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.
2020
Abstract
Key message This study showed that regeneration success (presence of oaks ≥ 150 cm in total height) in artificial canopy openings of a mature mixed sessile oak stand was mainly driven by initial oak seedling density. Context Small-scale harvesting methods as practiced in close-to-nature forestry may disadvantage the regeneration of more light-demanding tree species including sessile oak (Quercus petraea [Mattuschka] Liebl.) and thus cause regeneration failure. However, owing to the short-term nature of many previous studies, regeneration success of sessile oak could not be properly ascertained. Aims This study examined oak seedling development over a time period of ten growing seasons in canopy openings of 0.05 to 0.2 ha in size created through group selection harvesting in a mature mixed sessile oak forest in southwestern Germany. We tried to answer the following research questions: (i) how do initial stand conditions relate to and interact with oak seedling density and seedling height growth, and (ii) what are the driving factors of regeneration success under the encountered site conditions. Methods We evaluated the influence of solar radiation, Rubus spp. cover, initial oak seedling density, and competition from other tree species on change in density and height of oak seedlings, as well as overall regeneration success (oak seedlings ≥ 150 cm in height). Results Regeneration success increased with initial oak seedling density and solar radiation levels and decreased with early Rubus spp. cover. Density and maximum height of oak seedlings was negatively related with competition of other woody species. Conclusion Results of our longer-term study demonstrate that forest management activities to regenerate sessile oak naturally are only successful in stands (i) without advance regeneration of other woody species and without established, recalcitrant ground vegetation, (ii) with a sufficiently high initial oak seedling density in larger patches following mast years, and (iii) where periodic monitoring and control of competing woody individuals can be ensured. Our findings further corroborate the view that natural regeneration of sessile oak in small-scale canopy openings is possible in principle.
Authors
Sharad Mohan K. Kiran Kumar Vivek Sutar Supradip Saha Janet Rowe Keith DaviesAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Ivan Paponov Martina Paponov Paolo Sambo Christof EngelsAbstract
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Abstract
In the EU 2020 biodiversity strategy, maintaining and enhancing forest biodiversity is essential. Forest managers and technicians should include biodiversity monitoring as support for sustainible forest management and conservation issues, through the adoption of forest biodiversity indices. The present study investigates the potential of a new type of Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry derived variables for modelling forest structure indicies, which do not require the availability of a digital terrain model (DTM) such as those obtainable from Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) surveys. The DTM-independent variables were calculated using raw 3D UAV photogrammetric data for modeling eight forest structure indices which are commonly used for forest biodiversity monitoring, namely: basal area (G); quadratic mean diameter (DBHmean); the standard deviation of Diameter at Breast Height (DBHσ); DBH Gini coefficient (Gini); the standard deviation of tree heights (Hσ); dominant tree height (Hdom); Lorey’s height (Hl); and growing stock volume (V). The study included two mixed temperate forestsareas withadifferenttype ofmanagement, with onearea, left unmanagedfor thepast 50years while the other being actively managed. A total of 30 fieldsample plots were measured in the unmanaged forest, and 50 field plots were measured in the actively managed forest. The accuracy of UAV DTM-independent predictions was compared with a benchmark approach based on traditional explanatory variables calculated from ALS data. Finally, DTM-independent variables were used to produce wall-to-wall maps of the forest structure indices in the two test areas and to estimate the mean value and its uncertainty according to a model-assisted regression estimators. DTM-independent variables led to similar predictive accuracy in terms of root mean square error compared to ALS in both study areas for the eight structure indices (DTM-independent average RMSE% = 20.5 and ALS average RMSE% = 19.8). Moreover, we found that the model-assisted estimation, with both DTM-independet and ALS, obtained lower standar errors (SE) compared to the one obtained by modelbased estimation using only field plots. Relative efficiency coefficient (RE) revealed that ALS-based estimates were, on average, more efficient (average RE ALS = 3.7) than DTM-independent, (average RE DTM-independent = 3.3). However, the RE for the DTM-independent models was consistently larger than the one from theALSmodelsfortheDBH-relatedvariables(i.e.G,DBHmean,andDBHσ)andforV.Thishighlightsthepotential of DTM-independent variables, which not only can be used virtually on any forests (i.e., no need of a DTM), but also can produce as precise estimates as those from ALS data for key forest structural variables and substantially improve the efficiency of forest inventories.
Abstract
Growth cessation and floral initiation in black currant and red raspberry are jointly controlled by the interaction of temperature and short-day (SD) conditions, and the processes coincide in time in both natural and controlled environments. The critical photoperiods for the two successional responses were found to be approximately 15 and 16 h, respectively, for a range of Western-European black currant cultivars. Both cessation of growth and floral initiation are promoted and enhanced by increasing temperature in the 9 to 24°C range. In contrast, biennial-fruiting red raspberry has a maximum temperature limit for growth cessation and floral initiation. At temperatures above 16°C, most cultivars grow and remain vegetative regardless of day length conditions, at 12 to 16°C they cease growing and initiate flower primordia in photoperiods <15 h, while at temperatures ≤12°C they cease growing and initiate floral primordia regardless of day length. In the annual-fruiting (primocane) types of red raspberry on the other hand, floral initiation is not constrained by high temperature, but readily takes place at temperatures up to 30°C. In addition, floral initiation is also enhanced by long day (LD) conditions in most of these cultivars. Another fundamental physiological difference is that while floral primordia of the biennial types become dormant after initiation, they proceed directly to anthesis in the annual-fruiting types. Chilling at -5°C, and in the -5 to +5°C temperature range were found to be optimal for breaking of bud dormancy and promotion of flowering in black currant and red raspberry, respectively. In black currant, 14 weeks of chilling were optimal, while for raspberry, 20 or more weeks were required for full dormancy release and promotion of flowering along the entire length of the raspberry cane. The consequences of climate warming for the production of these species in different climatic regions are discussed.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Four raspberry cultivars were grown at two different latitudes namely in Geisenheim (DE, 49°60’N; 7°57’E) and in Kapp (NO, 60°42’N; 10°52’E) to investigate the impact of these growing sites on primary and secondary fruit chemical ingredients in the 2017 season. Fruits were harvested at two picking dates each with three field replications. Contents of °Brix, glucose, fructose, sucrose, organic acids, ascorbic acid, polyols, total polyphenols, and anthocyanins were analyzed in the fruits. The geographic growing sites, which in this case is more than10 latitudes between HGU in Germany and NIBIO in Norway, has partly no, partly significant effects on the primary and secondary ingredients of the investigated raspberry cultivars. In respect to the created data set, temperatures shortly before or at the picking dates were not considered. It may be expected that temperatures at harvest have an effect on the fruit ingredients and therefore on a further classification of the samples.
Authors
Jakob K. Huber Johannes KollmannAbstract
Calcareous grasslands are rich in biodiversity and thus receive much attention in nature conservation. In such grasslands, the formation of moss layers is perceived as a management problem. However, its impacts on the community level are complex, as not only inhibition but also facilitation of vascular plant recruitment occur. Possible filters of recruitment are shading by mosses, isolation from soil resources and the resulting desiccation. To understand how seed size and shape moderate moss effects, a combined glasshouse and field experiment was conducted in southern Germany. Seeds of 14 species from calcareous grasslands were sown either on top or underneath a moss layer, or on bare soil without moss. We determined the total number of emerged and established seedlings, i.e. the ones that survived until the end of the experiment. Both measures were reduced for most species sown on moss, while mortality was slightly enhanced by moss presence. Seed size explained a significant proportion of the moss effects on plant recruitment. Inhibitive effects on recruitment increased with seed size when seeds were placed on top of moss. When germinating underneath moss, the effect on emergence changed from negative in small-seeded plant species to positive in large-seeded species, but this effect was insignificant for establishment. The positive response in large seeds was probably due to their higher moisture requirements for imbibition, and lower dependency on light for germination. However, moss-seed-interactions were not affected by seed shape. Seedling establishment of plants with large seeds strongly depended on their initial position in moss, while small-seeded species showed no effect. Hence, moss layers constitute a selective recruitment filter by modifying seed penetration and hence germination conditions. This effect could increase beta diversity of vascular plant species in calcareous grasslands, and thus conservation should aim at intermediate and patchy moss abundance.
Authors
Leonardo H. Teixeira Florencia A. Yannelli Gislene Ganade Johannes KollmannAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered