Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2018
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Krishna Reddy Kakumanu Yella Reddy Kaluvai Sekhar Udaya Nagothu Narayan Reddy Lati Gurava Reddy Kotapati Sunitha KaranamAbstract
Climate change characterized by global warming has become a hotspot of research in recent years for water resources, agriculture,ecology and other disciplines. In India, studies have shown an increasing trend in surface temperature, with decreasing trends inrainfall. Farmers are also more affected by the climate variability which has a serious influence on their production and income.The climate change and adaptation (ClimaAdapt) programme was implemented from 2012 to 2016 to build farm-level capacitiesand enhance the adaptive capacity of the agricultural and water sectors in the Krishna basin of Andhra Pradesh and Telanganastates. Water-saving interventions such as direct seeded rice, a modified system of rice intensification and alternate wetting anddrying (AWD) of rice were implemented in a cluster approach and enhanced water productivity. The training and implementationprogrammes increased the adaptation and awareness of farmers. Water measurements were carried out by usingflumes andultrasonic sensors. The area under direct seeded rice has increased to 64% in the study district and 77% of the trained farmersare adopting the practice. Capacity building, implementation and science–policy linkages are the key pillars of the programmeto improve the adaptive capacity and scaling-up of water management practices.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Sekhar Udaya NagothuAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Genetic differentiation in plant species may result from adaptation to environmental conditions, but also from stochastic processes. The drivers selecting for local adaptation and the contribution of adaptation to genetic differentiation are often unknown. Restoration and succession studies have revealed different colonization patterns for Brachypodium retusum, a common Mediterranean grass. In order to understand these patterns, we tested population differentiation and adaptation to different environmental factors. METHODS: Structured sampling of 12 populations from six sites and two soil types within site was used to analyze the spatial and environmental structure of population differentiation. Sampling sites differ in grazing intensity and climate. We tested germination and growth in a common garden. In subsets, we analyzed the differential response to stone cover, grazing and soil moisture. KEY RESULTS: We found significant differences among populations. The site explained population differentiation better than soil, suggesting a dominant influence of climate and/or genetic drift. Stone cover had a positive influence on seedling establishment, and populations showed a differential response. However, this response was not related to environmental differences between collection sites. Regrowth after clipping was higher in populations from the more intensively grazed Red Mediterranean soils suggesting an adaptation to grazing. Final germination was generally high even under drought, but germination response to differences in soil moisture was similar across populations. CONCLUSIONS: Adaptive population differentiation in germination and early growth may have contributed to different colonization patterns. Thus, the provenance of B. retusum needs to be carefully considered in ecological restoration.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Thomas Dirnböck Gisela Pröll Kari Austnes Jelena Beloica Burkhard Beudert Roberto Canullo Alessandra De Marco Maria Francesca Fornasier Martyn Futter Klaus Goergen Ulf Grandin Maria Holmberg Antti-Jussi Lindroos Michael Mirtl Johan Neirynck Tomasz Pecka Tiina Maileena Nieminen Jørn-Frode Nordbakken Maximilian Posch Gert-Jan Reinds Edwin C. Rowe Maija Salemaa Thomas Scheuschner Franz Starlinger Aldona Katarzyna Uzieblo Salar Valinia James Weldon Wieger G W Wamelink Martin ForsiusAbstract
Atmospheric nitrogen (N) pollution is considered responsible for a substantial decline in plant species richness and for altered community structures in terrestrial habitats worldwide. Nitrogen affects habitats through direct toxicity, soil acidification, and in particular by favoring fast-growing species. Pressure from N pollution is decreasing in some areas. In Europe (EU28), overall emissions of NO x declined by more than 50% while NH3 declined by less than 30% between the years 1990 and 2015, and further decreases may be achieved. The timescale over which these improvements will affect ecosystems is uncertain. Here we use 23 European forest research sites with high quality long-term data on deposition, climate, soil recovery, and understory vegetation to assess benefits of currently legislated N deposition reductions in forest understory vegetation. A dynamic soil model coupled to a statistical plant species niche model was applied with site-based climate and deposition. We use indicators of N deposition and climate warming effects such as the change in the occurrence of oligophilic, acidophilic, and cold-tolerant plant species to compare the present with projections for 2030 and 2050. The decrease in N deposition under current legislation emission (CLE) reduction targets until 2030 is not expected to result in a release from eutrophication. Albeit the model predictions show considerable uncertainty when compared with observations, they indicate that oligophilic forest understory plant species will further decrease. This result is partially due to confounding processes related to climate effects and to major decreases in sulphur deposition and consequent recovery from soil acidification, but shows that decreases in N deposition under CLE will most likely be insufficient to allow recovery from eutrophication.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Øyvind Kaste Eva Skarbøvik Inga Greipsland Cathrine Brecke Gundersen Kari Austnes Liv Bente Skancke Jose-Luis Guerrero James Edward SampleAbstract
From 2017, the Norwegian River Monitoring Programme (Elveovervåkingsprogrammet) replaced the former RID programme “Riverine inputs and direct discharges to Norwegian coastal waters” which had run continuously since 1990. The present report provides the current (2017) status and long-term (1990-2017) water quality trends in the 20 rivers included in the main programme.
Authors
Ivan N. Bolotov Alexander A. Makhrov Mikhail Yu. Gofarov Olga V. Aksenova Paul Eric Aspholm Yulia V. Bespalaya Mikhail B. Kabakov Yulia S. Kolosova Alexander V. Kondakov Thomas Ofenböck Andrew N. Ostrovsky Igor Yu. Popov Ted von Proschwitz Mudite Rudzite Maris Rudzitis Svetlana E. Sokolova Ilmari Valovirta Ilya V. Vikhrev Maxim V. Vinarski Alexey A. ZotinAbstract
The effects of climate change on oligotrophic rivers and their communities are almost unknown, albeit these ecosystems are the primary habitat of the critically endangered freshwater pearl mussel and its host fishes, salmonids. The distribution and abundance of pearl mussels have drastically decreased throughout Europe over the last century, particularly within the southern part of the range, but causes of this wide-scale extinction process are unclear. Here we estimate the effects of climate change on pearl mussels based on historical and recent samples from 50 rivers and 6 countries across Europe. We found that the shell convexity may be considered an indicator of the thermal effects on pearl mussel populations under warming climate because it reflects shifts in summer temperatures and is significantly different in viable and declining populations. Spatial and temporal modeling of the relationship between shell convexity and population status show that global climate change could have accelerated the population decline of pearl mussels over the last 100 years through rapidly decreasing suitable distribution areas. Simulation predicts future warming-induced range reduction, particularly in southern regions. These results highlight the importance of large-scale studies of keystone species, which can underscore the hidden effects of climate warming on freshwater ecosystems.