Weather data
A large number of automatic weather stations has been implemented in the frame of the BIOTA AFRICA project by the Namibian National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and the Group "Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology" (BEE) of the University of Hamburg. The website offers hourly updates of data and graphs of a large number of weather parameters.


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Subproject S03

Prof. Dr. Franz Oberwinkler, Eberhard-Karls-Universitaet Tuebingen, Institut fuer Botanik, Lehrstuhl Spezielle Botanik und Mykologie, Auf der Morgenstelle 1, 72076 Tuebingen

Biodiversity of South African fungi: interaction with higher plants, functional diversity and DNA-taxonomy

The subproject will deal with fungi as important ecosystem-components:

  • Parasitic fungi evolved in co-evolution with their hosts
  • Saprophytic Aphyllophorales are of high importance for re-mineralization of botanical detritus
  • Endophytic fungi seem to be present in all living plants, but little is known about their diversity and functions
  • Symbiotic endomykorrhizal fungi are of high importance for the mobilisation of nutrients for vascular plants
  • Soil fungi cover a wide range of functional aspects (destruents, parasitic or symbiotic roles)

In the frame of the BIOTA subproject the biodiversity and structural diversity of phytoparasitic basidiomycetes will be investigated as well as their functional importance for vascular plants. Besides a documentation of fungal diversity on the Observatories also the importance of abiotic environmental factors for the presence/absence of fungi will be followed up. Also corticoid basidiomycetes, endophytic fungi, and mycorrhizal fungi shall be studied on the Biodiversity Observatories. DNA-taxonomy will be used for identification and for studies on the infraspecific genetic diversity.