Publicaties

Grassland biodiversity is positively correlated to ecosystem productivity and resilience that secure net gains and functionality of such systems. Land-use change of grasslands is associated with local extinction of species and declining ecosystem services. Hence, the design of more diverse seed mixtures is crucial for successful species reintroduction and grassland functionality. Thus, we conducted a systematic review of the scientific ...

Reseeding grassland in spring is less productive in the first year than reseeding in autumn, but it is better for environmental reasons because it represents a lower risk for nitrate leaching. In an experiment in Merelbeke and Bocholt (Belgium) grassland was reseeded either in April or at the end of May after one cut of grass. Evolution of NO3–N in the soil and dry matter yield in the sowing year were measured to determine the best period of ...

Reseeding grassland in autumn is normally more productive in the 1st year than reseeding in spring, however it represents a higher risk for nitrate leaching. In an experiment in Merelbeke and Bocholt (Belgium) grassland was reseeded on August 15th, September 15th and October 15th in 2012 to establish. Evolution of the NO3-N concentration in the soil and dry matter yield in 2012 and 2013 were measured to determine the best period of grassland ...

This study reports on 3.5 years (2008-2011) of actual evapotranspiration (ET) measurements of two short-rotation poplar coppice (SRC) plantations in comparison with two reference grass covers (clipped turf grass and permanent grassland) in a rain-fed area of the Czech-Moravian Highlands in the Czech Republic. The Bowen ratio/energy balance method (BREB) was used to measure the ET of all the four investigated covers. Although the ET of the SRCs ...

After direct habitat transformation, biological invasions are considered to be the second most important threat to biodiversity. A better understanding of the factors affecting invasion success in new areas is crucial, and may provide insight into potential control actions. We hypothesized that invasion risk increases in habitats undergoing a sudden change in the disturbance regime or environmental conditions. For testing this assumption we ...

For 10 batches of fresh grass, 11 of grass silage and 7 of grass hay, rumen degradation kinetics (soluble, potentially degradable and undegradable fraction and the degradation rate) of the organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF), as well as the digestibility of rumen escape protein in the intestines (EPdi) were measured with 3 or 4 cows with cannulae in the rumen and duodenum. Data were used to calculate the ...

Tropical forests are intimately linked to atmospheric CO2 levels through their significant capacity for uptake and storage of carbon (C) in biomass and soils. Increasing pressure of deforestation and forest degradation is begging the question as to what extent land use changes will affect C storage and release in tropical areas. Hitherto, many research efforts focused on aboveground C stocks in lowland tropical forests, but a considerable amount ...

Extreme drought is increasing in frequency and intensity in many regions globally, with uncertain consequences for the resistance and resilience of ecosystem functions, including primary production. Primary production resistance, the capacity to withstand change during extreme drought, and resilience, the degree to which production recovers, vary among and within ecosystem types, obscuring generalized patterns of ecological stability. Theory and ...

Increasing demand for agricultural commodities such as grain for feed and feedstocks for biofuels are driving rapid land use change. We studied the effect of agricultural land-use change on two historical land use types for three different cropping systems using eddy covariance and ecosystem carbon balance approaches. We quantified the consequences of establishing corn, switchgrass, and mixed prairie species on cropland under a recent ...

©2019. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Evapotranspiration (ET) is, after precipitation, the second largest flux at the land surface in the water cycle and occurs mainly during daytime. Less attention has been given to water fluxes from the land surface into the atmosphere during nighttime (i.e., between sunset and sunrise). The nighttime ET (ETN) may be estimated based on models that use meteorological data; however, due to ...