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Rapid shift in plant species composition in burned pine forests with different post-fire management
No full textBackground
Wildfires have burned large areas of forest in Central Europe in recent years, and the risk of fires is predicted to increase. However, this region is still underrepresented in fire ecology research. To help to fill this knowledge gap, we investigated post-fire vegetation composition and mean Ellenberg indicator values (EIV) in two burned Scots pine forests in NE Germany with different levels of salvage logging (no, partial, complete) in the first 6 years after a severe fire.
Results
Vegetation composition of burned plots differed drastically from unburned control plots, resulting in enhanced species richness (mainly due to open land species) and increased EIV for light, reaction, and nitrogen. In the first year, species richness was generally lower on completely salvage logged plots, as was EIV for light, reaction, and nitrogen. On non-salvage- and partially salvage logged plots, total species richness and the number of open land species, as well as forb cover, increased in the first 3 years and decreased thereafter. The number of forest species, as well as the cover of grasses and bryophytes, increased continuously on all plots. EIV for moisture, reaction, and nitrogen showed a temporal decrease.
Conclusions
We were able to show that even in the short period of up to 6 years after fire, vegetation changed rapidly. Post-fire species composition shifted from early open land pioneer species towards late successional forest species. Decreasing EIVs for reaction and nutrients indicate that the temporary increase in nutrient availability quickly dissipates, probably due to nutrient leaching. Post-fire management has a strong influence on post-fire vegetation. Even if some successional patterns remained similar for all salvage logging groups, recolonization of completely salvage logged plots was slower, resulting in lower species richness and ground vegetation cover. In the next years, the shift from pioneer towards late successional climax species will probably continue in our study areas as site conditions are expected to change further.Resumen
Antecedentes
Los incendios de vegetación han quemado grandes áreas de bosques en Europa Central en años recientes, y se predice que el riesgo de incendios aumentará. Sin embargo, esta región está todavía sub-representada en relación con las investigaciones sobre incendios de vegetación. Para ayudar a llenar esta brecha en el conocimiento, investigamos la composición post-fuego y los valores del indicador medio Ellenberg (EIV) en dos bosques quemados de pino silvestre en el NE de Alemania con diferentes niveles de aprovechamiento post disturbio (sin aprovechamiento, aprovechamiento parcial, y total) en los últimos seis años luego de un incendio severo.
Resultados
La composición de la vegetación de las parcelas quemadas difirieron drásticamente comparadas con las de los controles (no quemadas), resultando en incrementos en la riqueza de especies (fundamentalmente por especies de áreas abiertas) y también en incrementos en EIV para la luz, pH y nitrógeno. En las parcelas quemadas pero no aprovechadas o parcialmente aprovechadas luego del incendio, la riqueza total de especies y el número de especies de áreas abiertas y también la cobertura de malezas de hoja ancha, se incrementaron en los primeros tres años post-incendio y luego decrecieron. El número de especies forestales, como así también la cobertura de pastos y briófitas se incrementaron continuamente en todas las parcelas. El EIV para humedad, pH y nitrógeno mostraron un descenso temporal.
Conclusiones
Mostramos que aún en un periodo corto de hasta seis años después del fuego, la vegetación cambió rápidamente. La composición de especies en el post-fuego cambió desde especies pioneras tempranas de áreas abiertas, a especies forestales de estadios sucesionales tardíos. El decremento del EIV para el pH y nutrientes indican que el rápido incremento en la disponibilidad de nutrientes se disipa rápidamente, probablemente debido a su lixiviación. El manejo en el post-fuego tiene una muy fuerte influencia en la vegetación resultante en la etapa del post-fuego. Aún cuando algunos patrones sucesionales permanecen de manera similar para todos los grupos de aprovechamiento en el pos-fuego, la recolonización en las parcelas donde el aprovechamiento fue total resultó más lenta que en las otras, resultando en una menor riqueza de especies y menor cobertura de vegetación. En los próximos años, el cambio de especies pioneras hacia especies climáxicas propias de la sucesión tardía probablemente ocurra en nuestras áreas de estudio, a medida que se vayan produciendo los cambios esperados en las condiciones de sitio
Earth Virtualization Engines (EVE)
No full textAbstractTo manage Earth in the Anthropocene, new tools, new institutions, and new forms of international cooperation will be required. Earth Virtualization Engines is proposed as an international federation of centers of excellence to empower all people to respond to the immense and urgent challenges posed by climate change.</p
The role of good agricultural practices in achieving sustainability and living income in Ivorian cocoa
No full textIn many agricultural sectors and agri-food chains, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) are promoted as a key strategy to improve the quality and quantity of production, thereby boosting local incomes and livelihoods. Although Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s leading cocoa producing country, most cocoa farmers live far below the local Living Income benchmark. Further, given that many poverty-related sustainability challenges persist, a main element of public and private sustainability interventions center on demonstrating GAPs to farmers. Yet, there is no clear picture of not just the isolated associations of GAPs training on farmers’ production and wellbeing but also their actual mid-term sustainability. Furthermore, farmers’ perspectives on GAPs and major challenges related to their implementation are still not well understood. Applying a mixed methods approach, based on survey data ( N = 521) and farmer interviews ( N = 52) from two different cocoa loops in Côte d’Ivoire, we assess structural dimensions of GAPs training, costs and benefits of adoption, as well as contribution to cocoa yields and revenues. While cost-benefit analyses and robust linear regression models show positive effects of GAPs training on cocoa yields and revenues, our insights from qualitative data revealed largely unrecognized challenges, such as negative impacts on health and livelihood perceptions, as well as major structural barriers to GAPs adoption. We argue that cocoa farmers face limitations in applying GAPs that are beyond their control. Given the urgent need to break the cycle of poverty in cocoa production, the responsibilities of other key stakeholders in the cocoa value chain for reducing farmers’ income gaps must be clearly defined
Developing Energy Citizenship—Empowerment Through Engagement and (Co-)Ownership, Individually and in Energy Communities
No full textOpportunities for citizens to become prosumers have grown rapidly with renewable energy (RE) technologies reaching grid parity. The European Union’s ability to harness this potential depends on empowering energy citizens, fostering active engagement, and overcoming resistance to RE deployment. European energy law introduced “renewable self-consumers” and “active customers” with rights to consume, sell, store, and share RE, alongside rights for citizens collectively organised in energy communities. This article explores conditions for inclusive citizen engagement and empowerment within the RE system. Building on an ownership- and governance-oriented approach, we further develop the concept of energy citizenship, focusing on three elements: conditions for successful engagement, individual versus collective (financial) participation, and the role of public (co-)ownership in fostering inclusion. The analysis is supported by 82 semi-structured interviews, corroborating our theoretical lens. Findings show that participation, especially of vulnerable consumers, relies on an intact “engagement chain,” while energy communities remain an underused instrument for inclusion. Institutional environments enabling municipalities and public entities to act as pace-making (co-)owners are identified as key. Complementing the market and the State, civil society holds important potential to enhance engagement. Inspired by the 2017 European Pillar of Social Rights, we propose a corresponding “European Pillar of Energy Rights.
Drought and masting affect growth allocation along the stem axis in beech, oak, fir and spruce in temperate forests
No full textIn temperate forests, tree growth and vitality are significantly influenced by drought, often reflected by low stem diameter growth. Additionally, masting, the cyclic production of seeds, can also affect growth, particularly through its interactions with environmental factors like drought. Despite extensive research on the individual impacts of drought and masting, their combined effects on growth allocation remain underexplored, especially for a broader variety of species. This study aims to bridge this gap by investigating how drought and/or masting influence growth patterns in the coniferous species Abies alba and Picea abies , as well as the deciduous broadleaved species Fagus sylvatica and Quercus petraea . Utilising tree-ring data collected over several decades, we analysed how basal area increment (BAI) at 1.3 m stem height as well as along the stem axis responds to various scenarios of drought and masting. Our results showed that drought consistently reduced BAI in all species. F. sylvatica and P. abies experienced significantly lower BAI during mast years that coincided with drought, suggesting a potential trade-off between vegetative and reproductive growth under resource limitation. In contrast, Q. petraea exhibited higher BAI during mast years, indicating a distinct carbon allocation strategy. Furthermore, our study revealed that differences in BAI between mast and non-mast years were most prominent in the upper stem in the deciduous species, particularly during drought periods. These findings highlight the complex interactions between environmental stress, stem diameter growth and seed production, emphasising the need for further research into whole-tree carbon allocation processes
Do current biomass equations for Alnus glutinosa and Betula pubescens misestimate carbon stocks at peatland sites?
No full textAbstract
Accurate estimation of forest carbon stocks is essential for climate change mitigation, particularly in peatland ecosystems known for their high soil organic carbon content. However, biomass equations currently used in Germany, such as the “ regular” biomass equation of the National Forest Inventory integrated in the TapeS R package, are primarily calibrated for mineral soil sites and may misestimate biomass in peatland forests. This study evaluates the applicability of existing biomass equations for Alnus glutinosa and Betula pubescens in forested peatlands across Germany by comparing estimates of the biomass equation of the National Forest Inventory with a set of alternative allometric functions, including peatland-specific equations. Using data from 65 forests at peatland and 1266 forests at mineral soil sites, we assessed tree growth patterns, aboveground biomass, and carbon stocks. Results indicate significant differences in growth dynamics between peatland and mineral sites, with trees at peatland sites exhibiting lower heights and biomass at a given diameter. Despite this, stand level carbon estimates by the standard biomass equation of the National Forest Inventory aligned closely with the mean of all equations for both species and did not show a consistent bias, although it overestimated individual tree biomass for Betula pubescens . Notably, peatland-specific functions show high variability and no clear advantage over the biomass equation of the National Forest Inventory. We conclude that while the equation of the National Forest Inventory currently provides robust estimates for the carbon stock of peatland forests in Germany on stand level for Betula pubescens and Alnus glutinosa , future recalibration may be needed as restoration efforts and climate change alter site conditions. For local-scale applications, especially in intact or rewetted peatlands, site-adapted equations are recommended to account for the high spatial heterogeneity and complex growth dynamics of these ecosystems
Drought and masting affect growth allocation along the stem axis in beech, oak, fir and spruce in temperate forests
No full textIn temperate forests, tree growth and vitality are significantly influenced by drought, often reflected by low stem diameter growth. Additionally, masting, the cyclic production of seeds, can also affect growth, particularly through its interactions with environmental factors like drought. Despite extensive research on the individual impacts of drought and masting, their combined effects on growth allocation remain underexplored, especially for a broader variety of species. This study aims to bridge this gap by investigating how drought and/or masting influence growth patterns in the coniferous species Abies alba and Picea abies , as well as the deciduous broadleaved species Fagus sylvatica and Quercus petraea . Utilising tree-ring data collected over several decades, we analysed how basal area increment (BAI) at 1.3 m stem height as well as along the stem axis responds to various scenarios of drought and masting. Our results showed that drought consistently reduced BAI in all species. F. sylvatica and P. abies experienced significantly lower BAI during mast years that coincided with drought, suggesting a potential trade-off between vegetative and reproductive growth under resource limitation. In contrast, Q. petraea exhibited higher BAI during mast years, indicating a distinct carbon allocation strategy. Furthermore, our study revealed that differences in BAI between mast and non-mast years were most prominent in the upper stem in the deciduous species, particularly during drought periods. These findings highlight the complex interactions between environmental stress, stem diameter growth and seed production, emphasising the need for further research into whole-tree carbon allocation processes
„Besser spät als nie?!“ Nachträgliche Einbindung von Praxispartner:innen in die Wirkungsorientierung eines transdisziplinären Projekts am Beispiel von InNoWest
No full textIn Form einer Fallstudie geht diese Arbeit der Frage nach, wie sich die nachträgliche Einbeziehung von Praxispartner:innen in die Wirkungsorientierung in einem transdisziplinären Forschungsprojekt auswirkt.
Transdisziplinarität hat es sich auf die Fahnen geschrieben, zur Lösung komplexer realweltlicher Probleme beizutragen, sodass gesellschaftliche Wirkungen einen wichtigen Aspekt in diesem Forschungsmodus ausmachen (Kny, Claus, et al., 2023). Um diese noch gezielter ansteuern zu können, hat sich in den letzten Jahren die „Wirkungsorientierung“ als wichtiger methodischer Ansatz entwickelt. Das Verbundvorhaben InNoWest arbeitet hieran nach der Methodik von Schäfer et al. (2021, 2024), deren Grundlage die Theory of Change bildet. Das weitere Hauptmerkmal transdisziplinärer Forschung ist die Zusammenarbeit mit außerwissenschaftlichen Akteur:innen, die von Anfang an in den Prozess der Wirkungsorientierung einbezogen werden. In InNoWest wurde der Prozess jedoch ohne Praxisbeteiligung begonnen.
Um die Konsequenzen einer nachträglichen Einbeziehung zu explorieren, wurde deshalb ein Workshop konzipiert und durchgeführt, der Teile des wissenschaftlichen Teams und ausgewählte Praxispartner:innen eines Teilvorhabens zusammenbrachte und den Beteiligten die Möglichkeit gab, die in früheren Workshops erarbeitete Theory of Change (Wirkungspfad) anzupassen.
Anschließend wurden der Audiomitschnitt des Workshops und der angepasste Wirkungspfad anhand von aus der Literatur abgeleiteten Kriterien analysiert. Die Resultate wurden mit den Ergebnissen einer Teilnehmendenbefragung und Aussagen der Co-Moderation trianguliert.
Hierbei zeigte sich, dass die Theory of Change durch den Workshop zwar an methodischer Qualität verlor, jedoch gleichzeitig Zustimmung von den Beteiligten erfuhr und in ihrer Funktion als Übersetzungshilfe zwischen Wissenschaft und Praxis gestärkt wurde. Zudem erhöhte die Anpassung des Wirkungspfads die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass die Ergebnisse des Teilvorhabens verstetigt werden.
Es wurde deutlich, dass die Zusammenarbeit im Teilvorhaben bisher eher der consulting transdisciplinarity (Mobjörk, 2010) zuzuordnen ist, die nicht dem Idealbild der gleichrangigen Zusammenarbeit von Wissenschaft und Praxis entspricht. Die Verständigung über Ziele und Rollen im Workshop erlaubte es jedoch, Offenheit für andere Modi der Zusammenarbeit zu zeigen, die auf die bisherige, als positiv bewertete Zusammenarbeit aufbauen. Die im
Workshop diskutierten Themen deuteten auf den Beginn einer neuen Phase der Arbeit im Projekt hin, in der der Fokus stärker auf dem Transfer der Ergebnisse liegt. Dies stärkt ebenfalls mittel- und langfristige Wirkungen. Damit diese Wirkungen tatsächlich eintreten, muss die Wissenschaft-Praxis-Zusammenarbeit fortgesetzt werden. Es braucht jedoch auch Unterstützung auf struktureller Ebene, wie geeignete Förderformate
Drought and masting affect growth allocation along the stem axis in beech, oak, fir and spruce in temperate forests
No full textIn temperate forests, tree growth and vitality are significantly influenced by drought, often reflected by low stem diameter growth. Additionally, masting, the cyclic production of seeds, can also affect growth, particularly through its interactions with environmental factors like drought. Despite extensive research on the individual impacts of drought and masting, their combined effects on growth allocation remain underexplored, especially for a broader variety of species. This study aims to bridge this gap by investigating how drought and/or masting influence growth patterns in the coniferous species Abies alba and Picea abies , as well as the deciduous broadleaved species Fagus sylvatica and Quercus petraea . Utilising tree-ring data collected over several decades, we analysed how basal area increment (BAI) at 1.3 m stem height as well as along the stem axis responds to various scenarios of drought and masting. Our results showed that drought consistently reduced BAI in all species. F. sylvatica and P. abies experienced significantly lower BAI during mast years that coincided with drought, suggesting a potential trade-off between vegetative and reproductive growth under resource limitation. In contrast, Q. petraea exhibited higher BAI during mast years, indicating a distinct carbon allocation strategy. Furthermore, our study revealed that differences in BAI between mast and non-mast years were most prominent in the upper stem in the deciduous species, particularly during drought periods. These findings highlight the complex interactions between environmental stress, stem diameter growth and seed production, emphasising the need for further research into whole-tree carbon allocation processes
Metagenomic analysis of the camel rumen archaeome and its functional potential
No full textThe camel rumen harbors a unique and underexplored archaeal community that plays a critical role in methanogenesis and ruminal fermentation. This study aimed to characterize the taxonomic composition and functional potential of the camel rumen archaeome using whole-genome shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Across the seven healthy racing camel rumen samples, the archaeal community was dominated by Euryarchaeota (50.1 ± 0.02%) and the Methanomada group (49.7 ± 0.03%), with Methanobacteriaceae and Methanobrevibacter representing the predominant family and genus, respectively. Species-level analysis revealed Methanobrevibacter sp. YE315 and Methanobrevibacter millerae as the most abundant archaeal species across all samples. Alpha-diversity analyses indicated a diverse and evenly distributed archaeal population in the camel rumen. Beta-diversity based on Bray–Curtis and Jaccard dissimilarities demonstrated strong similarity among samples, highlighting a conserved archaeal community structure across individuals. Core microbiome assessment (≥ 80% occurrence) identified seven dominant Methanobrevibacter species as the stable core archaeome. Functional profiling revealed a consistent metabolic repertoire dominated by methanogenesis (PWY-5209), amino acid biosynthesis, and nucleotide metabolism pathways. Functional alpha-diversity metrics and beta-diversity clustering highlighted low inter-sample variability and a stable functional architecture. Overall, the camel rumen archaeome exhibited a stable and conserved community composition and functional architecture, underscoring its central role in hydrogen utilization and methane production within the rumen ecosystem. Although based on a small number of animals from a single location and therefore descriptive in nature, this study provides a comprehensive metagenomic overview of the taxonomic and functional profiles of the camel rumen archaeal community