The new year brings some success in research funding. Recently, a project led by Dr. Keren Yanuka-Golub (Galilee Society) and Dr. Maor Matzrafi (Newe Ya’ar) was selected for funding by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
In recent years, plant-microbe interactions have been associated as a fundamental element in the coupling of plant invasion and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. This is especially true in aquatic habitats that are more prone to GHG emissions (termed GHG hotspots), such as riparian vegetation buffer strips, where the hydro-geomorphic features have been modified. The new study will investigate plant-microbe-soil interactions by combining field and controlled laboratory experiments, in which GHG emissions will be continuously monitored. We aim to explore the effect of invading plants on GHG emissions along a riparian gradient using the Nahalal agricultural watershed as a model system.
Results are expected to point at particular plant communities that allow GHG emission mitigation in such habitats, demonstrating how land management and ecosystem restoration can be utilized as a practical strategy to achieve GHGs reduction targets and contribute to the global drawdown of GHGs.
