November 27th, at 4:00 pm (Geo/Bio-Hörsaal)

we will have a talk of a guest speaker within the CRC 1211

Felipe Lobos-Roco (Atacama Desert Center at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile)

Abstract:
Water resources in arid and semi-arid regions, such as the Atacama Desert, are fundamental for social, economic, and natural development. In recent decades, climate change has decreased precipitation rates in most of north and central Chile, producing an increased water demand and threatening available water resources. Under these water stress conditions, finding alternative water resources becomes imperative. In this context, fog harvesting arises as a complementary water source to tackle water scarcity, especially in the coastal Atacama Desert, where it is abundant and virtually untapped.

However, our limited understanding of the physical processes that control fog formation, the lack of observations, and the complex topography where fog develops, make it difficult to estimate where, when and how much water can be harvested from clouds. Based on recent studies, this research proposes a physical model based on the thermodynamics of the marine boundary layer to estimate the fog cloud water potential in the arid and semi-arid region of the coastal Atacama Desert.

With this model, we aim to determine the main physical characteristics of the cloud that produces fog in the Atacama using widely available meteorological data. Such characteristics are fog frequency, cloud base and top level, liquid water content, and collectible water with unprecedented spatiotemporal accuracy. Likewise, through this model, we propose studying climate change's impact on these potentially available water resources. The expected results will advance our understanding of the physical processes that influence fog harvesting. As fog is a global meteorological phenomenon, this model might be applicable worldwide, contributing to bridging the data gap in regions where fog harvesting is a viable water source, especially in underdeveloped countries.

We expect this research to have a high social impact by providing valuable information about new water sources to decision-makers to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Researchers led by the University of Bonn and Gobabeb/Namibia study drought-adapted melon varieties

Southern Africa has a rich bounty of crop varieties, crop wild relatives, orphan crops and underutilised plant species, collectively known as plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), which have sustained generations of local farmers and rural communities and enabled them to cope with changing environmental conditions. The project "Farmer Resilience and Melon Crop Diversity in southern Africa" (FRAMe) aims at a future-oriented agriculture of crop diversity using melons as an example. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the project with more than 300,000 euros over the next three years.

Orphan crops have been a steady source of nutrition for smallholder farmers and rural communities for generations. "In the face of ever-changing environmental conditions in the wake of climate change and a growing world population, orphan crops represent an important potential to meet increasing nutritional as well as ecological demands," says Prof. Dietmar Quandt of the Nees Institute for Plant Biodiversity at the University of Bonn. These plant genetic resources combined with extensive traditional knowledge have enabled local farmers to survive. "However, due to rapid ecological changes, it is not foreseeable how future-oriented agriculture can succeed for a broad mass of smallholders and larger agribusinesses in southern Africa."

Adapting to drought

The FRAMe project therefore aims to register potentially successful varieties of crops based on the experiences of local farmers and to analyze them by molecular genetics. Using melons as an example, the researchers want to gain a broad overview of the existing crop diversity and its adaptation to periods of drought. This should lay a foundation for future-oriented agriculture in southern Africa.

The Nees Institute of the University of Bonn is represented in the FRAMe project by Prof. Quandt as spokesperson for the German site and as an associated scientist of the Gobabeb Namib Research Institute (Namibia). The Bonn researchers aim to make a far-reaching contribution to better adapted crops, particularly in terms of drought tolerance, through the use of modern molecular methods combined with extensive sampling, ecological modeling and incorporating the experiences of local farmers. Quandt says, "The project has unprecedented potential for food security as well as for global crop quality improvement programs."

116 different species of cucurbits

"Southern tropical Africa is considered as a center of diversity for cucurbits," says Dr. Gillian Maggs-Kölling of the Gobabeb Research Center in Namibia. She is Namibian spokesperson and initiator of the FRAMe project. The cucurbits (Cucurbitaceae) comprise 116 species in 28 genera in this area. A significant proportion are used in traditional agro-ecosystems, cooking, culture and local economies. For example, !nara (Acanthosicyos horridus), an endemic gourd species of the very arid Namib Desert, is used extensively by local people as a food and medicinal remedy.

Most likely the origin of melons is in the desert. "This hypothesis doesn't really seem obvious", Quandt says. "Nevertheless, especially in southern Africa, we find a great diversity of different melon species that are highly specialized and adapted to the extreme conditions." Farmers, for example, cultivate numerous Citrullus varieties related to the common watermelon - and these are precisely the ones that are adapted to drought and disease. FRAMe will characterize this diversity and thereby simultaneously clarify South Africa's contribution to the domestication of melons.

Participating Institutions:
The FRAMe project involves the University of Cape Town (South Africa), the University of Zambia and the University of Namibia, in addition to the Nees Institute at the University of Bonn (Germany) and the Gobabeb Research and Training Centre (Namibia).

Information:
www.nees.uni-bonn.de/news/FRAMe

Contact for the media:
Prof. Dr. Dietmar Quandt
Nees Institute for Plant Biodiversity
University of Bonn
Tel. 0228/732526
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Fruits of the melon species Citrullus ecirrhosus – a relative to the common watermelon – at Springbokwasser in the Torra Conservancy in the Namib Desert, Namibia. Photo: Dr. Julia Bechteler

!nara (Acanthosicyos horridus), an endemic gourd species of the very dry Namib Desert, on a dune near Gobabeb in the Namib Naukluft Park. Photo: Dr. Julia Bechteler