All over the world, climatic influences, insects and other arthropods, as well as microorganisms cause a constant decomposition of deadwood. This natural decomposition releases significant amounts of carbon into the environment and therefore has a major impact on the Earth's carbon cycle. This has been proven by a new study published in Nature. The speed and causes of deadwood decomposition were investigated at 55 forest sites on six continents. Dr Andreas Hemp and Dr Claudia Hemp from the University of Bayreuth investigated deadwood decomposition in different climatic zones on Mount Kilimanjaro.
The speed at which deadwood decomposes in forests depends on the climate as well as on fungi and insects. An international research team has now determined the annual contribution made by deadwood to the global carbon cycle and quantified the importance of insects in the decomposition of wood for the first time.
The tropical mountain forests of Africa store more carbon per hectare in their above-ground biomass than all other tropical forests on earth. With this great storage capacity, which was previously estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to be considerably lower, they have made a major contribution to climate protection. This is the conclusion of a study published in Nature by an international network of researchers who are urging for the preservation of these carbon-rich ecosystems. Dr. Andreas Hemp from the University of Bayreuth and his team investigated carbon stocks in the mountain forests of Kilimanjaro.
In Kulmbach, researchers are working on the food of the future. Prof. Dr. Susanne Baldermann is studying the metabolism of plants and drawing conclusions for a future agriculture that will no longer be restricted to rural areas: "Vertical Farming" in urban areas as a reaction to climate change and soil scarcity is one of the research fields of the Professor of Food Metabolome at the University of Bayreuth's new Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health located in Kulmbach.
As a contribution to increasing crop variety for improved food security in Subsaharan Africa, a leafy vegetable which is rich in vitamins and minerals shall be domesticated. At present, however, as highlighted by a research team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) together with researchers from Nigeria, the plants still contain highly toxic substances that are carcinogenic and liver-damaging. The researchers are now aiming to generate toxin-free varieties so that the plant can be safely used.
As temperatures rise, the risk of devastating forest fires is increasing. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are using artificial intelligence to estimate the long-term impact that an increased number of forest fires will have on forest ecosystems. Their simulations show how Yellowstone National Park in the USA could change by the end of the century.
High-tech methods for detecting microplastics in food and suitable prevention measures are the focus of the joint German-Austrian Cornet project "MicroplasticATfood", which kicked off on 1 July 2021. With its expertise in microplastic research, the University of Bayreuth is involved in interdisciplinary case studies dealing with packaging, filling lines, beverages, surfaces of solid food, and soluble foods. On the German side, the project will be funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy until 2023 to the tune of € 542,000, of which about € 275,000 have been allocated to the University of Bayreuth.
Plants rotting in the soil are valuable for more than just compost. In fact, plant residues play a crucial role in keeping carbon in the soil, which is important for reducing the planet's CO2 emissions. This is the conclusion of a new study by researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and other institutions.
If plants are flooded, they lack oxygen and their cells over-acidify. A sensor protein detects this and triggers a stress response. Researchers have now presented details about this topic in the journal Current Biology.
When extreme heat becomes more frequent and temperatures remain high for extended periods of time, as it is currently in Canada and in the American Northwest, physiological stress increases in humans, animals and crops. Prof. Senthold Asseng, director of the World Agricultural Systems Center at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an overview of thresholds and adaptation strategies.
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