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- Kattge, Jens, et al.
(författare)
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TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access
- 2020
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 26:1, s. 119-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.
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| 3. |
- Ximenes, Fabiano, et al.
(författare)
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Improving understanding of carbon storage in wood in landfills: Evidence from reactor studies
- 2019
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Ingår i: Waste Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0956-053X. ; 85, s. 341-351
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Approximately 1.5 million tonnes (Mt) of wood waste are disposed of in Australian landfills annually. Recent studies have suggested that anaerobic decay levels of wood in landfills are low, although knowledge of the decay of individual wood species is limited. The objective of this study was to establish the extent of carbon loss for wood species of commercial importance in Australia including radiata pine, blackbutt, spotted gum and mountain ash. Experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions designed to simulate optimal anaerobic biodegradation in a landfill. Bacterial degradation, identified by both light microscopy and electron microscopy, occurred to a varying degree in mountain ash and spotted gum wood. Fungal decay was not observed in any wood samples. Mountain ash, the species with the highest methane yield (20.9 mL CH4/g) also had the highest holocellulose content and the lowest acid-insoluble lignin and extractive content. As the decay levels for untreated radiata pine were very low, it was not possible to determine whether impregnation of radiata pine with chemical preservatives had any impact on decay. Carbon losses estimated from gas generation were below 5% for all species tested. Carbon losses as estimated by gas generation were lower than those derived by mass balance in most reactors, suggesting that mass loss does not necessarily equate to carbon emissions. There was no statistical difference between decay of blackbutt derived from plantation and older, natural forests. Addition of paper as an easily digestible feedstock did not increase carbon loss for the two wood species tested and the presence of radiata pine had an inhibitory effect on copy paper decay. Although differences between some of the wood types were found to be statistically significant, these differences were detected for wood with carbon losses that did not exceed 5%. The suggested factor for carbon loss for wood in landfills in Australia is 1.4%. This study confirms that disposal of wood in landfills in Australia results in long-term storage of carbon, with only minimal conversion of carbon to gaseous end products.
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