaline, whereas the HTC derived biochar has a finer pore size, a much higher oxygen content and more acidic functional groups.
Das Projekt "Ecuador/Bergwald - Stoffhaushalt gestörter und ungestörter Ökosysteme der südecuadorianischen Anden" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Bayreuth, Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde und Bodengeographie durchgeführt. Mit dem beantragten Projekt werden die 1997 im südecuadorianischen Bergwald begonnenen Arbeiten fortgeführt. Die Ziele der neuen Projektphase sind (1) die abschließende Erfassung und Modellierung des Wasser- und Nährstoffhaushaltes von kleinen Wassereinzugsgebieten unter ungestörtem Bergwald, (2) die Aufklärung der Rolle chemischer Reduktionsprozesse für den Stoffhaushalt des Bergwaldes mithilfe von Redoxelektroden und d34S-Werten, (3) die Aufklärung der Fließpfade im Boden Mithilfe von d18O-Werten und (4) die Untersuchung der Auswirkungen eines ortsüblichen Landnutzungseingriffes (z.B. Brandrodung) auf den Stoffhaushalt des Bergwaldökosystems. Dazu wurden auf der zum Amazonas exponierten Andenabdachung drei etwa 10 ha große Wassereinzugsgebiete mit den erforderlichen Geräten ausgestattet. Von den Ergebnissen erwarten wir Erkenntnisse über Parameter, die den Stoffhaushalt der bisher wenig untersuchten und zunehmend bedrohten tropischen Bergwälder steuern und über die Auswirkungen menschlicher Eingriffe. Darüber hinaus liefert unser Teilprojekt wichtige bodenkundliche Basisdaten für die anderen Arbeitsgruppen.
Das Projekt "Effect of experimentally applied drought and warming stress on three oak species and provenances using C and O stable isotopes in leaves, shoots, stem and roots" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft, Eidgenössisches Institut für Schnee- und Lawinenforschung durchgeführt. The predicted climate change will have a profound effect on ecosystems in Switzerland, including forests. Tree species, for example oaks, which are more adapted to warmer and dryer conditions are expected to profit from the changing climate. Models predict a large increase in the distribution of oaks that are currently covering only 2Prozent of Swiss forests. Unfortunately, no long-term trials exist in Switzerland that could be used to test for climate sensitivity of the various oak species. At the Swiss Federal Institute WSL, therefore, an experiment in 16 open-top chambers was carried out to test how the three native oak species react to drought and warming. Regarding drought tolerance and temperature preference, the natural distribution suggests that Q. pubescens is the most drought-tolerant, followed by Q. petraea and Q. robur. The warming treatment is achieved by selecting two opening angles of the chamber window. Under less opened windows air and soil surface temperatures increases by 1 to 3 C. Automatically closing roofs exclude rain. An artificial drought treatment is achieved by reducing the mean local precipitation from April to October (600 mm) to less than half. While the control and warming treatment, receive water in regular intervals, the drought treatment and the warming and drought combination are only periodically watered. To prevent irreversible damage under drought stress trees usually close the stomata to minimize water loss via transpiration. This, however, reduces the net photosynthesis and thus the carbon fixation. The potential to optimize between water loss and carbon fixation is a key in understanding tree responses to climatic change. Besides stomata closure, photosynthesis is determined by other factors, including temperature. Both, stomata closure and photosynthetic capacity affect the fractionation of the stable carbon and oxygen isotopes. Therefore, the determination of the isotope ratios ?13C and ?18O in plant tissue allows to draw conclusion on how drought and warming affect the trees. The following samples are collected and are intended to be analyzed: a) fresh leaves, b) wood section from shoots, c) stemwood and d) root samples. The proposed study with the stable C and O isotopes will be an ideal complement to the other measurements, such as shoot elongation, biomass change, gas exchange, root growth and leaf size and nutrient content. Based on these results, potentially useful oak species and provenances for future seeding or planting can be identified and recommendations for the forest practice can be made. In addition, the derived isotope ratios would allow the identification of drought stressed trees.
Das Projekt "PALEOENVI: The late Quaternary palaeoenvironment of the Pannonian Basin (SE Europe)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Fachbereich Geowissenschaften, Abteilung Bodenkunde und Geomorphologie durchgeführt.
Das Projekt "Controls of plant biodiversity on water flux partitioning in grassland ecosystems" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Institut für Agrarwissenschaften, Departement Biologie durchgeführt. Global environmental change is predicted to result in increased frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events, including severe droughts and intense precipitation events (IPCC, 2001; IPCC, 2007). The determination and partitioning of water use of entire ecosystems will thus gain increasing importance under future climatic conditions (IPCC 2007). Studying the effects of plant diversity on ecosystem water fluxes is also a crucial aspect of our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the response of ecosystems to global change as well as the direction and magnitude of potential feedback effects of ecosystems on the hydrological cycle and the atmosphere. However, up to now, biodiversity-ecosystem functioning studies have neglected the water cycle almost completely. In the proposed project, the controls of plant diversity (i.e., species richness and functional group richness) on ecosystem water fluxes, their partitioning into soil evaporation and transpiration as well as plant water uptake patterns will be assessed in grassland ecosystems with the following objectives: - To quantify water losses from grassland ecosystems of varying plant diversity to the atmosphere (evapotranspiration fluxes); - To partition the evapotranspiration flux into its soil evaporative and vegetation transpiration components; - to identify the environmental constraints of plant water sources as a function of plant diversity. The study will be carried out at The Jena Experiment, a large biodiversity experiment in which experimental plant community plots of varying species composition, but also species and functional group richness are studied since 2002. We propose to use micrometeorological techniques to measure the ecosystem evapotranspiration flux (ET) and partition it into vegetation transpiration (T) and soil evaporation (E) at the ecosystem level, as well as to use stable isotope analyses to identify the source water of transpiration during intensive field campaigns at times of different water availability. The expected outcomes of the project proposed are manyfold. Using an innovative combination of techniques, we can provide a proof-of-concept to a scientific community (e.g. biodiversity, population biology, plant ecology communities) that typically has little to no knowledge about the great potential of such methodology. We will obtain highly relevant data on the relationships between plant diversity and water fluxes, their component fluxes and environmental drivers, information that does not exist at the moment. Moreover, we then can assess land surface-atmosphere coupling and the impact of climate change on grassland ecosystems, one of the major land use types in Europe and globally.
Das Projekt "Die Auswirkungen von erhoehten CO2-Konzentrationen und Stickstoffablagerung auf die Kohlenstoff- und Stickstoffassimilation von Fagus Sylvatica und Picea Abies und das 15/14N- bzw. 13/12C-Verhaeltnis" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Paul Scherrer Institut, Laboratorium Environmental and System Analysis durchgeführt. As a contribution to the ICAT-Project, the main goal of this investigation is to analyze the influence of elevated C02 and increased nitrogen deposition on the flux dynamics and the pools of C and N in individual plants (Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies) as well as in the ecosystem. A change in the C02 regime influences the nitrogen balance, and the alteration of the nitrogen regime greatly influences the carbon balance. The pathways ,and pools of these elements in plants and in the ecosystem will be studied and described, analyzing the stable isotope relationships (I5/l4N and 13/12C). In this study both 13C and 15N will be used as tracer elements as well. The use of these tracers will allow to study the translocation and remobilisation mechanisms of N and C under changed environmental conditions. The use of labelled nitrogen as the below ground N-source (l5N-H4+,15N- 03-) and 15NO2 for the above ground fumigation in separate chambers allows the study of the different nitrogen sources and the various pathways. Variations in physiological processes during the vegetation period will be studied by supplying and harvesting plant material from potted plants at clearly defined times. The study of the 13/l2C relationship will allow to estimate the long term water use fficiency. It is planned to use this data material for the development of mechanistic oriented models which allow the simulation of these processes. Leading Questions: 1. How does elevated CO2 influence the carbon and nitrogen balance alone or in combination with an elevated nitrogen deposition. 2. What is the influence of this situation on the C- and N-Pools a) in the individual plant, b) in the ecosystem 3. Will the turnover rates be accelerated or slowed down, or is it not influenced 4. Where and at what time will the metabolites be translocated with an elevated CO2 and nitrogen level, and how will it differ from the controls.
Das Projekt "Alpine Groundwater - pristine aquifers under threat" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Zürich, Geographisches Institut durchgeführt. The characteristics of climate and hydrology in mountain areas remain poorly understood relative to lowland areas. Our mission is to assess the groundwater quality and seasonal storage dynamics above the alpine timberline (2000 m). This critical recharge zone covers 23% of Switzerlands land surface and is the source of the countrys most important resource: clean water from a pristine environment. The value of pristine nature and free ecosystem services are often taken for granted, as they come without any costs (Brauman et al. 2007). In Switzerland, the alpine zone above the timberline is an excellent example of such free ecosystem services that relate to hydrology. The alpine zone forms the headwaters for the majority of Swiss rivers as well as major European rivers like Rhine, Rhone, Po, and Danube. However, not much is known about alpine groundwater, its recharge and water quality variations as these remote reservoirs are rarely monitored. Glaciers and permafrost will continue to retreat forming large new sediment deposits and changing infiltration conditions in high alpine terrain. Climate change will impact hydro-chemical composition of alpine waters, accelerate weathering processes, and might trigger mobilization of pollutants. Accordingly, in this proposal we plan to monitor and quantify free ecosystem services of alpine terrain, particularly those related to water quality and quantity. This project will start a pilot study of alpine porous aquifer observations in the Swiss Alps in the vicinity of the Tiefenbach glacier. To translate hydrological science into an ecosystem service context as suggested by Brauman et al. (2007), we will focus on four key attributes: - I. Water quantity: observations of groundwater level fluctuations combined with analysis of contributing water sources based on stable isotope analysis give quantitative understanding of origin and amount of water, - II. Water quality: groundwater temperature and electrical conductivity will be used as proxies for sampling of hydro-chemical parameters with automated water samplers during primary groundwater recharge (snowmelt and rainfall events), - III. Location: Alpine terrain above the timberline, especially recharge into/out of a alpine porous aquifer at a pro-glacial floodplain and - IV. Timing of flow (snow- and icemelt from May to September) and groundwater recharge during the growing season.
Das Projekt "Extending the Multi-Isotopes in a Controlled Environment (MICE) Facility - New climate regulation system and carbon isotope analysers" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Zürich, Geographisches Institut durchgeführt. In this proposal, we require funding to extend the capacity of an existing facility, the 'Multi-Isotope labelling in a Controlled Environment' (MICE) facility. This device is for the study of the carbon cycle in the plant-soil system. It uses multi stable-isotopes (13C, 18O, 2H, 15N) to understand the effects of the global-change drivers (temperature, moisture, CO2 increase and N deposition among others) on the C cycle processes, from photosynthesis in the leaf to organic matter mineralisation or stabilisation in the soil. This facility has been developed over the past two years with our team budget. It is now involved in dozen's of projects, including the five described in this proposal: 1) the study of root contribution to soil organic matter under drought conditions; 2) The influence of biodiversity on organ-ic matter stabilisation in soils; 3) The study of soil organic matter vulnerability of Swiss soils to global change; 4) the formation of soil organic matter in mountain soils and 5) the study of quality changes in European soils by the addition biochar. Our facility is unique in many aspects, it has the capacity to use different isotopes at the same time, as well as a semi-automatic climate control that allows us to run long-term experiments. Our system is however, restricted to relatively narrow climatic conditions (equivalent to plants on the floor of a tropical forest) and has a time consuming and expensive sample collection system. In this proposal, we would like to extend the capacity of this existing facili-ty in two areas: 1) better lights, temperature and moisture controls, to broaden possible climatic conditions to include boreal and temperate and 2) a 13C isotope laser analyser for measuring large numbers of gas and solid carbon isotope samples. These two items will open a whole new dimension of possible studies: we will be able to study carbon processes in great detail and at high precision with a high temporal precision, under most of the eco-system-conditions that currently exist on earth.
Das Projekt "Isotopenanwendung für Sanierung, Nachsorge und Monitoring von kontaminierten Standorten (IsoMon Phase II)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Department für Agrarbiotechnologie, IFA-Tulln, Institut für Umweltbiotechnologie durchgeführt. Ziel dieses Projektes ist es die Anwendungsmöglichkeiten von Isotopenmethoden für das Monitoring von in situ Sanierungen für unterschiedliche Schadensfälle zu untersuchen und weiterzuentwickeln. Im Rahmen des Projektes werden für definierte Sanierungsmethoden die Einsatzmöglichkeiten von Isotopenmethoden in Bezug auf die Sanierung von organischen Schadstoffen auf ehemaligen Industriestandorten ausgetestet. Hierzu werden Isotopenmessungen mit konventionellen Untersuchungsmethoden verglichen und an Hand von Untersuchungen an realistischen Proben und Labormikrokosmen evaluiert. Dadurch sollen sowohl qualitative, aber auch quantitative Aussagen über das Schadstoffverhalten in der Umwelt mit Hilfe von Isotopenmethoden in Zukunft möglich sein. Der Fokus liegt hierbei auf der Untersuchung von Stickstoff- und Schwefelisotopen im Zuge des anaeroben Abbaues von Mineralölkohlenwasserstoffen und erlaubt Einblicke in das Ablaufen von organotrophen und lithotrophen Akzeptor'recycling'-Prozessen. Durch die Entwicklung innovativer Methoden wird das Angebotsspektrum der im Projekt teilnehmenden KMUs im Bereich der Erkundung und Sanierung von kontaminierten Standorten beträchtlich erweitert und somit ihre Wettbewerbsfähigkeit gesteigert.
Das Projekt "Stabile Isotopenanalyse der Nahrung von Elateridenlarven" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Ökologie durchgeführt. Die Nahrungswahl von Drahtwürmern (Coleoptera: Elateridae) im Agrarland und ihre Beeinflussung durch Umweltfaktoren analysiert mittels Stabiler Isotope. Als Drahtwürmer werden die Larven der Schnellkäfer (Coleoptera: Elateridae) bezeichnet, welche häufig in Agrarböden anzutreffen sind. Die meisten Drahtwurmarten sind polyphag und fressen neben Wurzeln auch abgestorbenes Pflanzenmaterial. Bestimmte Arten treten jedoch weltweit als bedeutende Schädlinge an verschiedensten Kulturpflanzen auf. Es wird angenommen, dass bestimmte Bodenparameter (z.B. Humusgehalt, Feuchte) und die Fruchtfolge die Nahrungswahl der Drahtwürmer entscheidend beeinflussen. Im Freiland konnten diese Beziehungen bis heute jedoch nicht nachgewiesen werden. Ein besseres Verständnis der Wechselwirkung zwischen diesen Faktoren und der Nahrungswahl der Drahtwürmer würde aber die Einschätzung der tatsächlichen Rolle bestimmter Drahtwurmarten erheblich erleichtern und eine Basis für die Vorhersage und Kontrolle von Drahtwurmschäden darstellen. Im vorliegenden Projekt wird erstmals die Stabile-Isotopen-Methode angewandt, um die Nahrungswahl von Elateridenlarven zu untersuchen. Dabei geben die unter Freilandbedingungen gewonnenen Isotopendaten der Drahtwürmer darüber Auskunft, von welchen Nahrungssubstraten sich diese Tiere ernähren. Zusätzliche Laborexperimente ergänzen die Befunde aus dem Freiland und helfen bei ihrer Interpretation. Um allgemeine Aussagen über die Nahrungswahl von Drahtwürmern in Mitteleuropa zu erhalten, werden verschiedenste Standorte in Österreich und Deutschland beprobt. Weiters wird das Nahrungswahlverhalten mit bestimmten Bodenparametern in Beziehung gesetzt, um zu analysieren, wie diese Parameter die Nahrungswahl der Drahtwürmer und ihr Schadpotential beeinflussen. Die Ergebnisse dieses Projektes stellen damit eine Basis für alle weiteren Schritte zur Entwicklung von Regulationsmaßnahmen bei Drahtwürmern dar.
| Origin | Count |
|---|---|
| Bund | 12 |
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| Förderprogramm | 12 |
| License | Count |
|---|---|
| open | 12 |
| Language | Count |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | 12 |
| Englisch | 9 |
| Resource type | Count |
|---|---|
| Keine | 11 |
| Webseite | 1 |
| Topic | Count |
|---|---|
| Boden | 12 |
| Lebewesen & Lebensräume | 11 |
| Luft | 10 |
| Mensch & Umwelt | 12 |
| Wasser | 10 |
| Weitere | 12 |