Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2019
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Authors
Katharina Strobl Johannes Kollmann Leonardo H. TeixeiraAbstract
Ecological restoration has great potential for reversing anthropogenic degradation, as it aims at the simultaneous recovery of several ecosystem functions and services. However, it can be challenging to evaluate multiple restoration targets based on a high number of indicators, and this calls for a multifunctionality approach. Multifunctionality is an integrated measure of the relative supply of multiple ecosystem functions or services. As temporal aspects are of key importance for ecosystem recovery, we analyzed multifunctionality against time since restoration. We used rewetted peatlands in a mountainous region in Central Germany as a study case. Restored peatlands are expected to become multifunctional, while their recovery is rather slow. We investigated to what extent rewetted peatlands recover, and how time since restoration controls the simultaneous development of multiple ecosystem properties. We studied restored peatlands with respect to plant diversity, water table, peat decomposition, water holding capacity, and nutrient level using a chronosequence of 0–18 yr after restoration. We analyzed the development of individual properties and of a combined index. We further compared the recovery of restored sites at different ages to an intact reference peatland and to a theoretical optimum value, defined as the mean of the eleven most desirable values observed. Eleven out of 13 peatland properties and the combined index significantly evolved with time since restoration. Nevertheless, we could not observe a consistent trend of multiple properties if aiming at highest levels of functioning, whereas there was progress with time if low or intermediate functioning is targeted. Our results show that not all functions of restored peatlands can recover to the most desirable extent within 18 yr. However, the average functionality and some individual properties achieved levels comparable to the reference site, highlighting that improvement is possible. While the integrated assessment informs about the degree of ecosystem recovery, an additional analysis of individual properties helps understanding ecosystem‐specific dynamics, which are needed for making decisions on potential future management.
Authors
Richard Meadow Tor J. Johansen Gunda Thöming Annette Folkedal Schjøll Belén Cotes Christian NansenAbstract
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Authors
Arne HermansenAbstract
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Authors
Junbin Zhao Sparkle L. Malone Steven. F. Oberbauer Paulo C. Olivas Jessica L. Schedlbauer Christina L. Staudhammer Gregory StarrAbstract
Climate change has altered global precipitation patterns and has led to greater variation in hydrological conditions. Wetlands are important globally for their soil carbon storage. Given that wetland carbon processes are primarily driven by hydrology, a comprehensive understanding of the effect of inundation is needed. In this study, we evaluated the effect of water level (WL) and inundation duration (ID) on carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes by analysing a 10‐year (2008–2017) eddy covariance dataset from a seasonally inundated freshwater marl prairie in the Everglades National Park. Both gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) rates showed declines under inundation. While GPP rates decreased almost linearly as WL and ID increased, ER rates were less responsive to WL increase beyond 30 cm and extended inundation periods. The unequal responses between GPP and ER caused a weaker net ecosystem CO2 sink strength as inundation intensity increased. Eventually, the ecosystem tended to become a net CO2 source on a daily basis when either WL exceeded 46 cm or inundation lasted longer than 7 months. Particularly, with an extended period of high‐WLs in 2016 (i.e., WL remained >40 cm for >9 months), the ecosystem became a CO2 source, as opposed to being a sink or neutral for CO2 in other years. Furthermore, the extreme inundation in 2016 was followed by a 4‐month postinundation period with lower net ecosystem CO2 uptake compared to other years. Given that inundation plays a key role in controlling ecosystem CO2 balance, we suggest that a future with more intensive inundation caused by climate change or water management activities can weaken the CO2 sink strength of the Everglades freshwater marl prairies and similar wetlands globally, creating a positive feedback to climate change.
Authors
Edgardo Cruces Ralf Rautenberger Víctor Mauricio Cubillos Eduardo Ramírez‐Kushel Yesenia Rojas‐Lillo Carlos Lara Jaime Andrés Montory Iván GómezAbstract
Species of the genus Ulva (Chlorophyta) are regarded as opportunistic organisms, which efficiently adjust their metabolism to the prevailing environmental conditions. In this study changes in chlorophyll‐a fluorescence‐based photoinhibition of photosynthesis, electron transport rates, photosynthetic pigments, lipid peroxidation, total phenolic compounds and antioxidant metabolism were investigated during a diurnal cycle of natural solar radiation in summer (for 12 h) under two treatments: photosynthetically active radiation (PAR: 400‐700 nm) and PAR+ ultraviolet (UV) radiation (280‐700 nm). In presence of PAR alone, Ulva rigida showed dynamic photoinhibition, and photosynthetic parameters and pigment concentrations decreased with the intensification of the radiation. On the other hand, under PAR+UV condition a substantial decline up to 43% was detected and an incomplete fluorescence recovery, also, P‐I curve values remained low in relation to the initial condition. The phenolic compounds increased their concentration only in UV radiation treatments without showing a correlation with the antioxidant activity. SOD and APX activities increased over 2‐fold respect at initial values during the onset of light intensity. In contrast, CAT increased its activity rapidly in response to the radiation stress to reach maxima at 10:00 h and decreasing during solar. The present study suggests that U. rigida is capability to acclimate to natural radiation stress relies on a concerted action of various physiological mechanisms that act at different times of the day and under different levels of environmental stress.
Authors
Marie Reimer Björn Ringselle Göran Bergkvist Sally Westaway Raphaël Wittwer Jörg Peter Baresel Marcel G. A. van der Heijden Kjell Mangerud Maria R. Finckh Lars Olav BrandsæterAbstract
Reducing soil tillage can lead to many benefits, but this practice often increases weed abundance and thus the need for herbicides, especially during the transition phase from inversion tillage to non-inversion tillage. We evaluated if subsidiary crops (SCs, e.g., cover crops) can mitigate the effects of non-inversion tillage on weed abundance. Two-year experiments studying SC use, tillage intensity, and nitrogen (N) fertilization level were carried out twice at six sites throughout northern and central Europe. SCs significantly reduced weed cover throughout the intercrop period (−55% to −1% depending on site), but only slightly during the main crops. Overall weed abundance and weed biomass were higher when using non-inversion tillage with SCs compared to inversion tillage without SCs. The effects differed due to site-specific weed pressure and management. With increasing weed pressure, the effect of SCs decreased, and the advantage of inversion over non-inversion tillage increased. N fertilization level did not affect weed abundance. The results suggest that SCs can contribute by controlling weeds but cannot fully compensate for reduced weed control of non-inversion tillage in the transition phase. Using non-inversion tillage together with SCs is primarily recommended in low weed pressure environments.
Authors
Csilla FarkasAbstract
No abstract has been registered