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Purpose: Leader-follower communication plays an important role in all organizations. However, research on school leadership did not focus on communication competency (CC) and its impact on school quality (e.g. on teachers' commitment, job satisfaction) so far; there is a striking lack of theory and empirical data. Therefore, this paper describes the development and validation of a standardized measure for CC of school principals. It is based on a theoretical framework with LMX as a communication-based approach to leadership and an interpersonal communication process model. Design/Methodology: CC was conceptualized as a 3-dimensional construct. Five studies were conducted with German teachers and school principals from all types of schools (total N=1649): selection of items via expert ratings, exploring the dimensionality, cross-validation of the structure, test-retest-reliability, external validity. Results: Analyses led to a 3-factor solution - Altercentrism, Knowledge and Willingness to Communicate, Self-Regulation - with 14 items and good internal consistencies. CFA, exploring the nomological network, and invariance measurement supported construct validity. Limitations: Empirical studies still have to be conducted to evaluate the application in other leader - follower contexts apart from school. Research/Practical Implications: The measure and the theoretical framework can be applied for analyzing principal - teacher interactions in detail and for detecting problems in communication processes. The measure can also be used for feedback processes and for demand-oriented trainings.Originality/Value: For the first time, this paper explicitly combines the concepts of CC and leadership in schools and provides a measure within a theoretical framework to assess principals' CC. Such a valid instrument is the prerequisite for further investigating the importance of CC in the context of (school) leadership.
In einem randomisierten Kontrollgruppen-Design wurde die Wirksamkeit zweier ambulanter psychologischer Tinnitus-Therapien (12-wöchige psychologische Tinnitus-Therapie (PTT) sowie 4-wöchige psychologische Kurzzeit-Tinnitus-Therapie (KPTT)) miteinander verglichen. Die Überprüfung der Wirksamkeit erfolgte mittels folgender Parameter: Tinnitusbelastung, subjektive Lautheit, Dauer der Tinnituswahrnehmung, Tinnitusbelästigung, Copingfähigkeit, Stimmung, Depressivität, Schlaf und Kontrollüberzeugung. An der Studie nahmen 90 Patienten mit chronischem Tinnitus teil, die zufällig der PTT, der KPTT oder einer Wartekontrollgruppe (WKG) zugeteilt wurden. Die Datenerhebung erfolgte zu drei Messzeitpunkten: vor Therapiebeginn, nach Therapieende sowie 6 Monate nach Therapieende. Beide Interventionen führen zur signifikanten Reduktion der Tinnitusbelastung, der subjektiv wahrgenommenen Lautheit, der Dauer der Tinnituswahrnehmung und der Tinnitusbelästigung. Weiterhin führen beide Therapien zum Erlernen und zur Anwendung von effektiven Copingstrategien und damit auch zur Erhöhung der Kontrollüberzeugung. Alle berichteten Verbesserungen bleiben auch 6 Monate nach dem Therapieende stabil. Nachdem in der WKG nach 4 und nach 12 Wochen keine signifikanten Veränderungen beobachtet werden konnten, sind die Veränderungen in den Therapiegruppen in den o.g. Variablen als Therapieeffekte zu sehen. Keine der beiden Interventionen führt zu einer signifikanten Veränderung des Schlafes und der Stimmung. Als einziger signifikanter Prädiktor des Therapieerfolgs hat sich die Tinnitusdauer herausgestellt. Während die PTT unabhängig von der Tinnitusdauer zu einer Reduktion der Tinnitusbelastung führt, ist die KPTT umso wirksamer, je kürzer die Tinnitusdauer ist. Das Vorhandensein einer komorbiden psychischen Störung, die Ausgangsbelastung sowie die Veränderungsbereitschaft beeinflussen die Therapiewirksamkeit nicht. Da sich diese beiden ambulanten psychologischen Tinnitus-Therapien nicht in ihrer Wirksamkeit und in ihren langfristigen Auswirkungen voneinander unterscheiden, kann resümiert werden, dass beide gut für eine ambulante psychologische Behandlung von Patienten mit chronischem Tinnitus geeignet sind. Die kürzere KPTT ist jedoch aufgrund des niedrigeren Zeit- und Kostenaufwandes als effizienter zu bewerten.
Based on dual process models of information processing, the present research addressed how explicit disgust sensitivity is re-adapted according to implicit disgust sensitivity via self-perception of automatic behavioral cues. Contrary to preceding studies (Hofmann, Gschwendner, & Schmitt, 2009) that concluded that there was a "blind spot" for self- but not for observer perception of automatic behavioral cues, in the present research, a re-adaption process was found for self-perceivers and observers. In Study 1 (N = 75), the predictive validity of an indirect disgust sensitivity measure was tested with a double-dissociation strategy. Study 2 (N = 117) reinvestigated the hypothesis that self-perception of automatic behavioral cues, predicted by an indirect disgust sensitivity measure, led to a re-adaption of explicit disgust sensitivity measures. Using a different approach from Hofmann et al. (2009), the self-perception procedure was modified by (a) feeding back the behavior several times while a small number of cues had to be rated for each feedback condition, (b) using disgust sensitivity as a domain with clearly unequivocal cues of automatic behavior (facial expression, body movements) and describing these cues unambiguously, and (c) using a specific explicit disgust sensitivity measure in addition to a general explicit disgust sensitivity measure. In Study 3 (N = 130), the findings of Study 2 were replicated and display rules and need for closure as moderator effects of predictive validity and cue utilization were additionally investigated. The moderator effects give hints that both displaying a disgusted facial expression and self-perception of one- own disgusted facial expression are subject to a self-serving bias, indicating that facial expression may not be an automatic behavior. Practical implications and implications for future research are discussed.
Technical products have become more than practical tools to us. Mobile phones, for example, are a constant companion in daily life. Besides purely pragmatic tasks, they fulfill psychological needs such as relatedness, stimulation, competence, popularity, or security. Their potential for the mediation of positive experience makes interactive products a rich source of pleasure. Research acknowledged this: in parallel to the hedonic/utilitarian model in consumer research, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers broadened their focus from mere task-fulfillment (i.e., the pragmatic) to a holistic view, encompassing a product's ability for need-fulfillment and positive experience (i.e., the hedonic). Accordingly, many theoretical models of User Experience (UX) acknowledge both dimensions as equally important determinants of a product's appeal: pragmatic attributes (e.g., usability) as well as hedonic attributes (e.g., beauty). In choice situations, however, people often overemphasize the pragmatic, and fail to acknowledge the hedonic. This phenomenon may be explained by justification. Due to their need for justification, people attend to the justifiability of hedonic and pragmatic attributes rather than to their impact on experience. Given that pragmatic attributes directly contribute to task-fulfillment, they are far easier to justify than hedonic attributes. People may then choose the pragmatic over the hedonic, despite a true preference for the hedonic. This can be considered a dilemma, since people choose what is easy to justify and not what they enjoy the most. The present thesis presents a systematic exploration of the notion of a hedonic dilemma in the context of interactive products.
A first set of four studies explored the assumed phenomenon. Study 1 (N = 422) revealed a reluctance to pay for a hedonic attribute compared to a pragmatic attribute. Study 2 (N = 134) demonstrated that people (secretly) prefer a more hedonic product, but justify their choice by spurious pragmatic advantages. Study 3 (N = 118) confronted participants with a trade-off between hedonic and pragmatic quality. Even though the prospect of receiving a hedonic product was related to more positive affect, participants predominantly chose the pragmatic, especially those with a high need for justification. This correlation between product choice and perceived need for justification lent further support to the notion that justification lies at the heart of the dilemma. Study 4 (N = 125) explored affective consequences and justifications provided for hedonic and pragmatic choice. Data on positive affect suggested a true preference for the hedonic - even among those who chose the pragmatic product.
A second set of three studies tested different ways to reduce the dilemma by manipulating justification. Manipulations referred to the justifiability of attributes as well as the general need for justification. Study 5 (N = 129) enhanced the respective justifiability of hedonic and pragmatic choice by ambiguous product information, which could be interpreted according to latent preferences. As expected, enhanced justifiability led to an increase in hedonic but not in pragmatic choice. Study 6 (N = 178) manipulated the justifiability of hedonic choice through product information provided by a "test report", which suggested hedonic attributes as legitimate. Again, hedonic choice increased with increased justifiability. Study 7 (N = 133) reduced the general need for justification by framing a purchase as gratification. A significant positive effect of the gratification frame on purchase rates occurred for a hedonic but not for a pragmatic product.
Altogether, the present studies revealed a desire for hedonic attributes, even in interactive products, which often are still understood as purely pragmatic "tools". But precisely because of this predominance of pragmatic quality, people may hesitate to give in to their desire for hedonic quality in interactive products - at least, as long as they feel a need for justification. The present findings provide an enhanced understanding of the complex consequences of hedonic and pragmatic attributes, and indicate a general necessity to expand the scope of User Experience research to the moment of product choice. Limitations of the present studies, implications for future research as well as practical implications for design and marketing are discussed.
Education and training of the workforce have become an important competitive factor for companies because of the rapid technological changes in the economy and the corresponding ever shorter innovation cycles. Traditional training methods, however, are limited in terms of meeting the resulting demand for education and training in a company, which continues to grow and become faster all the time. Therefore, the use of technology-based training programs (that is, courseware) is increasing because courseware enables self-organized and self-paced learning and, through integration into daily work routines, allows optimal transfer of knowledge and skills, resulting in high learning outcome. To achieve these prospects, high-quality courseware is required, with quality being defined as supporting learners optimally in achieving their learning goals. Developing high-quality courseware, however, usually requires more effort and takes longer than developing other programs, which limits the availability of this courseware in time and with the required quality.
This dissertation therefore deals with the research question of how courseware has to be developed in order to produce high-quality courseware with less development effort and shorter project duration. In addition to its high quality, this courseware should be optimally aligned to the characteristics and learning goals of the learners as well as to the planned usage scenarios for the knowledge and skills being trained. The IntView Method for the systematic and efficient development of high-quality courseware was defined to answer the research question of this dissertation. It aims at increasing the probability of producing courseware in time without exceeding project schedules and budgets while developing a high-quality product optimally focused on the target groups and usage scenarios.
The IntView Methods integrates those execution variants of all activities and activity steps required to develop high-quality courseware, which were identified in a detailed analysis of existing courseware development approaches as well as production approaches from related fields, such as multimedia, web, or software engineering, into a systematic process that in their interaction constitute the most efficient way to develop courseware. The main part of the proposed method is therefore a systematic process for engineering courseware that encompasses all courseware lifecycle phases and integrates the activities and methods of all disciplines involved in courseware engineering, including a lifecycle encompassing quality assurance, into a consolidated process. This process is defined as a lifecycle model as well as a derived process model in the form of a dependency model in order to optimally support courseware project teams in coordinating and synchronizing their project work. In addition to the models, comprehensive, ready-to-apply enactment support materials are provided, consisting of work sheets and document templates that include detailed activity descriptions and examples.
The evaluation of the IntView Method proved that the method together with the enactment support materials enables efficient as well as effective courseware development. The projects and case studies conducted in the context of this evaluation demonstrate that, on the one hand, the method is easily adaptable to the production of different kinds of courseware or to different project contexts, and, on the other hand, that it can be used efficiently and effectively.
A taxonomic revision of the genus Pteris in tropical Africa revealed 26 species. An identification key to the species is provided. Morphological characters were used to prepare a cladistic analysis of the relevant taxa. Each species was evaluated concerning the IUCN red list status. Only Pteris mkomaziensis was considered as Near Threatened, and all other species only as Least Concern. An inventory of the ferns of Kakamega Forest / Kenya and Budongo Forest / Uganda revealed 85 species in Kakamega and 66 species in Budongo. Life form spectra were analysed and the ferns were studied for their value for bioindication.
The first group that was revised within my study is Ochralea Clark, 1865 (Hazmi & Wagner 2010a). I have checked the type specimen of most species that were originally described in Ochralea and there is no doubt that this genus is clearly distinct from Monolepta. Weise (1924) has synonymised Galeruca nigripes (Olivier, 1808) with O. nigricornis Clark, 1865 and the valid name of the species is O. nigripes (Olivier, 1808). Out of ten species originally described in this genus, only this species remain valid and O. pectoralis is a new synonym of O. nigripes. Additionally, Monolepta wangkliana Mohamedsaid, 2000 is very closely related to O. nigripes and need to be transferred to Ochralea. The second genus where the revision is still published is Arcastes Baly, 1865 (Hazmi & Wagner 2010b). I have checked the genitalic characters of A. biplagiata, and most of the type species of other Arcastes. Arcastes biplagiata possesses a peculiar shape of the median lobe and asymmetrically arranged endophallic structures. These peculiar characters are very useful to delimit this genus from the others. Therefore, only three valid species remain in Arcastes, while two new synonyms are found and fourrnother species need to be transferred to other genera. While checking the genitalic characteristics of type species of Arcastes sanguinea, thernmedian lobe as well as the spermatheca of this species possesses strong differences to A. biplagiata. The species was redescribed and transferred in a monotypic new genus Rubrarcastes Hazmi & Wagner, 2010c. The fourth genus that was already revised is Neolepta Jacoby, 1884. It was originally described on base of only two species by that time, N. biplagiata and N. fulvipennis. Jacoby has not designated a type species of the genus, and Maulik (1936) did it later, with the designation of N. biplagiata. Jacoby in his original description has only commented that Neolepta is very close and similar to Monolepta Chevrolat, 1837 and Candezea Chapuis, 1879. Subsequent authors have described further eight species, and transferred one species from Luperodes to it, summing up the total number of eleven described species in Neolepta. I have checked the genitalic characters of the type, N. biplagiata and have found out that the median lobe is not incised apically and stronger sclerotised ventral carinae with an apical hook close to the apex occur. Out of all described species, only two are closely related to the genero-type, N. sumatrensis (Jacoby, 1884) new combination and N. quadriplagiata Jacoby, 1886 that will remain in this group after the revision. All other species need to be transferred to other genera, including the newly described Paraneolepta and Orthoneolepta. The last distinct paper of this thesis presented the results on Monolepta Chevrolat, 1837. The massive number of Monolepta from the entire Oriental Region, with about 260 described species names is a more long-life project and not practicable within a PhD-study. Thus I have focused on the species of Monolepta known from the Sundaland area in this work. A comprehensive revision including the study of the primary types of the described species, has never been done for Monolepta from this sub-region, while new species have also been described in the last decade (e. g. Mohamedsaid 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000a,b, 2001, 2002, 2005).
On base of the most current species lists of Mohamedsaid (2001, 2004, 2005) and Kimoto (1990), the number of valid species described from this region is about 72. After my revision, only thirteen valid species can remain in Monolepta in the sense of the generotype M. bioculata (Wagner 2007), while seven species have been found as new synonyms, three have been already transferred to other genera and further 49 species need to be transferred to other genera.
Population genetic structure in European Hyalodaphnia species: Monopolization versus gene flow
(2012)
Cyclic parthenogens displays an alternation of asexual and sexual reproduction which has consequences for the genetic structure of these organisms. The clonal diversity of cyclic parthenogenetic zooplankton populations is influenced by the size of the dormant egg bank, i.e., the amount of sexually produced dormant eggs that assembled in the sediment, as these dormant eggs contribute new genetic variants to the populations. Further, the clonal diversity is impacted by clonal erosion over time, which reduces the number of different clones through stochastic and selective processes. Although freshwater invertebrates are good dispersers through their dormant stages, the influence of gene flow is assumed to be negligible, as the local population successfully monopolizes the available resources. As these populations reach carrying capacity fast due to the asexual reproduction, the first colonizing individuals are able to successfully establish in the habitat, resulting in a priority effect which hinders the invasion of new genotypes. Due to clonal selection and sexual reproduction a population will locally adapt over time and will establish a dormant egg bank which facilitates the fast re-colonization after a hostile period. This thesis evaluates the processes altering the population genetic structure of cyclic parthenogenetic zooplankton with a special focus on the concepts of monopolization as well as the counteracting effects of gene flow, using large-lake Daphnia species. Thirty-two variable microsatellite DNA markers were developed and a subset of twelve markers was evaluated regarding their suitability for species assignment and hybrid class detection. With this marker set and an additional mitochondrial DNA marker forty-four natural European populations of the species D. cucullata, D. galeata and D. longispina were studied. In D. galeata, most populations were characterized by low clonal diversities which suggest high influence from clonal erosion over the growing season and a low contribution from the dormant egg bank. Further, recent expansions as well as gene flow were detected, probably caused by the anthropogenic alteration of freshwater habitats, in particular eutrophication of many European lakes. D. longispina and D. cucullata revealed a different genetic structure compared to D. galeata, with high genetic differentiation among populations. This indicates low levels of effective gene flow which is in line with the predictions of monopolization. Further, high clonal diversities were found in populations of the two taxa, suggesting a high contribution from the dormant egg bank while clonal erosion was often not detectable. In D. longispina, mitochondrial data revealed an ancient expansion which was probably initiated by the formation of glacial lakes after the last ice age.
In addition, in D. longispina not only clonal diversity but also genetic diversity was high, indicating that during the build-up of the studied populations the influence from gene flow was probably high. To better understand the processes that act on early populations the population build-up in regard to the temporal advantage of clones during invasion succession was experimentally studied and revealed that priority effects shape population structure of Daphnia species. However, in certain cases the highly superior clones resulted in the extinction of inferior clones independent of the temporal advantage the single clones had.
This clearly shows that not only the time of succession is important but also the competitive strength. rnIn conclusion, the results obtained show that the population genetic structure in cyclic parthenogenetic zooplankton species is impacted by various processes. In addition to earlier studies, which mainly focus on local adaptation, clonal erosion and the size of the dormant egg bank to understand population genetic structure, this thesis could show that gene flow may be effective as well. During population build-up the advantage of early arriving individuals does not necessarily predict the outcome of population assembly, as additional genotypes may contribute to the population. Finally, the genetic structure of established populations may be severely impacted by effective gene flow, if severe environmental changes alter the habitat of the locally adapted population.
Nandi forests (South and North Nandi forests) are situated in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya very close to Kakamega forest. From previous documents it has been seen that Kakamega and Nandi forests were connected to each other forming one big "U" shaped forest block till the beginnings of 1900s. Due to human pressures, currently there are three different forests form the previous one block forest. Although they were one forest, information on Nandi forests is very scanty when it is compared to that of Kakamega forest. The species composition and diversity as well as plant communities and population structure of Nandi forests have not been studied. Information is not available about the similarity status of South and North Nandi forests. Furthermore the natural regeneration potential (seedling bank) of these forests is not well studied and documented. Hence this study aims to fill these gaps.
In this study totally 76 quadrates (49 from South Nandi and 27 from North Nandi) were used to collect data. In the South Nandi forests 27 of the quadrates were laid in the better side of the forest (at Kobujoi) and the remaining 22 were in the heavily disturbed part of this forest (Bonjoge). The quadrates were arranged on transects that have one to one and half km which were parallel to the slope. The distance between the quadrates was 100 meter and transects are 500 m apart. The size of the main quadrate was 400 m2 (20 X 20 m) which also had five small plots (3 X 3 m) distributed on the four corners and in the center. Each woody plants (climbers, shrubs and trees) having more than one meter and greater than two centimeter diameter at breast height (dbh) were measured and recorded. Seedlings and herbaceous plants were sampled in the smaller plots. Individual plants were identified at species level and when it was not possible to identify in the field voucher specimen were prepared and latter identified at the East African Herbarium, National Museum of Kenya, and Nairobi. Clustering and ordination were performed using PC-ORD and CANOCO ecological softwares, respectively. For both clustering and ordination abundance data of the species was used. Shannon diversity index and evenness were computed using PC-ORD while similarity indices, Fisher alpha, rarefaction, species richness estimation (nonparametric species richness estimators) were conducted using EstimateS. Indicator species analysis was undertaken using PC-ORD. Basal area and height class distribution at forests level or site level (Bonjoge and Kobujoi) and diameter (dbh) class distribution for selected trees species were performed to evaluate population structure.
Furthermore importance value (IV) of woody plant species was calculated. SPSS version 16 was used to undertake both parametric (when data assume normal distribution) and nonparametric (when data are not assuming normal distribution) comparison of means, correlation and regression analysis.
In this study totally 321 vascular plant species comprising 92 families and 243 genera were identified in Nandi forests (both South and North Nandi forests). In South Nandi forest 253 plant species form 82 families and 201 genera were recorded while in North Nandi 181 species comprising 67 families and 155 genera were recorded. Jackknife second order estimators gave the highest species richness estimate for both South and North Nandi forests i.e. 284 and 209, respectively. In the case of highly disturbed and less disturbed parts of South Nandi forest 138 and 172 vascular plant species were recorded, respectively. Asteraceae, Rubiaceae and Euphorbiaceae are the top three species rich families of Nandi forests. In terms of different diversity measures (i.e. alpha and beta diversity, Fisher alpha, Shannon diversity and evenness indices) South Nandi is more diverse than North Nandi forest. Sörensen and Jaccard (classic) as well as their respective abundance based similarities showed that there is a low species similarity between South and Nandi forests. The cluster analysis resulted in three different plant communities and this result is supported by the ordination result.
South and North Nandi forest has inverted "J" height class distribution showing that larger proportion of woody plant individuals are found in the lower height classes. Similar pattern is observed when the diameters of all woody plants were considered together. However, different diameter class distributions (seven types) were identified when selected tree species were analyzed separately. It has been observed that the basal area of South Nandi forest is significantly lower than that of North Nandi forest (Mann-Whitney U =358, p < 0.001). Similarly Bonjoge has significantly lower basal area (t-value=3.77, p<0.01) than that of Kobujoi. Number of woody plat seedlings in South Nandi forest is significantly higher than that of North Nandi (Mann-Whitney U = 362.5, p<0.001). In the same way Bonjoge has significantly smaller number of ssedlings than Kobujoi (t-value 4.24, p<0.001). Most of species in both forests are able to resprout from stumps after physical damage; hence this helps the regeneration of the forests in addition to seedling banks. This study enables to fill some of the information gaps about Nandi forests especially of floristic composition, population structure, natural regeneration and human impacts on this ecosystem.
In this study the influence of soil moisture and soil type on the selected pests and diseases Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary, Fusarium graminearum Schwabe and F. culmorum (W.G. Smith) Saccardo, respectively, as well as the larvae of the most important Elateridae Agriotes lineatus Linnaeus, A. obscurus Linnaeus, A. sputator Linnaeus, A. sordidus Illiger and A. ustulatus Schaller (called wireworms) was characterized. The aim was to integrate soil modules in prediction models for agricultural and horticultural pests and diseases, to optimise the scheduling of disease controls, to detect periods of high-intensity attacks and to reduce the number of preventive treatments. The measurement of soil moisture is time intensive and additionally soil moisture is highly varying within small areas. Therefore this parameter did not have a high impact in the prediction models for agricultural and horticultural pests and diseases in the past. In this study the possibilities for a site-specific simulation of soil moisture was investigated. The soil moisture simulation model SIMPEL (HÖRMANN 1998) was adapted to agricultural conditions and the site-specific simulation of soil moisture was realised on the basis of radar measured precipitation data from the German Meteorological Service (DWD) and on interpolated weather data (ZEUNER 2007). The comparison of the simulated soil moisture data with the field measurements showed a highly significant correlation (Alpha = 0.01) and an average of 3.8 % differences. Therefore the site-specific simulation of soil moisture will be possible and can be included in the prediction models for agricultural and horticultural pests and diseases. The results of laboratory and field experiments as well as analyses on monitoring data showed, that the influence of soil parameters on the three selected pests and diseases varied. Whereas the investigations on the influence of soil moisture on P. infestans identified no clear correlation, considerable correlations between soil moisture and soil type on wireworms as well as F. graminearum and F. culmorum could be detected. For the prediction of the appearance of wireworms in the upper soil level in relation to soil moisture and soil type the simulation model SIMAGRIO-W was developed. The validation of the new model showed highly significant correlations between soil moisture and soil type on the appearance of wireworms. The influence of soil type on F. graminearum and F. culmorum was integrated in the existing prediction model FUS-OPT. A correlation between air cached spores of F. graminearum and simulation results from the modified model FUS-OPT showed a high significance in PEARSON test. The results of this study showed that the implementation of soil moisture and soil type in the prediction models for agricultural and horticultural pests and diseases can be realised. The developed and modified prediction models can be used by the Governmental Crop Protection Services in Germany through www.isip.de.