4 research outputs found
Influence of Sheepâs Wool Vegetation Mats on the Plant Growth of Perennials
Vegetation mats for horticulture and landscaping usually consist of coconut fibre and straw. They have hardly any available nutrients and serve only as a carrier material for plant growth. Water capacity is low. By incorporating raw sheepâs wool, nutrients, such as nitrogen, potassium, and sulphur can positively influence the nutrient content of the carrier material. Water storage and water holding capacity are increased by the wool. In this study, three different thick-layered vegetation mats with different proportions of sheepâs wool and coir fibres were developed for the pre-cultivation of perennials. The focus is on the evaluation of sheepâs wool as a carrier material compared to pure coconut fibre as well as the plant growth of the eight perennial species used (Achillea clypeolata âMoonshineâ, Achnatherum calamagrostis âAlgĂ€uâ, Anaphalis triplinervis, Aster dumosus âProf. Anton Kippenbergâ, Aster dumosus âSilberballâ, Centranthus ruber âCoccineusâ, Coreopsis verticillata, Salvia nemorosa âRosaköniginâ). The vegetation mats with sheepâs wool contained 230, 241, and 308 g nitrogen (N)/m2 and the coir mats contained 75 g N/m2. The water content ranged from 16.0 to 22.1 vol% for the sheepâs wool mats and 12.6 vol% for the coir mat at pF1 (is equal to matrix potential at â10 hPa). The air content ranged from 71.9 to 77.0 vol% for the sheepâs wool mat and 79.4 vol% for the coir mat at pF1. On all vegetation mats containing sheepâs wool, the overall impression of the perennials was better than in the control. Especially good were Asters. At the end of the trial, the assessment scores of Asters on the sheepâs wool mats were two scores higher than on the coir mat. Aster dumosus âProf. Anton Kippenbergâ achieved an average plant height between 35.8, 35.8, and 36.5 cm on the sheepâs wool mats and 14.4 cm on the coir mat. Aster dumosus âSilberballâ yielded 41.3, 42.3, and 44 cm on the sheepâs wool mats and 26.7 cm on the coir mat. No significant differences regarding plant height between the different variants of sheepâs wool mats emerged. Therefore, these mats can be used as alternative planting concepts for landscaping.German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi)Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)Open Access Publication Fund of Humboldt-UniversitĂ€tPeer Reviewe
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Co-variation of crenarchaeol and branched GDGTs in globally-distributed marine and freshwater sedimentary archives
Two major types of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) are commonly
used in paleoecological and paleoclimatological reconstructions: isoprenoidal and
branched GDGTs. In aquatic environments, it was originally assumed that isoprenoidal
GDGTs, especially crenarchaeol, derive mainly from aquatic Thaumarchaeota, whilst
branched GDGTs are an allochthonous input derived from soil Bacteria. Recently,
direct co-variation of crenarchaeol and branched GDGTs has been described in two
marine sedimentary records, and this observation suggests in situ production of
branched GDGTs is possible at least in some aquatic environments. After investigating
30 published and unpublished data sets from downcore and surface sediments as well as
sediment traps from 19 distinct regions around the world, we found a widespread
significant correlation between concentrations of branched GDGTs and crenarchaeol
(p<0.01; rÂČ=0.57-0.99), even when normalized against TOC, where available. These
data sets include freshwater and marine environments with varying distances from the
shore, varying redox conditions and different terrestrial matter input pathways. Our
findings from this large-scale data set suggest that a common or mixed source for both
GDGT types is actually commonplace in lacustrine and marine settings.Keywords: Branched GDGTs,
Oceans,
Crenarchaeol,
Archaea,
Isoprenoid GDGTs,
Lakes,
In situ production
Defining Planktonic Protist Functional Groups on Mechanisms for Energy and Nutrient Acquisition: Incorporation of Diverse Mixotrophic Strategies
Arranging organisms into functional groups aids ecological research by grouping organisms (irrespective of phylogenetic origin) that interact with environmental factors in similar ways. Planktonic protists traditionally have been split between photoautotrophic âphytoplanktonâ and phagotrophic âmicrozoo-planktonâ.
However, there is a growing recognition of the importance of mixotrophy in euphotic aquatic systems, where
many protists often combine photoautotrophic and phagotrophic modes of nutrition. Such organisms do not align with the traditional dichotomy of phytoplankton and microzooplankton. To reflect this understanding,we
propose a new functional grouping of planktonic protists in an eco- physiological context: (i) phagoheterotrophs lacking phototrophic capacity, (ii) photoautotrophs lacking phagotrophic capacity,(iii)
constitutive mixotrophs (CMs) as phagotrophs with an inherent capacity for phototrophy, and (iv) non-constitutive mixotrophs (NCMs) that acquire their phototrophic capacity by ingesting specific (SNCM) or
general non-specific (GNCM) prey. For the first time, we incorporate these functional groups within
a foodweb structure and show, using model outputs, that there is scope for significant changes in trophic dynamics depending on the protist functional type description. Accord- ingly, to better reflect the role
of mixotrophy, we recommend that as important tools for explanatory and predictive research, aquatic food-web
and biogeochemical models need to redefine the protist groups within their frameworks