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The year 1989 represents the starting point of the cooperation between botanists of the Goethe-University in Frankfurt (Germany) and of the University of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Some years later, the University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin) joined the cooperation. This paper gives an overview on joint projects, resulting publications and theses, and on other achievements of this fruitful cooperation, which meanwhile also comprises partners of Ivory Coast, Niger and Senegal.
In Central Europe stands of the Koelerion glaucae vegetation complex are threatened and mostly highly fragmented. Knowledge about the impact of abiotic and biotic measures to restore this vegetation complex is crucial. Therefore, an inland sand dune complex (around 2 ha) was created in 2009 as a study model in the Upper Rhine Valley (Germany), which included sites with different substrate conditions as well as grazing impact and minimized inoculation with plant material.
The restoration area is divided into two halves with different substrate conditions (sites 1 and 2), on which inoculation with raked plant material and grazing by donkeys was studied on systematically arranged plots with randomised treatment distribution (32 plots). Additionally the whole area was monitored by a grid-plot approach to show the floristic background (43 plots). Minimized inoculation was conducted with rare Koelerion glaucae plant material in small plots covering around 5–7% of the restoration sites. During the four-year study, vegetation development was recorded and examined in relation to the donor site and an older restoration site. Soil seed bank and seed rain in the newly deposited restoration sites were also investigated, as well as the endozoochorous seed-dispersal by donkeys. Target species ratios (TSR) were calculated to estimate the restoration success. We used mixed linear models and detrended correspondence analysis for data evaluation.
Substrate conditions had an impact on the number of target species and on phanerogam and cryptogam cover. Inoculation enhanced both number and, without grazing, cover of target species since the first year. On not-inoculated plots and on grid-plots, target-species numbers increased gradually. Grazing by donkeys did not affect target-species numbers, but had a decreasing effect on target-species cover. Grazing reduced bryophyte cover, especially on inoculated plots. DCA revealed development of the experimental plots towards the donor site, as has occurred on the older restoration site. Soil seed bank and seed rain were characterized by ruderal species, and did not show similarities to the donor site. Endozoochory revealed some target species to be effectively dispersed by donkeys.
Minimized inoculation is suitable to overcome seed limitation and build up starter populations of target species for the colonization of larger restoration sites. However, within four years species composition of the donor site was not achieved. Grazing by donkeys had mainly structural effects for the studied time period.
A thick Middle and Late Pleistocene loess/palaeosol sequence is exposed at the gravel quarry Gaul located east of Weilbach in the southern foreland of the Taunus Mountains. The loess/palaeosol sequence correlates to the last three glacial cycles. Seven samples were dated by luminescence methods using an elevated temperature IRSL (post-IR IRSL) protocol for polymineral fine-grains to determine the deposition age of the sediment and to set up a more reliable chronological framework for these deposits. The fading corrected IR50 and the pIRIR225 age estimates show a good agreement for almost all samples. The fading corrected IRSL ages range from 23.7 ± 1.6 ka to >350 ka indicating that the oldest loess was deposited during marine isotope stage (MIS) 10 or earlier and that the humic-rich horizon (Weilbacher Humuszone) was developed during the late phase of MIS 7. Loess taken above the fCc horizon most likely accumulated during MIS 6 indicating that the remains of the palaeosol are not belonging to the last interglacial soil. The two uppermost samples indicate that the youngest loess accumulated during MIS 2 (Upper Würmian). Age estimates for the loess-palaeosol sequence of the gravel quarry Gaul/Weilbach could be obtained up to ~350 ka using the pIRIR225 from feldspar. Keywords: loess, luminescence dating, IRSL, fading, Weilbach, chronostratigraphy
In this study the rich variety of fossil microorganisms and other ultrastruchlres in the Messel oil shale is documented. The taphonomy of the micro- and the macro organisms is discussed and a basic model for microbial life in the Eocene Lake Messel is proposed. Documentation of the Messel microbiota was made using a scanning electron microscope fitted with an energy-dispersive X-ray analyzer, and a transmission electron microscope. The most common objects discovered were fossil bacteria in the form of cocci, coccobacilli, bacilli, curved rods and filaments, preserved as moulds, crusts, casts, encrusted casts and clay-coated casts. The main lithifying mineral is apatite, followed by siderite. The bacteria occur on fossil remains of macroorganisms. Sideritic bacteria are usually found on keratinous substrates, whereas apatitic bacteria occur preferentially on fish remains. Lithification of the bacteria was selective. It is suggested that the preserved bacteria were heterotrophic, Gram-positive anaerobes, which may have belonged to the group of clostridians.
An overview over 20 years of archaeobotanical studies in West Africa is given. The Holocene vegetation history of the West African savannahs and the development of plant cultivation were major research topics. The existence of climatically induced savannahs throughout the Holocene could be confirmed. Archaeobotanical data indicate the late emergence of agriculture around 2000 BC and the development of a cultural landscape in the course of the last 2000 years.