A global study published in Ecological Letters shows with hitherto unmatched differentiation the extent to which non-native plants have spread to oceanic and coastal islands over the last 5,000 years. Researchers at the University of Bayreuth and at universities and research institutes in Great Britain, Norway, Austria, Spain, Australia and New Zealand have compiled a dataset covering the vegetation of 29 islands. This was based on analyses of fossil pollen and the current state of research on the classification of plants as native or non-native.
What role do forests play as a feeding habitat for honeybees? A team led by Würzburg biologist Dr. Benjamin Rutschmann investigated this question. For this purpose, the researchers used observation hives inside the Steigerwald.
214 wild bee species, and thus a little more than 40 per cent of the bee species found in Bavaria, were detected last year in the Ecological-Botanical Garden of the University of Bayreuth (ÖBG) as part of a master's thesis. Among them were four species threatened with extinction, such as Ammobates punctatus, as well as numerous other endangered species.
The Keylab Glass Technology at the University of Bayreuth is currently researching the production of glass bottles that do not break. They are using a process that is also used for smartphone displays.
The lack of uniform analytical standards currently prevents the comparability of data on microplastics in the environment. Researchers from the University of Bayreuth and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) have now, for the first time, compared two automated analysis procedures for microplastic data with regard to the results. Significant deviations were found especially for small particles with comparatively high hazard potential. The study, published in the journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, shows that the standardization of analytical procedures must be a key research goal.
Artificial intelligence should soon make it possible to detect forest fire hazards earlier than before and to fight forest fires more effectively. This is the goal of the joint project "AI-based Forest Monitoring - Artificial Intelligence for Early Detection of Forest Fire Events (KIWA)", in which the University of Bayreuth is participating with its research competencies in biogeography and disturbance ecology. The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) is funding the project for the next two years with a total of around 1.8 million euros
How to reduce emissions in the transport sector while maintaining our mobility? "SynphOnie", a research cluster funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) that includes a team of researchers from the University of Passau headed by Professor Tobias Harks, is developing a mathematical model of transport flows to help make transport planning both needs-based and sustainable.
What does society need to transition away from a fossil-fuel-driven economy to one that is bio-based? To study the societal impulse and impact of the global bioeconomy, ecological economist Dr Terese Venus is setting up the University’s largest junior research group to date. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the project with 2.3 million euros.
Video streaming is responsible for high greenhouse gas emissions. These could be reduced with relatively simple measures. A study by the University of Würzburg shows possibilities for streamers.
In a study published in Nature Geoscience, plant ecologists at the University of Bayreuth have shown how global climate change is impacting the Earth's terrestrial ecosystems. Changes in vegetation activity could in most cases be explained by temperature and soil moisture changes, while changes in solar radiation and atmospheric CO₂ levels seldom played a dominant role. In some of the ecosystems studied, years of increased vegetation activity have been followed by decreases. Such trend reversals raise the question of whether terrestrial ecosystems will continue to make large contributions to the sequestration of atmospheric carbon.
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