Institution
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
Facility•Birmensdorf, Switzerland•
About: Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research is a facility organization based out in Birmensdorf, Switzerland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Climate change & Soil water. The organization has 1256 authors who have published 3222 publications receiving 161639 citations. The organization is also known as: WSL.
Topics: Climate change, Soil water, Geology, Biodiversity, Environmental science
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
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TL;DR: In this paper, a unique study based on extensive dataset aimed to reveal the spatiotemporal pattern of the disturbance history and role of the mixed severity disturbances in primary spruce mountain forest landscapes in the Ukrainian Carpathians.
80 citations
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TL;DR: This investigation investigated the possibility of enhancing phytoextraction of Cd by willows and poplars in association with three well known ectomycorrhizal fungi in connection with contaminated soil and found that P. involutus significantly enhanced the total Cd extraction by P. canadensis.
Abstract: Phytoextraction has been proposed in recent years as an environmentally and cost-efficient treatment technique for the remediation of heavy-metal contaminated sites. In particular, plants that are fast growing, metal accumulating, and economically interesting, such as sunflowers or trees, recently became more important in research on phytoextraction. Heavy metal uptake of trees can be strongly influenced by ectomycorrhizal fungi. We investigated the possibility of enhancing phytoextraction of Cd by willows (Salix viminalis) and poplars (Populus canadensis) in association with three well known ectomycorrhizal fungi (Hebeloma crustuliniforme, Paxillus involutus and Pisolithus tinctorius). A pot experiment was conducted using Cd polluted soil from a contaminated site. Four replicates of each combination of fungus and tree species, and controls without fungal inoculum, were set up. After a growth period of 11 weeks, yields and Cd concentrations in roots, stems, and leaves were measured. In addition, the total Cd uptake, the transfer to roots, and the translocation to stems and leaves were calculated. The association of P. canadensis with P. involutus led to a highly significant increase of Cd concentrations, in particular in the leaves, which contained 2.74 ± 0.34 mg Cd per kg dry matter. Compared to the control this is an enhancement of nearly 100%. The fungi also significantly enhanced the translocation from the roots to the leaves, leading to a concentration ratio (leaves/roots) of 0.32 ± 0.06 compared to 0.20 ± 0.02 of the control plants. Additionally, P. involutus significantly enhanced the total Cd extraction by P. canadensis. Similar effects were not observed by other fungi or in association with S. viminalis.
80 citations
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University of Barcelona1, Autonomous University of Barcelona2, University of Helsinki3, University of Utah4, World Agroforestry Centre5, Oklahoma State University–Stillwater6, ETH Zurich7, Smith College8, Spanish National Research Council9, University of Basilicata10, University of Colorado Boulder11, United States Department of Agriculture12, University of California, Berkeley13, California State University, Bakersfield14, Humboldt State University15, National University of Comahue16, National Scientific and Technical Research Council17, Pablo de Olavide University18, United States Forest Service19, Murdoch University20, Natural Resources Canada21, University of Córdoba (Spain)22, Colorado State University23, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research24, University of Valladolid25, University of Stirling26, Université catholique de Louvain27, La Trobe University28
TL;DR: It is shown that tree mortality concomitant with drought has led to short-term vegetation-type conversion in multiple biomes across the world (131 sites), with early change in community composition indicating that forests dominated by mesic species generally shifted toward more xeric communities, with replacing tree and shrub species exhibiting drier bioclimatic optima and distribution ranges.
Abstract: Forest vulnerability to drought is expected to increase under anthropogenic climate change, and drought-induced mortality and community dynamics following drought have major ecological and societal impacts. Here, we show that tree mortality concomitant with drought has led to short-term (mean 5 y, range 1 to 23 y after mortality) vegetation-type conversion in multiple biomes across the world (131 sites). Self-replacement of the dominant tree species was only prevalent in 21% of the examined cases and forests and woodlands shifted to nonwoody vegetation in 10% of them. The ultimate temporal persistence of such changes remains unknown but, given the key role of biological legacies in long-term ecological succession, this emerging picture of postdrought ecological trajectories highlights the potential for major ecosystem reorganization in the coming decades. Community changes were less pronounced under wetter postmortality conditions. Replacement was also influenced by management intensity, and postdrought shrub dominance was higher when pathogens acted as codrivers of tree mortality. Early change in community composition indicates that forests dominated by mesic species generally shifted toward more xeric communities, with replacing tree and shrub species exhibiting drier bioclimatic optima and distribution ranges. However, shifts toward more mesic communities also occurred and multiple pathways of forest replacement were observed for some species. Drought characteristics, species-specific environmental preferences, plant traits, and ecosystem legacies govern postdrought species turnover and subsequent ecological trajectories, with potential far-reaching implications for forest biodiversity and ecosystem services.
79 citations
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TL;DR: Climate is a stronger filter for plant communities than for butterfly and bird communities, which are more affected by vegetation structure, probably owing to associated resources and niches.
Abstract: Aim
The aim was to investigate the relationship between climate, topography and soil pH, as well as vegetation structure and the beta diversity of plants, butterflies and birds; and to investigate the correlations of (woody) plant beta diversity with animal beta diversity.
Location
Switzerland (central Europe).
Methods
We used pairwise Sorensen dissimilarity as measure of total beta diversity and partitioned it into its turnover and nestedness components. Variation partitioning was used to assess the independent and cumulative effects of environmental predictors, with vegetation structure being derived from airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. We also checked for independent effects of plant and woody plant beta diversity on butterfly and bird beta diversity, respectively, and for independent effects of spatial distance on beta diversity.
Results
Climate emerged as the strongest statistical predictor of beta diversity across taxonomic groups, with large independent effects on species turnover. Climate effects were most pronounced for plants, followed by butterflies and birds. We also found large independent effects of vegetation structure on total beta diversity and its turnover component across taxonomic groups, particularly for birds. Plant and woody plant beta diversity substantially improved the predictions of butterfly and bird beta diversity, respectively. Spatial distance had hardly any independent effect on beta diversity.
Main conclusions
Climate is a stronger filter for plant communities than for butterfly and bird communities, which are more affected by vegetation structure, probably owing to associated resources and niches. Vegetation structure is a crucial predictor of beta diversity, and therefore contiguous and detailed 3-D habitat structure data are highly relevant to further our understanding of niche-based community assembly. Plant and animal beta diversity appear to be non-independent, suggesting that differences in the response times of interacting taxa should be accounted for in environmental change impact assessments on biodiversity.
79 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the red wood ant (RWA; Formica rufa group) impacts on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling in forest ecosystems were investigated.
Abstract: Little information is available regarding red wood ant (RWA; Formica rufa group) impacts on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling in forest ecosystems. We found that RWA mound density (number per ha) was linked to forest tree species composition, slope aspect, and canopy closure. The size of RWA mounds was positively correlated with successional age of the stands. C and N concentrations of mound material were significantly higher than in the forest floor, while C:N ratios were not. RWA mound C and N pools were found to be significantly lower (≤990 kg C/ha and ≤21 kg N/ha) than in the forest floor. RWA mounds were “hot spots” for CO2 emissions ranging from 12.4 (mid July) to 3.5 (early September) times higher than the adjacent forest floor. Overall, they contributed 0.7– 2.5% to total forest soil CO2 emissions. Consequently, the contribution of RWA to total forest soil C and N pools and forest CO2 emission is minor and likely not important when calculating or modeling C and N pools or C fluxes. Yet, RWA...
79 citations
Authors
Showing all 1333 results
Name | H-index | Papers | Citations |
---|---|---|---|
Peter H. Verburg | 107 | 464 | 34254 |
Bernhard Schmid | 103 | 460 | 46419 |
Christian Körner | 103 | 376 | 39637 |
André S. H. Prévôt | 90 | 511 | 38599 |
Fortunat Joos | 87 | 276 | 36951 |
Niklaus E. Zimmermann | 80 | 277 | 39364 |
Robert Huber | 78 | 311 | 25131 |
David Frank | 78 | 186 | 18624 |
Jan Esper | 75 | 254 | 19280 |
James W. Kirchner | 73 | 238 | 21958 |
David B. Roy | 70 | 250 | 26241 |
Emmanuel Frossard | 68 | 356 | 15281 |
Derek Eamus | 67 | 285 | 17317 |
Benjamin Poulter | 66 | 255 | 22519 |
Ulf Büntgen | 65 | 316 | 15876 |