@article{SollySchoeningBochetal.2014, author = {Solly, Emily F. and Sch{\"o}ning, Ingo and Boch, Steffen and Kandeler, Ellen and Marhan, Sven and Michalzik, Beate and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Zscheischler, Jakob and Trumbore, Susan E. and Schrumpf, Marion}, title = {Factors controlling decomposition rates of fine root litter in temperate forests and grasslands}, series = {Plant and soil}, volume = {382}, journal = {Plant and soil}, number = {1-2}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {0032-079X}, doi = {10.1007/s11104-014-2151-4}, pages = {203 -- 218}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Fine root decomposition contributes significantly to element cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, studies on root decomposition rates and on the factors that potentially influence them are fewer than those on leaf litter decomposition. To study the effects of region and land use intensity on fine root decomposition, we established a large scale study in three German regions with different climate regimes and soil properties. Methods In 150 forest and 150 grassland sites we deployed litterbags (100 mu m mesh size) with standardized litter consisting of fine roots from European beech in forests and from a lowland mesophilous hay meadow in grasslands. In the central study region, we compared decomposition rates of this standardized litter with root litter collected on-site to separate the effect of litter quality from environmental factors. Standardized herbaceous roots in grassland soils decomposed on average significantly faster (24 +/- 6 \% mass loss after 12 months, mean +/- SD) than beech roots in forest soils (12 +/- 4 \%; p < 0.001). Fine root decomposition varied among the three study regions. Land use intensity, in particular N addition, decreased fine root decomposition in grasslands. The initial lignin:N ratio explained 15 \% of the variance in grasslands and 11 \% in forests. Soil moisture, soil temperature, and C:N ratios of soils together explained 34 \% of the variance of the fine root mass loss in grasslands, and 24 \% in forests. Grasslands, which have higher fine root biomass and root turnover compared to forests, also have higher rates of root decomposition. Our results further show that at the regional scale fine root decomposition is influenced by environmental variables such as soil moisture, soil temperature and soil nutrient content. Additional variation is explained by root litter quality.}, language = {en} } @article{GossnerPasalicLangeetal.2014, author = {Gossner, Martin M. and Pasalic, Esther and Lange, Markus and Lange, Patricia and Boch, Steffen and Hessenm{\"o}ller, Dominik and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Socher, Stephanie A. and Fischer, Markus and Schulze, Ernst-Detlef and Weisser, Wolfgang W.}, title = {Differential responses of herbivores and herbivory to management in temperate Eeuropean beech}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {9}, journal = {PLoS one}, number = {8}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0104876}, pages = {16}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Forest management not only affects biodiversity but also might alter ecosystem processes mediated by the organisms, i.e. herbivory the removal of plant biomass by plant-eating insects and other arthropod groups. Aiming at revealing general relationships between forest management and herbivory we investigated aboveground arthropod herbivory in 105 plots dominated by European beech in three different regions in Germany in the sun-exposed canopy of mature beech trees and on beech saplings in the understorey. We separately assessed damage by different guilds of herbivores, i.e. chewing, sucking and scraping herbivores, gall-forming insects and mites, and leaf-mining insects. We asked whether herbivory differs among different forest management regimes (unmanaged, uneven-aged managed, even-aged managed) and among age-classes within even-aged forests. We further tested for consistency of relationships between regions, strata and herbivore guilds. On average, almost 80\% of beech leaves showed herbivory damage, and about 6\% of leaf area was consumed. Chewing damage was most common, whereas leaf sucking and scraping damage were very rare. Damage was generally greater in the canopy than in the understorey, in particular for chewing and scraping damage, and the occurrence of mines. There was little difference in herbivory among differently managed forests and the effects of management on damage differed among regions, strata and damage types. Covariates such as wood volume, tree density and plant diversity weakly influenced herbivory, and effects differed between herbivory types. We conclude that despite of the relatively low number of species attacking beech; arthropod herbivory on beech is generally high. We further conclude that responses of herbivory to forest management are multifaceted and environmental factors such as forest structure variables affecting in particular microclimatic conditions are more likely to explain the variability in herbivory among beech forest plots.}, language = {en} } @article{MarcusBochDurkaetal.2015, author = {Marcus, Tamar and Boch, Steffen and Durka, Walter and Fischer, Markus and Gossner, Martin M. and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Sch{\"o}ning, Ingo and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Drees, Claudia and Assmann, Thorsten}, title = {Living in Heterogeneous Woodlands - Are Habitat Continuity or Quality Drivers of Genetic Variability in a Flightless Ground Beetle?}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {10}, journal = {PLoS one}, number = {12}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0144217}, pages = {18}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Although genetic diversity is one of the key components of biodiversity, its drivers are still not fully understood. While it is known that genetic diversity is affected both by environmental parameters as well as habitat history, these factors are not often tested together. Therefore, we analyzed 14 microsatellite loci in Abax parallelepipedus, a flightless, forest dwelling ground beetle, from 88 plots in two study regions in Germany. We modeled the effects of historical and environmental variables on allelic richness, and found for one of the regions, the Schorfheide-Chorin, a significant effect of the depth of the litter layer, which is a main component of habitat quality, and of the sampling effort, which serves as an inverse proxy for local population size. For the other region, the Schwabische Alb, none of the potential drivers showed a significant effect on allelic richness. We conclude that the genetic diversity in our study species is being driven by current local population sizes via environmental variables and not by historical processes in the studied regions. This is also supported by lack of genetic differentiation between local populations sampled from ancient and from recent woodlands. We suggest that the potential effects of former fragmentation and recolonization processes have been mitigated by the large and stable local populations of Abax parallelepipedus in combination with the proximity of the ancient and recent woodlands in the studied landscapes.}, language = {en} } @article{HeroldSchoeningGutknechtetal.2014, author = {Herold, Nadine and Sch{\"o}ning, Ingo and Gutknecht, Jessica and Alt, Fabian and Boch, Steffen and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Oelmann, Yvonne and Socher, Stephanie A. and Wilcke, Wolfgang and Wubet, Tesfaye and Schrumpf, Marion}, title = {Soil property and management effects on grassland microbial communities across a latitudinal gradient in Germany}, series = {Applied soil ecology : a section of agriculture, ecosystems \& environment}, volume = {73}, journal = {Applied soil ecology : a section of agriculture, ecosystems \& environment}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0929-1393}, doi = {10.1016/j.apsoil.2013.07.009}, pages = {41 -- 50}, year = {2014}, abstract = {There is much interest in the identification of the main drivers controlling changes in the microbial community that may be related to sustainable land use. We examined the influence of soil properties and land-use intensity (N fertilization, mowing, grazing) on total phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) biomass, microbial community composition (PLFA profiles) and activities of enzymes involved in the C, N, and P cycle. These relationships were examined in the topsoil of grasslands from three German regions (Schorfheide-Chorin (SCH), Hainich-Dun (HAI), Schwabische Alb (ALB)) with different parent material. Differences in soil properties explained 60\% of variation in PLFA data and 81\% of variation in enzyme activities across regions and land-use intensities. Degraded peat soils in the lowland areas of the SCH with high organic carbon (OC) concentrations and sand content contained lower PLFA biomass, lower concentrations of bacterial, fungal, and arbuscular mycorrhizal PLFAs, but greater enzyme activities, and specific enzyme activities (per unit microbial biomass) than mineral soils in the upland areas of the HAI and ALB, which are finer textured, drier, and have smaller OC concentrations. After extraction of variation that originated from large-scale differences among regions and differences in land-use intensities between plots, soil properties still explained a significant amount of variation in PLFA data (34\%) and enzyme activities (60\%). Total PLFA biomass and all enzyme activities were mainly related to OC concentration, while relative abundance of fungi and fungal to bacterial ratio were mainly related to soil moisture. Land-use intensity (LUI) significantly decreased the soil C:N ratio. There was no direct effect of LUI on total PLFA biomass, microbial community composition, N and P cycling enzyme activities independent of study region and soil properties. In contrast, the activities and specific activities of enzymes involved in the C cycle increased significantly with LUI independent of study region and soil properties, which can have impact on soil organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling. Our findings demonstrate that microbial biomass and community composition as well as enzyme activities are more controlled by soil properties than by grassland management at the regional scale.}, language = {en} } @misc{MarcusBochDurkaetal.2015, author = {Marcus, Tamar and Boch, Steffen and Durka, Walter and Gossner, Martin M. and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Sch{\"o}ning, Ingo and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Drees, Claudia and Assmann, Thorsten}, title = {Living in heterogeneous woodlands}, series = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, journal = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, number = {508}, issn = {1866-8372}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-40845}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-408451}, pages = {18}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Abstract Although genetic diversity is one of the key components of biodiversity, its drivers are still not fully understood. While it is known that genetic diversity is affected both by environmental parameters as well as habitat history, these factors are not often tested together. Therefore, we analyzed 14 microsatellite loci in Abax parallelepipedus, a flightless, forest dwelling ground beetle, from 88 plots in two study regions in Germany. We modeled the effects of historical and environmental variables on allelic richness, and found for one of the regions, the Schorfheide-Chorin, a significant effect of the depth of the litter layer, which is a main component of habitat quality, and of the sampling effort, which serves as an inverse proxy for local population size. For the other region, the Schwabische Alb, none of the potential drivers showed a significant effect on allelic richness. We conclude that the genetic diversity in our study species is being driven by current local population sizes via environmental variables and not by historical processes in the studied regions. This is also supported by lack of genetic differentiation between local populations sampled from ancient and from recent woodlands. We suggest that the potential effects of former fragmentation and recolonization processes have been mitigated by the large and stable local populations of Abax parallelepipedus in combination with the proximity of the ancient and recent woodlands in the studied landscapes.}, language = {en} } @misc{BuschKlausPenoneetal.2017, author = {Busch, Verena and Klaus, Valentin H. and Penone, Caterina and Sch{\"a}fer, Deborah and Boch, Steffen and Prati, Daniel and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Socher, Stephanie A. and Niinemets, {\"U}lo and Pe{\~n}uelas, Josep and H{\"o}lzel, Norbert and Fischer, Markus and Kleinebecker, Till}, title = {Nutrient stoichiometry and land use rather than species richness determine plant functional diversity}, series = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, journal = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, number = {651}, issn = {1866-8372}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-42461}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-424617}, pages = {16}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Plant functional traits reflect individual and community ecological strategies. They allow the detection of directional changes in community dynamics and ecosystemic processes, being an additional tool to assess biodiversity than species richness. Analysis of functional patterns in plant communities provides mechanistic insight into biodiversity alterations due to anthropogenic activity. Although studies have considered of either anthropogenic management or nutrient availability on functional traits in temperate grasslands, studies combining effects of both drivers are scarce. Here, we assessed the impacts of management intensity (fertilization, mowing, grazing), nutrient stoichiometry (C, N, P, K), and vegetation composition on community-weighted means (CWMs) and functional diversity (Rao's Q) from seven plant traits in 150 grasslands in three regions in Germany, using data of 6 years. Land use and nutrient stoichiometry accounted for larger proportions of model variance of CWM and Rao's Q than species richness and productivity. Grazing affected all analyzed trait groups; fertilization and mowing only impacted generative traits. Grazing was clearly associated with nutrient retention strategies, that is, investing in durable structures and production of fewer, less variable seed. Phenological variability was increased. Fertilization and mowing decreased seed number/mass variability, indicating competition-related effects. Impacts of nutrient stoichiometry on trait syndromes varied. Nutrient limitation (large N:P, C:N ratios) promoted species with conservative strategies, that is, investment in durable plant structures rather than fast growth, fewer seed, and delayed flowering onset. In contrast to seed mass, leaf-economics variability was reduced under P shortage. Species diversity was positively associated with the variability of generative traits. Synthesis. Here, land use, nutrient availability, species richness, and plant functional strategies have been shown to interact complexly, driving community composition, and vegetation responses to management intensity. We suggest that deeper understanding of underlying mechanisms shaping community assembly and biodiversity will require analyzing all these parameters.}, language = {en} } @article{MuellerBochBlaseretal.2015, author = {M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Boch, Steffen and Blaser, Steffen and Fischer, Markus and Prati, Daniel}, title = {Effects of forest management on bryophyte communities on deadwood}, series = {Nova Hedwigia : Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Kryptogamenkunde}, volume = {100}, journal = {Nova Hedwigia : Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Kryptogamenkunde}, number = {3-4}, publisher = {Cramer}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0029-5035}, doi = {10.1127/nova_hedwigia/2015/0242}, pages = {423 -- 438}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Epixylic bryophytes are important components of forest vegetation but are currently endangered by increment of wood harvest and intensive forest management. In this paper we present a study about the relationship between forest management, deadwood abundance, deadwood attributes and species richness of epixylic bryophytes on 30 plots comprising three forest types (managed coniferous, managed deciduous and unmanaged deciduous forests) in three regions in Germany. Additionally we analyzed the relations between deadwood attributes (wood species, decay, deadwood type, size) and bryophytes on deadwood items (n = 799) and calculated species interaction networks of wood species and bryophytes. Overall, species richness of epixylic bryophytes was positively related to deadwood abundance and diversity. The mean deadwood abundance was lowest in unmanaged forests (9.7 m(3) ha(-1)) compared with 15.0 m(3) ha(-1) in managed deciduous and 25.1 m(3) ha(-1) in managed coniferous forests. Accordingly, epixylic bryophyte species richness per plot increased from 7 species per 400 m(2) in unmanaged, 10 in managed deciduous and 16 in managed coniferous forests. The interaction network provided evidence of importance of tree-species diversity for bryophyte diversity and the relevance of particular wood species for rare bryophytes. Generally, the results demonstrate a considerable lack of deadwood in all forest types, even in unmanaged forests. Species richness of epixylic bryophytes was strongly limited by available substrates within the observed deadwood abundance ranging up to only 60 m(3) ha(-1). Altogether, this suggests a high demand to increase both abundance and diversity of deadwood in forests.}, language = {en} } @article{DortaySchmoeckelFettkeetal.2011, author = {Dortay, Hakan and Schm{\"o}ckel, Sandra M. and Fettke, J{\"o}rg and M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd}, title = {Expression of human c-reactive protein in different systems and its purification from Leishmania tarentolae}, series = {Protein expression and purification}, volume = {78}, journal = {Protein expression and purification}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {San Diego}, issn = {1046-5928}, doi = {10.1016/j.pep.2011.03.010}, pages = {55 -- 60}, year = {2011}, abstract = {With its homo-pentameric structure and calcium-dependent specificity for phosphocholine (PCh), human c-reactive protein (CRP) is produced by the liver and secreted in elevated quantities in response to inflammation. CRP is widely accepted as a cardiac marker, e.g. in point-of-care diagnostics, however, its heterologous expression has proven difficult. Here, we demonstrate the expression of CRP in different Escherichia coli strains as well as by in vitro transcription/translation. Although expression in these systems was straightforward, most of the protein that accumulated was insoluble. We therefore expanded our study to include the expression of CRP in two eukaryotic hosts, namely the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis and the protozoon Leishmania tarentolae. Both expression systems are optimized for secretion of recombinant proteins and here allowed successful expression of soluble CRP. We also demonstrate the purification of recombinant CRP from Leishmania growth medium; the purification of protein expressed from K. lactis was not successful. Functional and intact CRP pentamer is known to interact with PCh in Ca(2+)-dependent manner. In this report we verify the binding specificity of recombinant CRP from L tarentolae (2 mu g/mL culture medium) for PCh.}, language = {en} } @article{WeissPfestorfMayetal.2014, author = {Weiss, Lina and Pfestorf, Hans and May, Felix and K{\"o}rner, Katrin and Boch, Steffen and Fischer, Markus and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Prati, Daniel and Socher, Stephanie A. and Jeltsch, Florian}, title = {Grazing response patterns indicate isolation of semi-natural European grasslands}, series = {Oikos}, volume = {123}, journal = {Oikos}, number = {5}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0030-1299}, doi = {10.1111/j.1600-0706.2013.00957.x}, pages = {599 -- 612}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Identifying drivers of species diversity is a major challenge in understanding and predicting the dynamics of species-rich semi-natural grasslands. In particular in temperate grasslands changes in land use and its consequences, i.e. increasing fragmentation, the on-going loss of habitat and the declining importance of regional processes such as seed dispersal by livestock, are considered key drivers of the diversity loss witnessed within the last decades.}, language = {en} } @book{SchwarzerWeissSaoumiKitteletal.2023, author = {Schwarzer, Ingo and Weiß-Saoumi, Said and Kittel, Roland and Friedrich, Tobias and Kaynak, Koraltan and Durak, Cemil and Isbarn, Andreas and Diestel, J{\"o}rg and Knittel, Jens and Franz, Marquart and Morra, Carlos and Stahnke, Susanne and Braband, Jens and Dittmann, Johannes and Griebel, Stephan and Krampf, Andreas and Link, Martin and M{\"u}ller, Matthias and Radestock, Jens and Strub, Leo and Bleeke, Kai and Jehl, Leander and Kapitza, R{\"u}diger and Messadi, Ines and Schmidt, Stefan and Schwarz-R{\"u}sch, Signe and Pirl, Lukas and Schmid, Robert and Friedenberger, Dirk and Beilharz, Jossekin Jakob and Boockmeyer, Arne and Polze, Andreas and R{\"o}hrig, Ralf and Sch{\"a}be, Hendrik and Thiermann, Ricky}, title = {RailChain}, number = {152}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, isbn = {978-3-86956-550-7}, issn = {1613-5652}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-57740}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-577409}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {140}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The RailChain project designed, implemented, and experimentally evaluated a juridical recorder that is based on a distributed consensus protocol. That juridical blockchain recorder has been realized as distributed ledger on board the advanced TrainLab (ICE-TD 605 017) of Deutsche Bahn. For the project, a consortium consisting of DB Systel, Siemens, Siemens Mobility, the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering, Technische Universit{\"a}t Braunschweig, T{\"U}V Rheinland InterTraffic, and Spherity has been formed. These partners not only concentrated competencies in railway operation, computer science, regulation, and approval, but also combined experiences from industry, research from academia, and enthusiasm from startups. Distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) define distributed databases and express a digital protocol for transactions between business partners without the need for a trusted intermediary. The implementation of a blockchain with real-time requirements for the local network of a railway system (e.g., interlocking or train) allows to log data in the distributed system verifiably in real-time. For this, railway-specific assumptions can be leveraged to make modifications to standard blockchains protocols. EULYNX and OCORA (Open CCS On-board Reference Architecture) are parts of a future European reference architecture for control command and signalling (CCS, Reference CCS Architecture - RCA). Both architectural concepts outline heterogeneous IT systems with components from multiple manufacturers. Such systems introduce novel challenges for the approved and safety-relevant CCS of railways which were considered neither for road-side nor for on-board systems so far. Logging implementations, such as the common juridical recorder on vehicles, can no longer be realized as a central component of a single manufacturer. All centralized approaches are in question. The research project RailChain is funded by the mFUND program and gives practical evidence that distributed consensus protocols are a proper means to immutably (for legal purposes) store state information of many system components from multiple manufacturers. The results of RailChain have been published, prototypically implemented, and experimentally evaluated in large-scale field tests on the advanced TrainLab. At the same time, the project showed how RailChain can be integrated into the road-side and on-board architecture given by OCORA and EULYNX. Logged data can now be analysed sooner and also their trustworthiness is being increased. This enables, e.g., auditable predictive maintenance, because it is ensured that data is authentic and unmodified at any point in time.}, language = {en} }