Submitted by Jorge Silva (jorgelmsilva@ufrrj.br) on 2017-10-25T16:19:22Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2012 - Danilo Antonio Morenz.pdf: 638093 bytes, checksum: 3b4f1d143b088953006c8246815bb7b1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-25T16:19:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2012 - Danilo Antonio Morenz.pdf: 638093 bytes, checksum: 3b4f1d143b088953006c8246815bb7b1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-11-20 / CNPq / The objective of this study was to evaluate the variables related to the heights in the pre and post grazing sward, the production of dry biomass of green forage, morphological composition, leaf:stem ratio and nutritive value of two clones of elephant grass managed under rotational stocking. Was adopted a completely randomized design with repeated measures in time (grazing cycles) and three replications (paddocks). The sward heights, in pre and post grazing were influenced by the clones and grazing cycles, being the highest values observed for clone CNPGL 03-01-00. The production of dry mass of green forage was influenced by clone and grazing cycle, with higher mean value observed for CNPGL 03-01- 00, which was 17% higher than that observed for CNPGL 92-198-7, and there was decreased of dry mass of green forage with the advance of grazing cycles. The production of dry matter of leaves was influenced only by grazing cycle, with gradual reduction from the first to the third cycle. However, in fourth cycle was increase in biomass of leaves, which did not differ from that observed in the second cycle. There was interaction clone x cycle for the production of dry matter of stem, being observed differences in the first and third cycles for the clones. There was no effect of the factors studied for the production of senescent material. The leaf: stem ratio was influenced by grazing cycles, with interaction of the factors. The clone CNPGL 91-198-7 kept the leaf:stem ratio stable over the cycles, while clone CNPGL 1-3-00 presented a decrease in leaf:stem ratio from first until to third cycle. The number of aerial tillers was influenced by grazing cycles, increasing from the first until to third cycle, while the fourth cycle was observed decreased in the number of these tillers. The basal tillers were only effect of clones, where CNPGL 91-198-7 showed a higher number of these tillers. Crude protein (CP) and lignin (LIG) content were not affected by clones or by grazing cycles. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and the in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) were affected only by grazing cycles. The highest values of NDF were observed at the firsts three grazing cycles and, in the fourth grazing cycle the NDF was reduced. The IVDMD decreased until the third cycle; however, in the fourth cycle the values obtained were similar to those of the first cycle. According to results obtained the clone CNPGL 92-198-7 showed higher production of dry matter of the leaves, lower production of dry matter of stem and higher density of basal tillers, which may indicate its greatest potential for use under grazing, when compared to CNPGL 01-03-00. / Objetivou-se estudar as alturas no pr? e p?s-pastejo do dossel forrageiro, a produ??o de biomassa seca de forragem verde, a composi??o morfol?gica, a rela??o folha:colmo, a densidade de perfilhos e o valor nutritivo de dois clones de capim-elefante manejados sob lota??o rotacionada. Foi utilizado delineamento inteiramente casualizado com medidas repetidas no tempo (quatro ciclos de pastejo) e tr?s repeti??es (piquetes). As alturas do dossel pr? e p?s pastejo foram influenciadas pelos clones e pelos ciclos de pastejo. Os valores mais elevados foram observados para o clone CNPGL 00-1-3. Para massa seca de forragem verde houve apenas efeito do clone e do ciclo de pastejo. O valor m?dio da massa seca de forragem verde do CNPGL 00-1-3 foi 17% maior do que a do CNPGL 92-198-7. Com o avan?ar dos ciclos de pastejo houve redu??o da massa seca de forragem verde. A produ??o de biomassa seca de folha foi influenciada apenas pelo ciclo de pastejo, com redu??o gradual do primeiro at? o terceiro ciclo. No quarto ciclo houve aumento na massa seca de folha, que n?o diferenciou daquela obtida no segundo ciclo. Houve intera??o clone x ciclo para a massa de colmo, sendo observadas diferen?as entre clones apenas no primeiro e terceiro ciclos. N?o foi observado efeito dos fatores estudados ou intera??o para a massa seca de material morto. A rela??o folha:colmo foi influenciada pelos ciclos de pastejo, havendo intera??o dos fatores estudados. O CNPGL 92-198-7 manteve a rela??o folha:colmo est?vel ao longo dos ciclos, enquanto que o CNPGL 00-1-3 apresentou decr?scimo na rela??o folha:colmo do primeiro at? o terceiro ciclo, com maior valor obtido no quarto ciclo. Quanto ao n?mero de perfilhos a?reos foi observado efeito dos ciclos de pastejo, com aumento do primeiro ao terceiro ciclo, enquanto que no quarto ciclo houve redu??o do n?mero desses perfilhos. Para os perfilhos basais houve efeito dos clones, onde o CNPGL 92-198-7 apresentou maior n?mero de perfilhos que o CNPGL 00-1-3. Os teores de prote?na bruta (PB) n?o foram influenciados pelos clones ou pelos ciclos de pastejo. Os teores de fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) e o coeficiente da digestibilidade in vitro da mat?ria seca (DIVMS) foram influenciados apenas pelos ciclos de pastejo. Os maiores valores de FDN foram observados nos tr?s primeiros ciclos de pastejo, j? no quarto ciclo de pastejo o teor de FDN reduziu. Quanto ? DIVMS houve queda at? o terceiro ciclo, enquanto que no quarto ciclo os valores obtidos foram semelhantes aos do primeiro ciclo. Para lignina n?o foi observada diferen?a dos fatores estudados. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, o clone CNPGL 92-198-7 apresentou maior produ??o de biomassa seca de folhas, menor produ??o de biomassa seca de colmo e maior densidade populacional de perfilhos basais, o que pode indicar seu maior potencial para uso sob pastejo, quando comparado ao CNPGL 00-1-3.

Orientador: Cecilio Viega Soares Filho / Resumo: O rebanho bovino no Brasil é criado à pasto, no entanto, 70% das pastagens apresentam algum grau de degradação, sendo um dos principais motivos a ausência de adubação nitrogenada (N). A busca por uma pecuária sustentável leva à utilização de bactérias promotoras do crescimento vegetal com intuito de repor a necessidade de N das plantas. Em casa de vegetação, cultivou-se a forrageira Megathyrsus maximus cv. BRS Zuri com o objetivo de avaliar os efeitos de estirpes selecionadas de Azospirillum brasilense, Pseudomonas fluorescens e Rhizobium tropici na produtividade, acúmulo de nutrientes e composição bromatológica do capim. O experimento consistiu em onze tratamentos: controle (-N) e sem inoculação, controle (+N); três tratamentos com inoculação de A. brasilense Ab-V5 + Ab-V6, P. fluorescens e coinoculação entre R. tropici + Ab-V6; três tratamentos combinando inoculação com adubação nitrogenada; e três tratamentos com a reinoculação foliar das plantas após cada corte. Avaliou-se a massa seca (MS), perfilhamento, índice de clorofila, altura, nutrição e composição bromatológica, ao longo de três cortes, além da MS de raízes. O delineamento foi de blocos casualizados com cinco repetições, em esquema de parcelas subdivididas, considerando os tratamentos como parcela e os cortes como subparcela. A inoculação com as bactérias associada à adubação N, aumentaram o acúmulo de N, NH4+, Ca, Zn, Mn e Fe da parte aérea do capim Zuri em relação ao tratamento controle (+N). A inoculação com P... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: However 70% of the pastures present some degree of degradation, one of the main reasons being the absence of nitrogen (N) fertilization. The search for sustainable livestock farming leads to the use of plant growth promoting bacteria in order to restore the N requirement of the plants. In a greenhouse, the forage Megathyrsus maximus cv. BRS Zuri in order to evaluate the effects of selected strains of Azospirillum brasilense, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Rhizobium tropici on productivity, nutrient uptake and bromatological composition of the grass. The experiment consisted of eleven treatments: control (-N) and without inoculation, control (+N); three treatments with inoculation of A. brasilense Ab-V5 + Ab-V6, P. fluorescens and coinoculation between R. tropici + Ab-V6; three treatments combining inoculation with N fertilization; and three treatments with the foliar reinoculation of the plants after each cut. The dry mass (DM), tillering, chlorophyll index, height, nutrition and bromatological composition were evaluated along three cuts, in addition to the root DM. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with five replications, in a subdivided plot scheme, considering treatments as plot and cuts as subplot. The inoculation with the bacteria associated with N fertilization increased the accumulation of N, NH4+, Ca, Zn, Mn and Fe of the Zuri guinea grass over the control (+N) treatment. Inoculation with P. fluorescens and co-inoculation with R. tropici + Ab... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

A economia mundial é fortemente dependente da disponibilidade de óleo, no entanto as reservas de óleo leve, mais atrativas ao mercado, tendem nos próximos anos ao esgotamento, trazendo à luz as reservas de óleo pesado para atender as demandas do mercado. No entanto, os processos associados ao transporte e processamento desses óleos viscosos consomem muita energia, impondo um grande desafio para a indústria do petróleo. Nesse contexto, se transportar óleos viscosos com água através de um escoamento bifásico em padrão Core Annular Flow (CAF) é muito promissor. Nessa prática, uma película anular de água envolve o núcleo que contém o óleo, minimizando o contato entre este e a parede do duto e reduzindo as perdas de energia por atrito. Visou o presente estudo mapear os padrões de escoamento de óleo pesado com água em dutos horizontais e verticais, mensurar os fatores de redução de potência e do diferencial de pressão associados à um trecho reto e à uma válvula de gaveta aberta e determinar o holdup para avaliar a eficiência do CAF. Para atingir esses objetivos, uma unidade de bancada foi construída, consistindo de tanques de armazenamento e de separação da mistura. Interligando os tanques, foram dispostos dutos transparentes com 27 mm de diâmetro interno e 8 m de extensão, contendo duas seções horizontais e uma vertical para análise e diversos acessórios hidráulicos. O óleo utilizado possuía viscosidade de 3200 cP a 22 °C e densidade de 945 kg/m3 . Os resultados experimentais demonstraram haver diversas configurações de fluxo segundo o posicionamento do duto, e que a diferença de densidade dos fluidos descentraliza o óleo nos escoamentos horizontais. Além disso, o trecho vertical intercalado entre os trechos horizontais se comportou como um retificador de fluxo, melhorando os índices do CAF. Foi determinado um fator de redução de perda de pressão máximo de 250 vezes para o trecho reto e de 12 vezes para a válvula de gaveta. O fator global máximo de redução de potência foi mensurado em 2,2 vezes. Concluiu-se que, para um trecho reto, o projeto de instalações hidráulicas para o escoamento bifásico deve considerar 15 % a mais de perda de carga em relação ao escoamento de água pura. Já para a válvula de gaveta, esse fator deve ser de 700 %. / The world economy is strongly dependent on the availability of oil, however, light oil reserves, more market-oriented, tend to deplete in coming years, bringing to light the heavy oil reserves to meet the demands of the market. However, the processes associated with the transportation and production of these viscous oils consume a lot of energy and pose a great challenge for the oil industry. In this context, transporting viscous oils through a liquid-liquid two-phase oil-water flow in a core annular pattern (CAF) is very promising. In this method, an annular water film surrounds the oil-containing core, minimizing its contact with the pipe wall and reducing energy losses by friction. The aim of the present work was to map the flow patterns of a biphasic oil-water flow in horizontal and vertical pipes, to evaluate the overall energy savings provided by the CAF technique, to measure the pressure gradient reduction factor along the pipe and in a gate valve and to determine the holdup as a way of assessing the energy efficiency of the biphasic oil-water flow transport. To achieve these goals, an experimental facility was built and it consisted of cargo and separation tanks. Connecting these tanks, approximately 8 m of 27mm-ID clear transparent PVC pipes, two horizontal and one vertical sections and various hydraulic fittings. It was used in the tests lubricating oil with 3200 cP and 945 kg/m3 at 22°C and distilled water. The experimental results showed that there are several flow configurations according to the pipe positioning, and that the oil and the water density difference decentralizes the oil core in horizontal flows. In addition, the vertical section placed between the two horizontal ones behaved like a flow rectifier, improving the core annular flow energy savings basis. An average pressure gradient reduction factor of 250 times in a straight pipe and of 12 times in a gate valve was determined. The maximum overall power reduction factor was measured as being 2.2 times. It was concluded that the design of a hydraulic installation to transport heavy oil with water in a core annular pattern should consider a pressure drop increase by a factor of 15 % in a straight pipe and by a factor of 700 % in a gate valve based on the monophasic water transport at similar flow rates.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Biochemistry)) --University of Limpopo, 2009 / Commelina benghalensis Linn is used in traditional medicine in several Asian and African countries for the treatment of various ailments such as stomach irritations, burns, sore throat and feet, diarrhoea and as an anti-inflammatory agent. Recently, our laboratory showed that the crude methanolic extract of Commelina benghalensis L (CMECB) exhibits growth inhibitory and proapoptotic effects in Jurkat T and Wil-2 NS cancer cell lines. In this study, the precise molecular mechanism(s) associated with CMECB-induced growth inhibitory and apoptosis inducing effects in Jurkat T and Wil-2 NS cell lines were investigated. This was achieved by investigating the effects of the extract on the cell division cycle distribution profile as well as its effects on various cell division cycle and apoptosis regulatory genes. Ground stems of C. benghalensis L were extracted with absolute methanol to obtain a crude extract. To assess the effect of CMECB on cancer cell growth, experimental cell cultures were exposed to various concentrations (0 to 600 μg/ml) of CMECB for up to 72 hours. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in cell viability and inhibition of proliferation of experimental cell cultures as determined by the trypan blue dye exclusion assay and the Coulter counter method, respectively. Analysis of nuclear morphological changes in cells stained with Hoechst 33258 confirmed apoptosis as the mode of cell death that is associated with the growth inhibitory effects of CMECB in both the Jurkat T and Wil-2 NS cell lines. This assertion was based on the observed presence of nuclear morphological changes such as chromatin condensation and fragmentation and apoptotic bodies in cells exposed to CMECB. In order to get an insight on the pro-apoptotic mechanisms of CMECB, Western blot xxi and quantitative real-time PCR (qrt-PCR) were used to investigate the expression profiles of various apoptosis and cell division cycle regulatory genes. Qrt-PCR results showed a lack of a clear up- and/or down-regulatory effects of CMECB on the mRNA expression levels of bax and bcl-2 in both Jurkat T and Wil-2 NS cells. Western blot analyses demonstrated that CMECB induced apoptosis by facilitating Bax protein translocation from the cytosol to the mitochondria in both Jurkat T and Wil-2 NS cells. In addition, CMECB down-regulated Bcl-2 protein expression which, as a result, led to the shift in the Bax/Bcl-2 protein ratio at certain time points and concentration in both Jurkat T and Wil-2 NS cells. The modulation of the Bcl-2 family members led to mitochondrial cytochrome c release into the cytosol and activation of caspases-9 and -3; this was also confirmed by caspase activity assays and eventual degradation of PARP. Furthermore, CMECB induced Jurkat T and Wil-2 NS cell division cycle arrest at the G2/M phase as determined by flow cytometric analysis. Western blot analyses of G2/M phase regulatory proteins demonstrated that the CMECB-induced cell division cycle arrest was associated with the downregulation of cyclin B1 and Cdc2 protein expression levels. Western blot analyses results further revealed that the arrest of Wil-2 NS cells at the G2/M phase was independent of p21 protein activity. However, Jurkat T cell division cycle arrest was found to be mediated, in part, by p21. Quantitative real-time PCR results did not show a clear trend in terms of the down- or up-regulatory effects of the extracts on the G2/M phase regulatory genes. The CMECBinduced apoptosis and G2/M arrest was found to occur in a p53-independent xxii manner due to the lack and down-regulation of p53 protein levels in both Jurkat T and Wil-2 NS cells, respectively. In conclusion, CMECB induces its anticancer activity by inducing G2/M phase arrest and mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis independent of p53 protein activity. Although the study did not perform in vivo experiments to ascertain the efficacy of extracts of CMECB against specific tumour types in animal models, the present findings somehow validate the traditional use of C. benghalensis L as an anticancer agent. A more definitive study needs to be done to ascertain this assertion. / National Research Foundation and the University of Limpopo research office

The main objective of this research was to exploit the interrelations between the rheological behavior and nano-microstructure of complex fluids in solving two state-of-the-art problems, one in the field of biomedical engineering: controlling the amount and characteristics of bioaerosol droplets generated during coughing, and the other in the bitumen-heavy oil industry: characterizing the nano-microstructure of asphaltene particles in bitumen and heavy oil from their rheological behavior. For the first problem, effect of viscoelastic and surface properties of artificial mucus simulant gels on the size distribution and amount of airborne bioaerosol droplets generated during simulated coughing were investigated. The results revealed that suppressing the generation of bioaerosol droplets and/or reducing the number of emitted droplets to a minimum during coughing are practically achievable through modulation of mucus viscoelastic properties. While variation of surface tension did not show any change in the droplet size distribution, an increase in particle size was observed as the samples changed from elastic solid type to viscoelastic type to viscous fluid type samples. This knowledge will help in the development of a new class of drugs being developed at the University of Alberta, aimed at controlling the transmission of airborne epidemic diseases by modifying the viscoelastic properties of mucus. For the second problem, studies of viscoelastic behavior of Athabasca bitumen (Alberta) and Maya crude (Mexico) oil samples, along with their Nano-filtered and chemically separated-plus-reconstituted samples were performed. The results revealed that the rheological behaviors of the bitumen-heavy oil samples are governed by their multiphase nature. The rheological behavior of all feeds, permeates and retentate samples followed a single master curve over the entire temperature interval, consistent with that of a slurry comprising a Newtonian liquid plus a dispersed solid comprising non-interacting hard spheres. The behavior of asphaltenes in the reconstituted samples, however, was found to be significantly different from that in nanofiltered samples. The information about the characteristics and behaviors of asphaltenes obtained in this study will help better understand the asphaltene structures, and support the effort to determine solutions for numerous asphaltene-related industrial problems. In the long run, this knowledge will help to create more efficient extraction and upgrading processes for bitumen and heavy oils. / Thermo Fluids

In this study we tested whether the prevalence or synaptic distribution of NMDA receptor subunits would be altered in the brain of the MeCP2-null mouse model of Rett syndrome. Detergent resistant membranes (DRMs) and post-synaptic densities (PSDs) were isolated from the synaptic membranes treated with TritonX-100, and resolved by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Immunoblot analysis of the resulting density gradient fractions revealed that the relative distribution of the different NMDA receptor subunits between the DRM fractions, soluble fractions, and insoluble postsynaptic density fractions was preserved in the MeCP2-null brain. However, analysis of the overall NMDA receptor subunit prevalence within these fractions revealed a significant decrease in the expression of the NR1 and NR2A subunits, but not the NR2B subunit, in the MeCP2-null brain. The preservation of distribution of NMDAR subunits to the synaptic membranes, together with the decrease in NR1 and NR2A prevalence, suggest an imbalance in equilibrium between the mature and the immature synapses in a mouse model of Rett syndrome.

In this study we tested whether the prevalence or synaptic distribution of NMDA receptor subunits would be altered in the brain of the MeCP2-null mouse model of Rett syndrome. Detergent resistant membranes (DRMs) and post-synaptic densities (PSDs) were isolated from the synaptic membranes treated with TritonX-100, and resolved by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Immunoblot analysis of the resulting density gradient fractions revealed that the relative distribution of the different NMDA receptor subunits between the DRM fractions, soluble fractions, and insoluble postsynaptic density fractions was preserved in the MeCP2-null brain. However, analysis of the overall NMDA receptor subunit prevalence within these fractions revealed a significant decrease in the expression of the NR1 and NR2A subunits, but not the NR2B subunit, in the MeCP2-null brain. The preservation of distribution of NMDAR subunits to the synaptic membranes, together with the decrease in NR1 and NR2A prevalence, suggest an imbalance in equilibrium between the mature and the immature synapses in a mouse model of Rett syndrome.

This paper attempts to assess the impact of price fluctuations in oil resulting from worldwide oil supply shocks on the real returns of the U.S. stock market, specifically the S&P 500, during the period of 1986 to 2011. While much past research has found an inverse relationship to exist between simply oil price increases and stock market returns, not many studies have been conducted that focus on the effects of shifts in oil supply. The model utilized, a variation of that used by Hamilton (2008), determines that changes in oil prices arising from oil supply shocks one quarter prior (t-1) and one year prior (t-4) have an effect on real stock returns. However, an F-test assessing the joint impact of the explanatory variables is unable to reject the null hypothesis that the joint effects of changes in oil prices arising from supply shocks have zero effect on the returns of the stock market.

本篇論文使用SWARCH模型探討布蘭特原油期貨市場的波動性。SWARCH模型將條件變異設定為可隨時間變動而改變，甚至移轉到不同的區間上。實證結果顯示SWARCH (3,3)模型具有最佳配適度與最準確的預測能力。樣本在不同區間下的平滑機率的估計值有助於補捉資料特性，而且當樣本落在高波動率區間上時會對應著重大事件的發生，如1990年波斯灣戰爭、1997年亞洲金融風暴與2001年的911恐怖攻擊。 / This paper investigates the volatility of the Brent crude oil futures markets using Markov-switching ARCH (SWARCH) model. The SWARCH model allows the conditional disturbances to change as time passes and even to switch in different regimes. The empirical evidence shows that the SWARCH (3,3) model performs the best goodness of fit and the best forecast performance between different fitting models. The estimation of smoothing probabilities of data under different regimes facilitates to capture the characteristics of data, and the high-volatility regime is associated with the extraordinary events, such as the 1990’s Persian Gulf War, the 1997’s Asia Financial Crisis, and the 2001’s 911 terrorist attack.

Grünlandfutter mit einem hohen Ertrag und gutem Futterwert ist eine Grundvoraussetzung für die effiziente Produktion von wiederkäuenden Nutztieren. Im Zuge des prognostizierten Klimawandels werden sich die Niederschlagsmuster ändern und das Auftreten von Extremwetterereignissen, wie temporärer Trockenheit, wird sich erhöhen. Besonders produktives Grünland benötigt aber eine ausreichende und regelmäßige Wasserversorgung während der Wachstumsperiode. Deshalb werden die Futterproduktion von Grünland, die Ertragsstabilität und der Futterwert von temporärer Trockenheit beeinflusst werden. Aus diesem Grund sind Anpassungsstrategien nötig, um eine zukünftige und nachhaltige Grünlandfuttererzeugung zu sichern. Erhöhte pflanzliche Biodiversität wird oft als Möglichkeit angesehen, Funktionen von Ökosystemen, wie Produktivität und Futterwert, im Grünland zu verbessern. Es gibt eine fortlaufende Diskussion wie eine erhöhte Artenzahl auf Stress, besonders Trockenstress, reagiert und wie dabei Produktivität, Futterwert und Wassernutzung beeinflusst werden. Andere Untersuchungen zeigten, dass Artidentität und die Zusammensetzung der funktionellen Gruppen wichtige Faktoren für Produktivität und Futterwert sind. Auf Grund dessen haben wir von Juli 2009 bis Juni 2011 ein Trockenstressexperiment in einer Vegetationshalle durchgeführt. Verschiedene temporäre Trockenstressereignisse wurden in drei Aufwüchsen in zwei Vegetationsperioden durchgeführt. Die klimatischen Verhältnisse in der Vegetationshalle folgten normalen saisonalen Verläufen mit Frost im Winter und höheren Temperaturen im Sommer. Trockenstress wurde induziert, indem, nach einer anfänglichen Bewässerung, die Wasserversorgung für einen bestimmten Zeitraum eingestellt wurde. Die Wasserverfügbarkeit des Bodens konnte dabei immer kontrolliert werden. Für das Experiment wählten wir ertragsstarke und landwirtschaftlich nutzbare Arten des Grünlands der gemäßigten Zonen aus. Die Arten wurden in Monokultur und Drei- sowie Fünfartenmischungen gesät und enthielten die funktionellen Gruppen Leguminose (Trifolium repens L.), Gras (Lolium perenne L., Dactylis glomerata L.) und Kraut (Plantago lanceolata L., Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wigg. agg.). Der von uns gewählt Umfang der Artenzahl zeigte schon in anderen Biodiversitätsexperimenten einen Einfluss auf die Produktion. Untersucht wurden die Effekte von Artenzahl und funktionellen Gruppen auf Ertrag, Ertragsstabilität, Wassernutzung und Futterwert (Rohprotein, wasserlösliche Kohlenhydrate, neutrale und saure Detergenzienfasern). Als Indikatoren für die Ertragsentwicklung und die agronomische Wassernutzungseffizienz (Verhältnis von Ertrag zu Wasserverbrauch) dienten der Stickstoffertrag und die Stickstoffkonzentration der Bestände sowie δ13C Signaturen, sowohl mit unlimitierter Wasserversorgung als auch mit Trockenstress. Überdies führten wir 2009 ein Kurzzeitfeldexperiment auf einem alten Grünlandbestand auf dem Versuchsgut der Universität Göttingen in Reliehausen durch. In diesem Versuch wurde ebenso der Einfluss von Trockenstress und Artenzahl auf den Ertrag und die Wassernutzung untersucht. Unsere Daten zeigten, dass Trockenstress die Produktivität verringert und die Wassernutzung beeinflusst, beides abhängig von der Stärke des Stresses. Bei moderatem Stress war die agronomische Wassernutzungseffizienz unverändert oder stieg leicht an, bei starkem Stress verringerte sie sich jedoch. Der Stickstoffertrag und die Stickstoffkonzentration waren brauchbare Indikatoren für die agronomische Wassernutzungseffizienz, wohingegen δ13C weniger geeignet war. Die agronomische Wassernutzungseffizienz wurde von Stickstoff erhöht. Es gab keinen oder nur einen sehr geringen Einfluss von Trockenstress auf den Futterwert. Saisonale Effekte hatten mehr Einfluss auf den Futterwert. Allgemein scheint der Ertragsrückgang wichtiger als die Veränderungen des Futterwerts zu sein. Die Artenzahl beeinflusste den Futterwert und die Ertragsstabilität über die Vegetationsperiode nicht. Mit Hilfe des “sampling effect“ (Probennahmeeffekt) können der manchmal positive Einfluss der Artenzahl auf den Ertrag und die agronomische Wassernutzungseffizienz und der Rückgang dieses Einflusses unter Trockenheit erklärt werden. Mit erhöhter Artenzahl stieg der Anteil der leistungsfähigen, aber trockenheitssensitiven Leguminose. Weiterhin gab es einen Hinweis, dass die Artenzahl die Geschwindigkeit des Wasserverbrauchs erhöht. Die Ergebnisse des Feldexperiments bekräftigten die Befunde bezüglich der Effekte des Trockenstresses, des Ertrages und der Wassernutzung. Aus diesen Gründen kann die „insurance hypothesis“ (Versicherungshypothese), die besagt, dass eine erhöhte Artenzahl Ökosystemfunktionen gegenüber Umweltveränderungen stabilisieren kann, nicht bestätigt werden. Jedoch waren die funktionellen Gruppen wichtige und bestimmende Faktoren der Leistung unter nicht Wasser limitierten Bedingungen und Trockenstress. Die Leguminose hatte besonders auf Ertrag, agronomische Wassernutzungseffizienz und Rohprotein einen positiven Einfluss, jedoch erhöhte sie auch den Wasserverbrauch und die saisonale Variabilität. Gräser stabilisierten den Ertrag und den Wasserverbrauch und erhöhten die wasserlöslichen Kohlenhydrate sowie die Faserfraktionen, während sie den Ertrag und die agronomische Wassernutzungseffizienz unter den stickstofflimitierten Bedingungen unseres Experiments verringerten. Die funktionelle Gruppe Kräuter zeigte ähnliche Ergebnisse bezüglich Ertrag und Wassernutzung, aber sie erhöhte das Rohprotein. Unsere Ergebnisse demonstrieren, dass die vorhergesagte Zunahme von Trockenstressereignissen die Produktion reduzieren und die Wassernutzung ändern wird. Änderungen im Futterwert werden dabei weniger wichtig als der Ertragsrückgang sein. Für die Produktion, die Wassernutzung und den Futterwert wird die Artenanzahl weniger relevant sein als die funktionelle Zusammensetzung von Grünland. Deshalb wird eine angepasste Grasnarbenzusammensetzung für die Sicherung der Produktion von wiederkäuenden Nutztieren unter den Bedingungen des erwarteten Klimawandels Bedeutung erlangen.