Methane losses from different biogas plant technologies.

Biogas and biomethane production can play an important role in a fossil-fuel-free energy supply, provided that process-related methane (CH) losses are minimized. Addressing the lack of representative emission data, this study aims to provide component specific CH emission factors (EFs) for various biogas plant technologies, enabling more accurate emission estimates for the biogas sector and supporting the identification of low emission technologies. Four measurement teams investigated 33 biogas plants in Austria, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland including mainly agricultural and biowaste treating facilities.

Invasive forbs differ functionally from native graminoids, but are similar to native forbs.

• Exotic plant invasions can alter ecosystem processes, particularly if the invasive species are functionally different from native species. We investigated whether such alterations can be explained by differences in functional traits between native and invasive plants of the same functional group or by differences in functional group affiliation. • We compared six invasive forbs in Europe with six native forbs and six native graminoids in leaf and whole-plant traits, plasticity in response to nutrient supply and interspecific competition, litter decomposition rate, effects on soil nutrient availability, and allelopathy.