Search results for "Wissenschaft"

Polyester microplastic fibers affect soil physical properties and erosion as a function of soil type

2021

Microplastics are recognized as a factor of global change contaminating many environmental compartments. Agricultural soils are very likely to receive microplastic contamination and are of particular concern due to their role in food production. Microplastic fibers have already been shown to be able to affect soil properties, but their effect on different soil types is poorly understood. Moreover, limited information is available on how the presence of this pollutant can affect soil water erosion processes, which are extremely important issues in many environments. In the light of this, we performed two experiments (carried out on a microscale) to investigate how the presence of polyester m…

Soil fungi invest into asexual sporulation under resource scarcity, but trait spaces of individual isolates are unique

2022

During the last few decades, a plethora of sequencing studies provided insight into fungal community composition under various environmental conditions. Still, the mechanisms of species assembly and fungal spread in soil remain largely unknown. While mycelial growth patterns are studied extensively, the abundant formation of asexual spores is often overlooked, though representing a substantial part of the fungal life cycle relevant for survival and dispersal. Here, we explore asexual sporulation (spore abundance, size and shape) in 32 co-occurring soil fungal isolates under varying resource conditions, to answer the question whether resource limitation triggers or inhibits fungal investment…

Allopolyploidisation in a geological collision zone: on the origin of the tetraploid Anthemis cupaniana Nyman (Compositae, Anthemideae) in Sicily

2022

AbstractThe genus Anthemis has a circum-Mediterranean distribution and comprises c. 175 annual, biennial, and perennial species with polyploid species and species complexes found in its section A. sect. Hiorthia. In Sicily, the genus is represented by 13 species, one of these being the tetraploid A. cupaniana, which is endemic to the island and is distributed throughout the limestone mountains at elevations between 500 and 1800 m a.s.l. Discordant positions in phylogenetic trees based on two plastid regions (psbA-trnH and trnC-petN) and on one nuclear marker (nrDNA ITS1 + 5.8S + ITS2) reveal that the species is of allopolyploid origin, with the maternal parent from the species group around …

A conspectus of Tephroseris (Asteraceae: Senecioneae) in Europe outside Russia and notes on the decline of the genus

2021

Tephroseris is generally considered a difficult genus. Based on the examination of extensive herbarium material and considering the existing literature, we recognize seven species in Europe outside Russia. These are T. palustris, T. integrifolia with subsp. integrifolia, subsp. aurantiaca, subsp. capitata, subsp. maritima, subsp. serpentini and subsp. “tundricola”, T. balbisiana, T. crispa, T. helenitis, T. longifolia and T. papposa. Phylogenetic analysis of ITS and ETS sequences showed that these species fall into three lineages. These are: (1) T. palustris, clearly related to Arctic species of the genus; (2) T. integrifolia; and (3) the remaining species. Molecular dating of the T. integr…

Design, characterization, and first field deployment of a novel aircraft-based aerosol mass spectrometer combining the laser ablation and flash vapor…

2021

In this paper, we present the design, development, and characteristics of the novel aerosol mass spectrometer ERICA (ERC Instrument for Chemical composition of Aerosols; ERC – European Research Council) and selected results from the first airborne field deployment. The instrument combines two well-established methods of real-time in situ measurements of fine particle chemical composition. The first method is the laser desorption and ionization technique, or laser ablation technique, for single-particle mass spectrometry (here with a frequency-quadrupled Nd:YAG laser at λ = 266 nm). The second method is a combination of thermal particle desorption, also called flash vaporization, and electro…

Enhanced sulfur in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere in spring 2020

2022

Sulfur compounds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) impact the atmosphere radiation budget, either directly as particles or indirectly as precursor gas for new particle formation. In situ measurements in the UTLS are rare but are important to better understand the impact of the sulfur budget on climate. The BLUESKY mission in May and June 2020 explored an unprecedented situation. (1) The UTLS experienced extraordinary dry conditions in spring 2020 over Europe, in comparison to previous years, and (2) the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic caused major emission reductions from industry, ground, and airborne transportation. With the two research aircraft HALO and Falc…

Torah, Temple, Land

2021

Veröffentlicht auf Englisch. Dieser Band widmet sich den Erscheinungsformen, in denen das Judentum in der Antike Gestalt annahm. Bekanntlich war das antike Judentum eine Religion in ständigem Wandel, mit unterschiedlichen Perspektiven auf zentrale Kategorien wie Tora, Tempel und Heiliges Land. Was als »Judentum« oder »jüdisch« angesehen wurde, stand demnach nicht einfach fest, sondern musste stets neu verhandelt werden.

Fluvial activity of the late-glacial to Holocene “Bergstraßenneckar” in the Upper Rhine Graben near Heidelberg, Germany – first results

2022

Abstract. The term “Bergstraßenneckar” (BSN) refers to an abandoned course of the river Neckar. It flowed in a northern direction east of the river Rhine in the eastern part of the northern Upper Rhine Graben in southwestern Germany. The former meandering course merged with the Rhine ca. 50 km further north of the site of the present-day confluence near Mannheim. The palaeo-channels are still traceable by their depressional topography, in satellite images and by the curved boundaries of adjacent settlements and land parcels. In the plan view, satellite and aerial images reveal a succession of meander bends, with older bends being cut off from younger channels. Based on stratigraphic investi…

Strontium and oxygen isotope analyses reveal Late Cretaceous shark teeth in iron age strata in the Southern Levant

2020

Deep-Sea Bioluminescence Blooms after Dense Water Formation at the Ocean Surface

2013

The deep ocean is the largest and least known ecosystem on Earth. It hosts numerous pelagic organisms, most of which are able to emit light. Here we present a unique data set consisting of a 2.5-year long record of light emission by deep-sea pelagic organisms, measured from December 2007 to June 2010 at the ANTARES underwater neutrino telescope in the deep NW Mediterranean Sea, jointly with synchronous hydrological records. This is the longest continuous time-series of deep-sea bioluminescence ever recorded. Our record reveals several weeks long, seasonal bioluminescence blooms with light intensity up to two orders of magnitude higher than background values, which correlate to changes in th…