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This paper investigates four different mobile robots with respect to their drivingcharacteristics and soil preservation properties in an agricultural environment.Thereby, robots of classical design from agriculture as well as systems from spacerobotics with advanced locomotion concepts are considered to determine theindividual advantages of each rover concept with respect to the application domain.Locomotion experiments were conducted to analyze the general driving behavior,tensile force, and obstacle‐surmounting capability and ground interaction of eachrobot. Various soil conditions typical for the area of application are taken intoaccount, which are varied in terms of moisture and density. The presented workcovers the specification of the conducted experiments, documentation of theimplementation as well as analysis and evaluation of the collected data. In theevaluation, particular attention is paid to the change in driving characteristics underdifferent soil conditions, as well as to the soil stress caused by driving, since soilquality is of critical importance for agricultural applications. The analysis shows thatthe advanced locomotion concepts, as used in space robotics, also have positiveimplications for certain requirements in agricultural applications, such as maneuver-ability in wet conditions and soil conservation. The results show potential for designinnovations in agricultural robotics that can be used, to open up new fields ofapplication for instance in the context of precision farming.
PEF is an innovative technology to extend the shelf life of fresh liquid food products, mainly juices, with minor impact on the quality. Many lab scale studies have been published, indicating the great potential of PEF for the juice industry. For industrial realization, the PEF systems have been adapted to the industrial requirements, establishing HACCP and hygienic design concept. Important process parameters have been identified from research and integrated in industrial PEF processes. Juice producers are now able to use PEF for their production lines.
Knowledge of the small-scale nutrient status of arable land is an important basis for optimizing fertilizer use in crop production. A mobile field laboratory opens up the possibility of carrying out soil sampling and nutrient analysis directly on the field. In addition to the benefits of fast data availability and the avoidance of soil material transport to the laboratory, it provides a future foundation for advanced application options, e.g. a high sampling density, sampling of small sub-fields or dynamic adaptation of the sampling line during field sampling. An innovative key component is the NUTRI-STAT ISFET sensor module. It measures values for the ions "NO3- ”, “H2PO4- " and "K+ " as well as the pH. The ISFET sensor module was specially developed for soil nutrient analysis. The phosphorus measurement was further developed for the project "soil2data". First results from the ISFET sensor module show a measurement signal settling time of significantly less than 100 seconds and a further consistent stable measurement signal. The measurement signal dynamics of approx. 58 mV per factor 10 of concentration change is given for the measured variables pH and K+. For the measured quantities of NO3- and H2PO4- , the measurement signal dynamics are lower.
Computer-image processing becomes more and more important in the analysis of data in biological and agricultural research and practice. However, robust image processing is highly de pendent on the histogram analysis algorithms used and the quality of the data being processed. The algorithm presented here aims to improve the accuracy of the classification of image data generated under complex boundary situations and inconsistent lighting conditions. Using the example of the determination of nitrogen content of tomato leaves and the qualitative determination of starch con tent of apples on the basis of color image processing, we showed that the developed algorithm is able to perform a robust classification and represents an improvement to simple histogram analysis.
Within the consortium “Experimentation Field Agro-Nordwest”, a practical concept for knowledge and technology transfer of digital competence in agriculture was created. For this purpose, the web-based e-learning system “SensX” was set up, consisting of videos, presentations and instructions. In addition, the classical e-learning concept was extended by data sets, student experiments and sensor data of plants acquired by a remote phenotyping robot. This resulted in a massive open online course (MOOC), which was tested with agricultural and biotechnology students in higher education at the University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück over two years. The evaluation process of “SensX” included an empirical survey, qualitative interviews of the participating students by an external institution and an evaluation of the concept by the lecturers.
Boron dynamics in a peat-based growing medium and its impact on the growth of basil (Abstract)
(2021)
Perceptions of German consumers regarding methods for fortifying foods with iodine (Abstract)
(2022)
Aims
Understanding fine-grain diversity patterns across large spatial extents is fundamental for macroecological research and biodiversity conservation. Using the GrassPlot database, we provide benchmarks of fine-grain richness values of Palaearctic open habitats for vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens and complete vegetation (i.e., the sum of the former three groups).
Location
Palaearctic biogeographic realm.
Methods
We used 126,524 plots of eight standard grain sizes from the GrassPlot database: 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 100 and 1,000 m2 and calculated the mean richness and standard deviations, as well as maximum, minimum, median, and first and third quartiles for each combination of grain size, taxonomic group, biome, region, vegetation type and phytosociological class.
Results
Patterns of plant diversity in vegetation types and biomes differ across grain sizes and taxonomic groups. Overall, secondary (mostly semi-natural) grasslands and natural grasslands are the richest vegetation type. The open-access file ”GrassPlot Diversity Benchmarks” and the web tool “GrassPlot Diversity Explorer” are now available online (https://edgg.org/databases/GrasslandDiversityExplorer) and provide more insights into species richness patterns in the Palaearctic open habitats.
Conclusions
The GrassPlot Diversity Benchmarks provide high-quality data on species richness in open habitat types across the Palaearctic. These benchmark data can be used in vegetation ecology, macroecology, biodiversity conservation and data quality checking. While the amount of data in the underlying GrassPlot database and their spatial coverage are smaller than in other extensive vegetation-plot databases, species recordings in GrassPlot are on average more complete, making it a valuable complementary data source in macroecology.
Aus dem Brutschrank ins Gewächshaus – Bewertung des Stickstoffhaushalts in Substraten (Abstract)
(2022)
Einfluss einer Selen-Biofortifikation auf verschiedene Qualitätsparameter von Äpfeln (Abstract)
(2022)
Iron deficiency is a global issue and can lead to a variety of clinical pictures. The biofor-tification of vegetables with iron could complement the existing portfolio of iron-rich products, thus improving iron supply in the long term. In order to determine whether the iron-biofortified vegetables could meet this demand and would address appropriate target groups, a quantitative online survey was conducted in Germany. Based on 1000 consumer responses, a cluster analysis was performed. The results showed a four-cluster solution. The first cluster was holistically engaged, the second was fitness-affine but health unconcerned, the third cluster consists frugal eaters with a focus on medical prevention, and the fourth cluster are hedonists. No cluster focused its consumption on iron-enriched products, but instead all developed an individual mix of the three product groups.
Hyperhydricity (HH) is one of the most important physiological disorders that negatively affects various plant tissue culture techniques. The objective of this study was to characterize optical features to allow an automated detection of HH. For this purpose, HH was induced in two plant species, apple and Arabidopsis thaliana, and the severity was quantified based on visual scoring and determination of apoplastic liquid volume. The comparison between the HH score and the apoplastic liquid volume revealed a significant correlation, but different response dynamics. Corresponding leaf reflectance spectra were collected and different approaches of spectral analyses were evaluated for their ability to identify HH-specific wavelengths. Statistical analysis of raw spectra showed significantly lower reflection of hyperhydric leaves in the VIS, NIR and SWIR region. Application of the continuum removal hull method to raw spectra identified HH-specific absorption features over time and major absorption peaks at 980 nm, 1150 nm, 1400 nm, 1520 nm, 1780 nm and 1930 nm for the various conducted experiments. Machine learning (ML) model spot checking specified the support vector machine to be most suited for classification of hyperhydric explants, with a test accuracy of 85% outperforming traditional classification via vegetation index with 63% test accuracy and the other ML models tested. Investigations on the predictor importance revealed 1950 nm, 1445 nm in SWIR region and 415 nm in the VIS region to be most important for classification. The validity of the developed spectral classifier was tested on an available hyperspectral image acquisition in the SWIR-region.
Recording of Low-Oxygen Stress Response Using Chlorophyll Fluorescence Kinetics in Apple Fruit
(2023)
Long-term storage of apples (Malus x domestica, Borkh.) is increasingly taking place under Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere (DCA). The oxygen level is lowered to ≤ 1 kPa O2 and the apples are stored just above the Lower Oxygen Limit (LOL). Low oxygen stress during controlled atmosphere storage can lead to fermentation in apples if oxygen levels are too low. Chlorophyll fluorescence can be used to detect low-oxygen stress at an early stage during storage. The currently available non-imaging fluorescence systems often use the minimal fluorescence (Fo) parameter. In contrast, the use of chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics is insufficiently described. Therefore, this study aimed to gain more knowledge about the response of chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics to low oxygen stress in apples using a fluorescence imaging system. The results show that the kinetic fluorescence curves differ under aerobic and fermentation conditions. The fermentative conditions initiated a decrease in fluorescence intensity upon application of the saturation pulses during exposure to actinic light. This result was made at 18 °C and 2 °C ambient temperatures. Interestingly, the kinetic curve changed at 2 °C before fermentation products accumulated in the apples. Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) decreased under fermentation conditions in the dark phase after relaxation. Upon entering the dark relaxation phase after Kautsky induction, ɸPSII began to increase. Under atmospheric oxygen conditions, ɸPSII reached values of 0.81 to 0.76, while under fermentation, ɸPSII values ranged from 0.57 to 0.44.
Background
The current development of sensor technologies towards ever more cost-effective and powerful systems is steadily increasing the application of low-cost sensors in different horticultural sectors. In plant in vitro culture, as a fundamental technique for plant breeding and plant propagation, the majority of evaluation methods to describe the performance of these cultures are based on destructive approaches, limiting data to unique endpoint measurements. Therefore, a non-destructive phenotyping system capable of automated, continuous and objective quantification of in vitro plant traits is desirable.
Results
An automated low-cost multi-sensor system acquiring phenotypic data of plant in vitro cultures was developed and evaluated. Unique hardware and software components were selected to construct a xyz-scanning system with an adequate accuracy for consistent data acquisition. Relevant plant growth predictors, such as projected area of explants and average canopy height were determined employing multi-sensory imaging and various developmental processes could be monitored and documented. The validation of the RGB image segmentation pipeline using a random forest classifier revealed very strong correlation with manual pixel annotation. Depth imaging by a laser distance sensor of plant in vitro cultures enabled the description of the dynamic behavior of the average canopy height, the maximum plant height, but also the culture media height and volume. Projected plant area in depth data by RANSAC (random sample consensus) segmentation approach well matched the projected plant area by RGB image processing pipeline. In addition, a successful proof of concept for in situ spectral fluorescence monitoring was achieved and challenges of thermal imaging were documented. Potential use cases for the digital quantification of key performance parameters in research and commercial application are discussed.
Conclusion
The technical realization of “Phenomenon” allows phenotyping of plant in vitro cultures under highly challenging conditions and enables multi-sensory monitoring through closed vessels, ensuring the aseptic status of the cultures. Automated sensor application in plant tissue culture promises great potential for a non-destructive growth analysis enhancing commercial propagation as well as enabling research with novel digital parameters recorded over time.
Semi-natural grasslands (SNGs) are an essential part of European cultural landscapes. They are an important habitat for many animal and plant species and offer a variety of ecological functions. Diverse plant communities have evolved over time depending on environmental and management factors in grasslands. These different plant communities offer multiple ecosystem services and also have an effect on the forage value of fodder for domestic livestock. However, with increasing intensification in agriculture and the loss of SNGs, the biodiversity of grasslands continues to decline. In this paper, we present a method to spatially classify plant communities in grasslands in order to identify and map plant communities and weed species that occur in a semi-natural meadow. For this, high-resolution multispectral remote sensing data were captured by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in regular intervals and classified by a convolutional neural network (CNN). As the study area, a heterogeneous semi-natural hay meadow with first- and second-growth vegetation was chosen. Botanical relevés of fixed plots were used as ground truth and independent test data. Accuracies up to 88% on these independent test data were achieved, showing the great potential of the usage of CNNs for plant community mapping in high-resolution UAV data for ecological and agricultural applications.
Farmland bird populations are in a deep crisis across Europe. Agri-environment schemes (AES) were implemented by the European Union to stop and reverse the general decline of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. In Germany, flower strips are one of the most common AES. Establishing high-quality perennial wildflower strips (WFS) with species-rich native forb mixtures from regional seed propagation is a recent approach, for which the effectiveness for birds has not yet been sufficiently studied. We surveyed breeding birds and vegetation on 40 arable fields with WFS (20 with single and 20 with aggregated WFS) and 20 arable fields lacking WFS as controls across Saxony-Anhalt (Germany). Additionally, vegetation composition, WFS quantity and landscape structure (e.g. distance to nearest woody element) were considered in our analyses. All WFS were established with species-rich native seed mixtures (30 forbs) in agricultural practice as AES. Arable fields with WFS had a higher species richness and territory density of birds than controls, confirming the effectiveness of this AES. A forb-rich vegetation was the main driver promoting birds. Flower strip quantity at the landscape level had positive effects only on bird densities, but also single WFS achieved benefits. A short distance from WFS to woody elements increased total bird species richness. However, the density of farmland birds, which are target species of these AES, were negatively affected by the proximity and proportion of woody elements in the vicinity. The effect of the proportion of non-intensively used open habitats and overall habitat richness was unexpectedly low in the otherwise intensively farmed landscape. Species-rich perennial WFS significantly promoted breeding birds. Successful establishment of WFS, resulting in high-quality habitats, a high flower strip quantity as well as implementation in open landscapes were shown to maximise the effectiveness for restoring declining and AES target farmland birds.
Green roofs can mitigate negative environmental effects of urban densifcation to some extent, but they are often covered by species-poor Sedum mixtures with a low value for biodiversity. By combining a habitat template and a seedprovenance approach, we review the suitability of plant species from regionally occurring dry sandy grasslands (Koelerio-Corynophoretea) for extensive roof greening in northwestern Germany. Since 2015, we have studied the effects of species introduction on vegetation dynamics on experimental mini-roofs. Treatments included sowing seeds of regional native origin in two densities (1 g and 2 g/m2) and the transfer of raked material from an ancient dry grassland area classifed as Natura 2000 site. The applied raked material contained diaspores of 27 vascular plant species (including seven threatened species) and vegetative fragments of grasslandspecifc mosses and lichens. Since 2018, we have tested more species-rich seed mixtures in a large-scale experiment on a roof of 500 m2 with different engineered green-roof substrates and layering. In 2019, a green roof of 10,200 m2 was established in cooperation with a local enterprise to support regional native biodiversity.
In this chapter, we summarise the most important results of our studies and discuss how to support regional native biodiversity on green roofs.
Urban greenspace has gained considerable attention during the last decades because of its relevance to wildlife conservation, human welfare, and climate change adaptation. Biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation worldwide require the formation of new concepts of ecological restoration and rehabilitation aimed at improving ecosystem functions, services, and biodiversity conservation in cities. Although relict sites of natural and semi-natural ecosystems can be found in urban areas, environmental conditions and species composition of most urban ecosystems are highly modified, inducing the development of novel and hybrid ecosystems. A consequence of this ecological novelty is the lack of (semi-) natural reference systems available for defining restoration targets and assessing restoration success in urban areas. This hampers the implementation of ecological restoration in cities. In consideration of these challenges, we present a new conceptual framework that provides guidance and support for urban ecological restoration and rehabilitation by formulating restoration targets for different levels of ecological novelty (i.e., historic, hybrid, and novel ecosystems). To facilitate the restoration and rehabilitation of novel urban ecosystems, we recommend using established species-rich and well-functioning urban ecosystems as reference. Such urban reference systems are likely to be present in many cities. Highlighting their value in comparison to degraded ecosystems can stimulate and guide restoration initiatives. As urban restoration approaches must consider local history and site conditions, as well as citizens’ needs, it may also be advisable to focus the restoration of strongly altered urban ecosystems on selected ecosystem functions, services and/or biodiversity values. Ecosystem restoration and rehabilitation in cities can be either relatively inexpensive or costly, but even expensive measures can pay off when they effectively improve ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation or recreation. Successful re‐shaping and re-thinking of urban greenspace by involving citizens and other stakeholders will help to make our cities more sustainable in the future.
Methods: Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCT). Searches were conducted in five electronic databases. Studies were selected if they included patients with NP over 18 years old treated with aerobic exercise (AE) (e.g., cycling, running, hiking, and walking). The main outcome of interest was pain intensity. Qualitative and quantitative data were extracted. The risk of bias (RoB) was determined using the Cochrane RoB Tool-2 and the overall certainty of the evidence with the GRADE recommendations.
Results: Out of 21,585 initial records screened, a total of six individual studies published in ten manuscripts were included. There was a great heterogeneity between protocols, comparisons, and studies’ results (different magnitudes and directions). When looking at the effect of aerobic exercise versus control groups or other interventions on pain intensity measured with the VAS, not statistically (nor clinical) significant differences between aerobic exercise and control groups (MD [95%CI] 5.16 mm [-6.38, 16.70]) were identified. The combined effect of AE plus other interventions seems to be effective. Strength exercise obtained better effects than aerobic exercises (MD [95%CI]: -11.34 mm [-21.6, -1.09]).
Conclusions: Aerobic exercise presented positive results to reduce pain intensity, and improving disability, and physical and emotional functioning. However, the evidence is restricted, low quality, and heterogeneous.
Green roofs are known to mitigate the negative effects of urban consolidation by offering diverse ecosystem functions compared to non-vegetated roofs. However, the support for native biodiversity might be improved by using native plant species. In a mesocosm experiment, we studied the suitability of three commercial green-roof growth substrates for the establishment of 27 native plant species from dry sandy grasslands of northwestern Germany over the course of four years. The substrates were mineral-based, but differed in the layering of organic matter. Total establishment rates reached 44–59% in Year 4, indicating the general suitability of the substrates. During the first weeks after seeding, with light irrigation, the vascular plant cover was greater in the similar substrates Zincolit® Plus (Z) and Zincolit® Plus-Leicht (ZL) with their compost-based organic mulch layers than in the substrate Sedumteppich (ST) with its organic matter evenly admixed with the mineral aggregates. In Years 2 and 3, however, the vascular plant cover was greater in the ST substrate, likely due to the better availability of water and nutrients from the organic matter compared to the dry surface-mulch layer variants Z and ZL. After severe drought events, the decline in plant cover was more pronounced in the ST substrate, likely representing a trade-off between lush growth and a susceptibility to drought. An indicator-species analysis revealed differences in species composition between the ST and Z/ZL substrates. Annual plant species were indicators of the ST substrate. Perennials, such as Thymus pulegioides and Achillea millefolium, were typical of the Z and ZL substrates. In addition to the general suitability of the tested standard substrates for target species establishment, the study indicated that a combination of different layers of substrate components resulted in different vegetation patterns that may have a positive effect on green-roof biodiversity.
Are natural floods accelerators for streambank vegetationdevelopment in floodplain restoration?
(2021)
Riverbanks are very dynamic habitats for riparian vegetation strongly influenced byfluvial and geomorphic processes. This habitat type was severely reduced in the pastby river straightening and bank stabilisation. Restoration and establishment of newfloodplain streams promote this habitat, but a directed succession to later stages wasobserved many times. Our study aimed to analyse whether the often observeddirected succession of the streambank vegetation after restoration implementationcould be reversed by a natural flood along a newly created floodplain stream. Weinvestigated the effects of a natural flood in 2013 and different prerestorationconditions on species development in the riparian zone. Vegetation was studiedalong 12 transects in four different sections from 2011 to 2014. Species composi-tion differed strongly between the sections. Species richness was lowest in a newlydug steep section with high morphological dynamics and highest on wider flatstreambanks. Changes during the years reflecting different hydrological eventsvaried between sections. The high natural flood in 2013 reduced the cover of theherb layer and increased bare ground, which led in most sections to a loss of non-target species. Total target species richness did not change due to the natural flood,while target species showed a high turnover rate. In the following year, however,the flood‐induced development of species composition, in general, was reversed.Natural floods changed abiotic and biotic conditions along the streambank, but theydid not accelerate ecological restoration towards predefined target ecosystems.However, they were necessary to preserve the needed dynamic vegetation changesand species turnover to hinder the succession to later stages dominated by a fewspecies. Our study shows that riparian vegetation near the streambank can bemonitored most effectively in cross‐profile transects, both in the long‐term andevent‐related.
Establishment of calcareous grassland on ex-arable fields by introducing target species is one of the most frequently used methods to restore the species assemblages of this highly endangered habitat type. The present study evaluates the long-term success of calcareous grassland restoration on former arable land in the vicinity of one of the oldest nature reserves in Bavaria, the “Garchinger Heide”. The restoration experiment combined different measures like topsoil removal, transfer of freshly cut seed-containing hay and additional sowing to the following variants in a 21-year experiment: (1) No topsoil removal, no hay transfer (control), (2) no topsoil removal with immediate hay transfer, (3) topsoil removal with immediate hay transfer and (4) topsoil removal with hay transfer 10 years after the start of restoration. Eleven Red List species which had not been transferred successfully were additionally sown after 9 to 19 years. Due to a limited availability of seeds, sowing of these species was mainly restricted to areas with topsoil removal, where better establishment was expected due to low vegetation cover. Five rare species with abundant seed production were also sown to plots without topsoil removal and hay transfer. The nature reserve served both as the donor area of the target species and as the reference to evaluate restoration success. Regarding aboveground biomass and total vegetation cover, greatest similarity to the donor site was observed on plots without topsoil removal. In contrast, the highest numbers of target species occurred on plots with topsoil removal, hay transfer and additional sowing. Similarity in species composition between restoration sites and the reference area increased over time, but species composition of restored sites did not fully reflect the reference after 21 years. One reason for the remaining dissimilarity was probably that topsoil removal favored stress tolerant species which were less common on the mature and more fine-grained soils of the nature reserve. Plots without topsoil removal still differed from the reference by their high vegetation cover and a significantly higher proportion of mesophytic grassland species. The study also showed that 19 Red List species were successfully established on the former arable fields, eight of them presumably by sowing. Nevertheless, various other rare species have not been observed yet. Results on functional traits characterizing environmental adaptation and reproduction also underlined the differences between restoration plots and the reference site. Our study presents a ʽdynamic restoration approachʼ where managers evaluated the original factorial treatments after a decade and modified them by additional treatments where development was sub-optimal. Such additional treatments may have confounded the experimental design, but from a management perspective proved to be a promising option to establish species rich grassland of high conservation value with a reasonable expenditure of time.
Standard extensive green roofs (EGRs) with their shallow substrate layers represent extreme sites for plant growth and therefore are planted mostly with drought-resistant species, including non-native plant species. As standard EGR substrates often lack potentially mutualistic soil microorganisms, it has been stated that inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) might increase plant performance and drought resistance. Aiming to support native biodiversity on EGRs, we tested whether AMF inoculation into standard green roof substrate can enhance plant performance and drought resistance of regionally occurring native dry grassland species.
The results of a pot experiment with 11 native plant species growing with and without AMF inoculation showed considerable differences in fitness-relevant plant traits. Over 88 days of moderate drought conditions, inoculated plants produced 2.5 times more above-ground biomass than control plants. In addition, the number of inflorescences on inoculated plants was significantly higher in 5 out of 7 flowering species. Under severe drought stress created by stopping the water supply, however, inoculated plants wilted on average 2.38 days earlier than control plants.
Although the underlying mechanisms of the observed results remain unresolved, AMF inoculation might help to enhance an earlier and higher seed set, facilitating the establishment of a soil seed bank, which is necessary for a self-sustaining plant population in drought-governed habitats such as EGRs.
Reconnection of floodplains to rivers to enhance fluvial dynamics is a favored method of floodplain restoration in Europe. It is believed that the restoration of hydrological conditions of the floodplain facilitates natural dispersal of target species, and hence the reestablishment, of typical plant communities. The aim of our study was to investigate whether floodplain target species could reach restoration sites via hydrochorous dispersal. We analyzed seed inflow from the river and seed dispersal in different sectors of a new watercourse in the Danube floodplain. Seeds were captured using 27 seed traps during three sampling periods of 3 weeks each from summer 2011 to spring 2012. After germination seedlings were identified, we detected a total of almost 39,000 seeds of 176 species, including 80 target species of riparian habitats. We found significant differences between seasons (most seeds in autumn/winter) and between stream sectors. Fewer seeds came in from the Danube (2,800 seeds) than were transported within the floodplain. Several new floodplain target species were detected, which had not been found in the aboveground vegetation or soil seed bank before the start of the restoration. Seeds of nonnative species did not disperse further than approximately 1 km. Our results indicated that hydrochorous seed dispersal from upstream habitats along the new watercourse was important for the establishment of target species and hence for the success of floodplain restoration. Technical water diversion weirs must be traversable for seeds, and small donor sectors upstream might enhance the reestablishment of target vegetation along new sectors downstream.
Species dispersal, establishment, and assembly are crucial stages of the life history of plants, and clear understanding ofthe governing forces and rules that shape species composition in a particular community is vital for successful ecologicalrestoration. In this article, we focus on five aspects of seed dispersal and plant establishment, which should be consideredduring habitat restoration actions. In the first two sections, we discuss the success of spontaneous dispersal and establishmenton restoration based on either spatial dispersal or local seed banks. In the third section, we assess the possibilities ofspecies introduction and assisted dispersal. In the fourth section, we introduce some possibilities for the improvement ofestablishment success of spontaneously dispersed or introduced species. Finally, we highlight issues influencing long-termpersistence and sustainability of restored habitats, related to the alteration of management type and intensity, climate change,and spread of non-native species. With the present article, we introduce the special issue entitled “Seed dispersal and soil seedbanks – promising sources for ecological restoration” containing 15 papers by 62 authors from 10 countries arranged in theabovementioned five topics.
Soil seed banks have a high potential for vegetation re-establishment in restoration projects. We studied the soil seed bank in an oxbow system of a disconnected floodplain of the Danube River in Southern Germany. The aim of the study was to analyze if floodplain target species were still present in the seed bank after more than 150 years of embankment and disconnection from fluvial dynamics. In this context we investigated seed density, seed bank species richness and species composition in four broad habitat types with and without water-level fluctuations during the time of embankment (permanent water, fluctuating water, reed bed, hardwood floodplain forest). In addition, the similarity between seed bank and above-ground vegetation in these habitat types was studied in order to predict the success of future restoration measures. In total, 124 vascular plant species were determined in the seed bank samples. More than 50 % (66 species) were target species typical for floodplain habitats and 26 of these target species were lost or very rare in the above-ground vegetation. The four habitat types differed significantly in mean seed density and mean species richness. Mean species richness and the number of target species in the seed bank as well as the mean seed density were greatest in the habitats with fluctuating water level whereas mean seed density was much lower in the parts with more or less stable conditions like permanently standing water and hardwood floodplain forest. Sørensen similarity between seed bank and above-ground vegetation was very low in habitats with more or less stable water levels and desirable floodplain target species were very rare or completely absent. Our results indicate that the soil seed bank can be an important seed reservoir for the ecological restoration of floodplain plant communities especially for habitats with unstable environmental conditions during the period of disconnection. Restoration of water level dynamics is important to maintain the seed bank of populations of floodplain target species.
The break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 triggered cropland abandonment on a continental scale, which in turn ledto carbon accumulation on abandoned land across Eurasia. Previous studies have estimated carbon accumulationrates across Russia based on large-scale modelling. Studies that assess carbon sequestration on abandoned land basedon robust field sampling are rare. We investigated soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks using a randomized samplingdesign along a climatic gradient from forest steppe to Sub-Taiga in Western Siberia (Tyumen Province). In total, SOCcontents were sampled on 470 plots across different soil and land-use types. The effect of land use on changes in SOCstock was evaluated, and carbon sequestration rates were calculated for different age stages of abandoned cropland.While land-use type had an effect on carbon accumulation in the topsoil (0–5 cm), no independent land-use effectswere found for deeper SOC stocks. Topsoil carbon stocks of grasslands and forests were significantly higher thanthose of soils managed for crops and under abandoned cropland. SOC increased significantly with time sinceabandonment. The average carbon sequestration rate for soils of abandoned cropland was 0.66 Mg C ha1yr1(1–20 years old, 0–5 cm soil depth), which is at the lower end of published estimates for Russia and Siberia. Therewas a tendency towards SOC saturation on abandoned land as sequestration rates were much higher for recentlyabandoned (1–10 years old, 1.04 Mg C ha1yr1) compared to earlier abandoned crop fields (11–20 years old,0.26 Mg C ha1yr1). Our study confirms the global significance of abandoned cropland in Russia for carbonsequestration. Our findings also suggest that robust regional surveys based on a large number of samples advancemodel-based continent-wide SOC prediction.
Restoring depleted soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks of arable land to remove carbon from the atmosphere and offset fossil fuel emissions is a promising strategy for the mitigation of climate change. In agroecosystems conservational tillage practices and the abandonment of formerly plowed fields (ex-arable land) are shown to have the highest potential to sequester SOC. Nevertheless reported sequestration rates vary and the effects of environmental site conditions remain poorly understood. Our results are based on a meta-analysis of 273 paired SOC estimates from 65 publications which included only mineral soils from the temperate zone. SOC stocks of ex-arable grasslands with an average of 14 years since abandonment were 18% larger compared to the SOC of arable land. Likewise, SOC stocks of never-plowed grassland plots were 11% larger than the SOC stocks of abandoned fields. The average sequestration rate was 0.72 t C ha− 1 yr− 1. Semi-arid and sub-humid climate as well as low initial SOC stocks positively affected proportional SOC gains suggesting that the recovery of carbon stocks is not limited by low primary production. Therefore, the northward shift of cultivation areas in the temperate zone will lead to the abandonment of soils with high SOC recovery potential. However, if native soils are opened up elsewhere to compensate for yield losses due to abandonment the surplus of SOC in ex-arable land can easily be overcompensated by cultivation losses.
Despite the high significance of the Western Siberian grain belt for crop production in Russia, its weed communities are largely unknown. In this region spring wheat is grown on fertile Chernozem soils with large field sizes but land-use intensity per area is low compared to Central Europe. By usin a randomized sampling design we studied arable weed assemblages in the northern forest-steppe zone of Tyumen region on 99 within-field sampling plots of 100 m² size. Surprisingly, with average of 9.8 ± 3.8 species 100 m-2 species richness was low when compared with low-input farming in Central Europe and did not differ between areas of different land-use intensity. Against expectations species composition was not predominantly controlled by soil characteristics and climate, most likely due to short natural gradients. Instead, management factors such as fertilization and tillage intensity seemed to be important factors. Except for two species the Tyumen weed flora consisted mainly of species that are widespread throughout the temperate zone. We found only 10 species with an origin or core area in North Asia or Eastern Europe. The species pool was generally small and with 26% the proportion of non-native spe cies (archaeophytes) was low, when compared to Central European weed communities. Given that weed communities with higher species richness are described from neighboring Bashkiria, we conclude that arable land-use intensity in Tyumen region is high enough to reduce community species richness within arable fields estimated by a randomized sampling design. Since measured soil nutrient values did not affect species richness, herbicide use is most likely the crucial management factor. Furthermore, species-richness was vitally restricted by the small species pool. The low proportion of thermophilous arable weed species that originate from the Mediterranean or Middle-Eastern area and contribute signif icantly to the Central European weed diversity indicate that climatic dispersal limitations may be re sponsible for the small number of weed species in the Tyumen flora. An additional constraint was the short history of arable farming in Western Siberia, where considerable arable land use was started only by the end of the 17th century.
Between Ekaterinburg and Nowosibirsk, in the Western Siberian grain belt, spring wheat is grown on fertileChernozem soils. Field and farm sizes are large but the land-use intensity per area is low compared to CentralEurope. Fertilizers and pesticides are applied only in low to moderate quantities and yields range between 10and 20 dt ha-1 . We studied the arable weed flora in the northern forest steppe zone of Tyumen region using arandomized sampling design. Surprisingly, the species richness was only moderate, on average 9.8 ± 3.8species per 100 m². Compared to weed communities of Bashkiria (Southern Ural) and less intensively usedarable land of Central Europe these numbers are rather low. Moreover, most of the recorded species werecosmopolitans or widely distributed throughout the temperate zone. We suggest that the land use intensitywas high enough to reduce the density of a number of weed species in a way that they were not registered byour random sampling design. The limited conservational value of the weed vegetation of large grain fields inTyumen leads to the conclusion that if intensification of land use is unavoidable, it should be directed to arableland and not to ex-arable land or ancient grassland, which is of higher conservation value.
Wasser- und Ufervegetation
(2016)
Auch um die Milchviehhaltung gibt es seit einigen Jahren eine öffentlich geführte Tierwohldiskussion. Zwei Aspekte sind dabei immer wieder Gegenstand der Kommunikation: Die Anbindehaltung und der Weidegang. Auf Basis von qualitativen Interviews mit zivilgesellschaftlichen Verbänden und landwirtschaftlichen Verbänden wurden die Einstellungen und die Argumentationsmuster beider Verbandsgruppen zu den Haltungsformen Weidegang und Anbindehaltung ergründet. Von Interesse ist dieser Vergleich, da im Rahmen öffentlich-medialer Kommunikation die Diskussionsfronten zwischen beiden Verbandsgruppen verhärtet erscheinen. Die Analyse der Aussagen, die im Rahmen der qualitativen Interviewreihe dieser Studie getätigt wurden, erlaubt die begründete Annahme, dass beide Verbandsgruppen mit den Themenkomplexen Anbindehaltung und Weidehaltung in einem wissenschaftliche orientierten Kommunikationskontext differenziert umgehen. Eine klare Polarisierung der Einstellungen zwischen beiden Verbandsgruppen ist in einem solchen Umfeld nicht mehr wahrnehmbar gewesen.
Gebäude beanspruchen Ressourcen und verändern die Umwelt. Die Landwirtschaft benötigt oftmals großvolumige Gebäude. Eine nachhaltigere landwirtschaftliche Baukultur wäre damit begrüßenswert. Für das agrarische Bauen könnte eine verstärkte Verwendung des Rohstoffs Holz eine Perspektive darstellen. Holz überzeugt durch zahlreiche ökologische Vorteile wie die langfristige Kohlenstoffbindung oder eine einfache Recycelbarkeit. In Deutschland spielt Holz allerdings beim landwirtschaftlichen Bauen eine immer geringere Rolle. Diese Studie stellt Meinungsbilder deutscher LandwirtInnen zusammen zum Holzeinsatz beim Stallbau. Es wurden zehn Gruppendiskussionen gestaltet zum Themenfeld landwirtschaftliche Baukultur in verschiedenen deutschen Schwerpunktregionen der Rinderhaltung. Die Auswertungen zeigen, dass die LandwirtInnen weitestgehend die optische Wirkung von Holz schätzen, aber häufig an der Dauerhaftigkeit von Holzställen zweifeln.
Osnabrück’s so called “Green Fingers” – eleven landscape corridors reaching from the inner city into the region – structure the regional metropolis’ urban pattern. They supply the city centre with fresh air, serve as recreational destinations for the city’s inhabitants and provide space for close to the city agriculture and forestry. First defined in 1926, the Green Fingers have since been part of various planning documents and programs. However, these open spaces have been diminished bit by bit over time. The city’s growing need for land to build on had its impact just like the development of major traffic routes. On the one hand a lively debate has emerged: the Green Finger’s qualities, their ecological, aesthetical and cultural significance become increasingly important. Yet on the other hand decision makers still tend to put greenfield building activity first. A lot of efforts in striving for inner development are undermined by the ever growing demand for space. The urban sprawl continues, although various kinds of sanctuaries have been added to the urban and landscape planners’ equipment. The growing urban framework with its semidetached and single family houses does not come to a halt.
Mit einem systematischen Ansatz konnte basierend auf gering aufgelösten Daten (Bodenkarte, Höhenmodell, Landnutzungsklassifikation) das theoretische Expansionspotential für Ackerflächen in der Provinz Tjumen (Westsibirien, Russische Föderation) abgeschätzt werden. Die theoretisch mögliche Ausdehnung der Ackernutzung um 57% in den landwirtschaftlich relevanten Gebieten konnte allerdings nur zur Hälfte mit Groundtruthdaten in 3 Testareas (je 400 km²) validiert werden. Darüber hinaus waren 52% dieser positiven Validierungspunkte auf Ackerbrachen verortet, die derzeit nicht ökonomisch rentabel zu bewirtschaften sind. Insgesamt kann daher nur eine Expansion der Ackerflächen um 14,5% (? 1900 km² bzw. 1,1% der Gesamtfläche) als potentiell möglich angesehen werden.
Naturentfremdung
(2018)
The objective of this review is a global assessment of the economics of second‐generation biorefineries, with a focus on the use of food waste and agricultural residues for chemical production by applying biotechnological processes. Analyses are conducted on feedstock and product distribution, applied economic models, and profitability figures for the period 2013–2018. In a study of 163 articles on different biorefinery systems, the production of chemicals is identified as the second major product class, after bioenergy. Bagasse and straw are frequently analyzed second‐generation feedstocks. Based on the evaluation of 22 articles, second‐generation biorefineries producing chemicals by applying biotechnological processes proves to be economically feasible. On average, both the internal rate of return (IRR) and the return on investment (ROI) are 20% and the payback period (PP) is 6 years. The cost share of feedstock in biorefineries is between 0–50%. The price of the end product and the fermentation yields have the most impact on profitability. The processing of food waste that has industrial and municipal origins appears more economical than the processing of agricultural residues. Scientists, policy makers and entrepreneurs with an appropriate risk tolerance are advised to pay particular attention to municipal food waste and the potential economic production of carboxylic acids. For various economic issues related to biorefineries, dynamic‐deterministic models are recommended, which can be extended by a stochastic model. This review provides an initial overview of the economic feasibility of second‐generation biorefineries. Further techno‐economic analyses are required to produce statistically significant statements on key profitability figures. © 2020 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biorefining published by Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mobile Eye Tracking in Landscape Architecture: Discovering a New Application for Research on Site
(2018)
This chapter presents the process of establishing a laboratory for mobile eye tracking focussing
on real-world, open-space environments within the field of landscape architecture at
the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences (D) as well as the latest results from the feasibility
study ‘Point de Vue’, which defines the basis for qualitative interaction analyses in
landscape architecture. Eye tracking is a tool that has been used extensively in the domains
of psychology, marketing, usability and user experience in remote and mobile applications,
but has rarely been used in real-world open spaces because of technical limitations. To
check the possibilities of mobile eye tracking as a new application in open spaces, several
exploratory tests and a feasibility study with long-term experiments have been carried out
in urban settings as well as in world famous parks such as ‘Grosser Garten’ in Hannover (D)
and ‘Stourhead’ in Wiltshire (GB). These experiments have shown extraordinary results that
enable us to use mobile eye tracking as a new tool in open space research to gain knowledge
about how people act, react and interact in open-space environments. Being able to see and
understand what catches one’s eye and the response to it will be a guide to better design.
The global climate system is currently warming due to the increase in CO2 emissions caused by humans. Technically oriented efficiency strategies are seen more frequently as solutions to reach the European Union’s maximum two degrees Celsius target. Companies play an important role in limiting climate change and must either prepare for such consequences or adopt new strategies such as the sufficiency strategy.
This article will discuss how the sufficiency strategy and the promotion of sufficient living in the context of the tourism industry can contribute to reducing CO2 emissions. Most common approaches toward sufficient living found in literature will be identified, analysed and discussed. Based on chosen keywords, the most common approaches were identified through a literature review of relevant journals from 1989 to 2014. Four main research fields that can promote sufficient living and reduce CO2 emissions were identified. Based on the prospects of the companies, it is apparent that sufficient strategies are not only able to support a market-orientated corporate management but also promote sufficient living and thus reduce CO2 emissions.