Productivity is a poor predictor of plant species richness

For more than 30 years, the relationship between net primary productivity and species richness has generated intense debate in ecology about the processes regulating local diversity. The original view, which is still widely accepted, holds that the relationship is hump-shaped, with richness first rising and then declining with increasing productivity. Although recent meta-analyses questioned the generality of hump-shaped patterns, these syntheses have been criticized for failing to account for methodological differences among studies. We addressed such concerns by conducting standardized sampling in 48 herbaceous-dominated plant communities on five continents. We found no clear relationship between productivity and fine-scale (meters(-2)) richness within sites, within regions, or across the globe. Ecologists should focus on fresh, mechanistic approaches to understanding the multivariate links between productivity and richness.     

Lead and cesium transport in european forest soils

The downward velocity of Pb and Cs in undisturbed European forest soils is determined from the depth distribution of atmospheric ²¹⁰Pb , and from the penetration depth of the bomb Cs peak in the soil. The downward velocity of Pb and Cs shows no correlation with soil type and pH. The downward migration of Pb and Cs is found to be due to an apparent downward movement of organic material, caused by the sedimentation of soil organic matter and subsequent turnover into CO₂ . Cs migration, however, shows an additional velocity component which is found to depend on the turnover rate of soil organic matter.     

Vorarbeiten zur monographischen Darstellung von Wildpflanzensortimenten:Secale L

Zusammenfassung Die Genbank in Gatersleben verfügt über eine umfangreiche Wildroggen-Kollektion, die für die Aufgaben der Züchtungsforschung und Züchtung zur Verfügung steht. Probleme der Erhaltung dieser Kollektion in der Genbank werden diskutiert. In diesem Zusammenhang wird das Reproduktionssystem besonders untersucht.Zur Dokumentation des Materials ist seine Identifikation notwendig. Daher wurde die GattungSecale revidiert. Neukombinationen werden fürS. strictum (Presl) Presl — subsp.kuprijanovii (Grossh.) Hammer, subsp.anatolicum (Boiss.) Hammer, subsp.ciliatoglume (Boiss.) Hammer, subsp.africanum (Stapf) Hammer — und fürS. cereale L. — subsp.afghanicum (Vav.) Hammer — vorgeschlagen. Zur Determination der Sippen wird ein Bestimmungsschlüssel publiziert.Entwicklungstendenzen innerhalb der Gattung werden aufgezeigt.

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Preliminary work on monographs of wild plant collections:Secale L

Summary The Gatersleben gene bank holds a large collection of wild rye available for the tasks of breeding research and plant breeding. Problems of maintaining this collection in the gene bank are discussed. In this connection the breeding system is especially studied.A proper identification of the material is a necessary prerequisite for its documentation. Therefore, the genusSecale was revised. New combinations are proposed forS. strictum (Presl) Presl — subsp.kuprijanovii (Grossh.) Hammer, subsp.anatolicum (Boiss.) Hammer, subsp.ciliatoglume (Boiss.) Hammer, subsp.africanum (Stapf) Hammer — and forS. cereale L. — subsp.afghanicum (Vav.) Hammer. Keys for the determination of species and subspecies are given.Evolutionary trends within the genus are demonstrated.

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: Secale L

, . . . . Secale. . S. strictum (Presl) Presl — subsp.kuprijanovii (Grossh.) Hammer, subsp.anatolicum (Boiss.) Hammer, subsp.ciliatoglume (Boiss.) Hammer, subsp.africanum (Stapf) Hammer — S. cereale L. — subsp.afghanicum (Vav.) Hammer. . .

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Herrn Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult.H. Stubbe aus Anlaß der 85. Wiederkehr seines Geburtstages gewidmet.

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Der Beitrag von E. S. entstand im Ergebnis eines Studienaufenthaltes zur Vorbereitung ihrer Dissertation 1986 in Gatersleben.     

Schadstoffpotential technogener Substrate in Böden urban-industrieller Verdichtungsräume

Potential of contamination of technological substrates in soils of urban and industrial environments The soils of urban and industrial environments are often present in form of anthropogenic Deposols made of natural and technological substrates. The admixture of technological substrates can be connected with the accumulation of contaminants. On the basis of extensive investigations in the central Ruhr area and literature studies the contamination level (parameters: As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn, Benzo(a)pyrene, Σ PCB) of the different technological substrates is characterized. The volume of data permits to establish an assessment scheme for the contamination level of technological substrates with a five stage scale (very low, low, middle, high, very high).     

Mobilization of cesium in organic rich soils: Correlation with production of dissolved organic carbon

A study of the downward movement of ¹³⁷Cs in an undisturbed forest soil is presented. Seasonal variations and depth profiles of ¹³⁷Cs activities were measured in seepage water, which is the transport medium for the downward movement of anthropogenic substances in soils. Furthermore the correlation of ¹³⁷Cs mobilization and production of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was investigated. Seasonal variations of both ¹³⁷Cs and DOC fluxes in the seepage water in a depth of 5 cm depth were observed, where the maximum fluxes in the summer months were about one order of magnitude higher than the minimum fluxes in the winter months. ¹³⁷Cs fluxes are found to be correlated with DOC fluxes with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.63, and both are highly correlated with soil temperature. This indicates that cesium is bound to soil organic material. The production of DOC is controlled by microbial decomposition of soil organic matter and we assume that this holds true for the ¹³⁷Cs release as well. The actual transport velocity (0.2 ± 0.14 mm/a) of ¹³⁷Cs (calculated by the weighed mean of ¹³⁷Cs concentration in the seepage water and the total ¹³⁷Cs content of the soil) is about one order of magnitude less than the mean transport velocity (1.2 ± 0.3 mm/a) over the past 25 years (calculated from the ¹³⁷Cs depth profile). It is possible that the transport velocity of ¹³⁷Cs in undisturbed soils decreases with time as it binds to aged organic material which is less easily decomposable than fresh organic material.     

Structural characterization of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides from apple juices produced by enzymatic pomace liquefaction

Eight apple pomace liquefaction juices were produced to characterize soluble cell wall material released by the action of pectolytic and cellulolytic enzyme preparations. Very high colloid values from 9.7 to 19.6 g/L were recovered from the juices by ethanol precipitation. The crude polysaccharides consisted mainly of galacturonic acid (49-64 mol %), arabinose (14-23 mol %), galactose (6-15 mol %), and minor amounts of rhamnose, xylose, and glucose. Separation of the polysaccharides by anion-exchange chromatography yielded one neutral, one slightly acidic, and one acidic polymer accounting for 60% of total colloids. Preparative size exclusion chromatography of the acidic fractions resulted in four polymers of different molecular weights and different sugar compositions. Among them, high molecular weight arabinans and rhamnogalacturonans as well as oligomeric fractions consisting of only galacturonic acid could be found. Linkage studies were performed on neutral fractions from anion-exchange chromatography and size exclusion chromatography. They revealed highly branched arabinans, xyloglucans, and mainly type I arabinogalactans.     

Antagonisten und Pr?datoren der Maulbeerschildlaus Pseudaulacaspis pentagona (Targioni-Tozzetti, 1886) (Homoptera: Diaspididae) in Baden-W��rttemberg

Antagonists of the white scale (Pseudaulacaspis pentagona, Targioni-Tozzetti, 1886) were determined from peaches and sweet cherries as host plant at the orchards of the Centre for Agriculture and Technology Augustenberg (LTZ) in 2009 and 2010 as well as from four other commercial red and black currant orchards in Baden-Wuerttemberg in 2010. The study focused mainly on the parasitoid species of P. pentagona as well as the rate of parasitism of white scale caused by these parasitoids using emergence traps with invested branch samples of the different host plants in the laboratory. Beside the parasitoids, possible predators of the white scale were observed in the field in 2010 at the orchard of the LTZ. The two parasitic wasp species Aphytis diaspidis and Encarsia berlesei (Howard, 1881 and 1906) were determined as parasitoids of the white scale, whereas A. diaspidis was dominant at most sites. Rate of parasitism caused by both species ranged from 1.9 to 23.0%. The Kidney-Spot Ladybird Beetle (Chilocorus renipustulatus, Scriba, 1790) could be observed as a predator of the white scale in the field.     

Bodenmerkmale montan-industrieller Standorte in Essen

Soil properties of coal, iron and steel industrial sites in Essen The physical and chemical soil properties of some Urbic Anthrosols derived from technogenic substrata in the study area Essen (Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany) were analyzed with special consideration of toxic elements. The sites are characterized by high contents of coarse fragments (> 2 mm) of different species and size whereby this fragments are partly porous. Bulk densities and particle densities are low due to the high contents of carbon. The sites show high pH-values with the exception of sulphur containing mining substrata, which are characterized by low pH-values in consequence of pyrite oxidation. Partly the technogenic substrata have a high content of carbon, especially of coal, before depositing. There are high contents of anorganic and organic toxic elements in some horizons due to the deposit species, e.g. high Cr-values in horizons with steel industrial slags and high PAH-values in horizons with coal tar containing material.