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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University of Minnesota1, Utah State University2, Iowa State University3, University of Oldenburg4, University of Guelph5, Lancaster University6, University of Washington7, University of Queensland8, Lanzhou University9, University of New Mexico10, Spanish National Research Council11, University of Wisconsin-Madison12, University of Colorado Boulder13, United States Department of Agriculture14, Queensland University of Technology15, University of Maryland, College Park16, Colorado State University17, University of Nebraska–Lincoln18, University of California, Berkeley19, Southwest Forestry University20, University of Kentucky21, University of Melbourne22, Oregon State University23, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation24, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research25, National Centre for Biological Sciences26, University of Oxford27
TL;DR: This paper analyzed diversity-stability relationships from 41 grasslands on five continents and examined how these relationships are affected by chronic fertilization, one of the strongest drivers of species loss globally.
Abstract: Studies of experimental grassland communities have demonstrated that plant diversity can stabilize productivity through species asynchrony, in which decreases in the biomass of some species are compensated for by increases in others. However, it remains unknown whether these findings are relevant to natural ecosystems, especially those for which species diversity is threatened by anthropogenic global change. Here we analyse diversity-stability relationships from 41 grasslands on five continents and examine how these relationships are affected by chronic fertilization, one of the strongest drivers of species loss globally. Unmanipulated communities with more species had greater species asynchrony, resulting in more stable biomass production, generalizing a result from biodiversity experiments to real-world grasslands. However, fertilization weakened the positive effect of diversity on stability. Contrary to expectations, this was not due to species loss after eutrophication but rather to an increase in the temporal variation of productivity in combination with a decrease in species asynchrony in diverse communities. Our results demonstrate separate and synergistic effects of diversity and eutrophication on stability, emphasizing the need to understand how drivers of global change interactively affect the reliable provisioning of ecosystem services in real-world systems.
369 citations
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ETH Zurich1, University of Ulm2, Vrije Universiteit Brussel3, Royal Museum for Central Africa4, University of Coimbra5, University of Helsinki6, University of Victoria7, University of Innsbruck8, University of Milan9, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague10, Spanish National Research Council11, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research12, Institut national de la recherche agronomique13, Laval University14, University of Ljubljana15, United States Geological Survey16, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev17, Center for International Forestry Research18, Technical University of Berlin19, Dresden University of Technology20, University of Kansas21, University of Arkansas22, Max Planck Society23, National Museum of Natural History24, Desert Botanical Garden25, Humboldt State University26, Sukachev Institute of Forest27, National Scientific and Technical Research Council28, National University of Comahue29, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center30, Wageningen University and Research Centre31, Naturalis32, Pablo de Olavide University33, Autonomous University of Barcelona34, University of Lisbon35, Mediterranean University36, University of Western Sydney37, Technical University of Madrid38, University of Debrecen39, Natural Resources Canada40, American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute41, University of Patras42, Open University of Cyprus43, University of Cyprus44, University of Colorado Boulder45, Northern Arizona University46, University of Novi Sad47, European Forest Institute48, Estonian University of Life Sciences49, University of Alberta50, University of Minnesota51, University of Forestry, Sofia52
TL;DR: The results imply that growth-based mortality algorithms may be a powerful tool for predicting gymnosperm mortality induced by chronic stress, but not necessarily so for angiosperms and in case of intense drought or bark-beetle outbreaks.
Abstract: Tree mortality is a key factor influencing forest functions and dynamics, but our understanding of the mechanisms
leading to mortality and the associated changes in tree growth rates are still limited. We compiled a new pan-conti-
nental tree-ring width database from sites where both dead and living trees were sampled (2970 dead and 4224 living
trees from 190 sites, including 36 species), and compared early and recent growth rates between trees that died and
those that survived a given mortality event. We observed a decrease in radial growth before death in ca. 84% of the
mortality events. The extent and duration of these reductions were highly variable (1–100 years in 96% of events) due
to the complex interactions among study species and the source(s) of mortality. Strong and long-lasting declines were
found for gymnosperms, shade- and drought-tolerant species, and trees that died from competition. Angiosperms
and trees that died due to biotic attacks (especially bark-beetles) typically showed relatively small and short-term
growth reductions. Our analysis did not highlight any universal trade-off between early growth and tree longevity
within a species, although this result may also reflect high variability in sampling design among sites. The intersite
and interspecific variability in growth patterns before mortality provides valuable information on the nature of the
mortality process, which is consistent with our understanding of the physiological mechanisms leading to mortality.
Abrupt changes in growth immediately before death can be associated with generalized hydraulic failure and/or
bark-beetle attack, while long-term decrease in growth may be associated with a gradual decline in hydraulic performance coupled with depletion in carbon reserves. Our results imply that growth-based mortality algorithms may be
a powerful tool for predicting gymnosperm mortality induced by chronic stress, but not necessarily so for angiosperms and in case of intense drought or bark-beetle outbreaks.
367 citations
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James Cook University1, University of Antwerp2, University of Sydney3, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research4, University of Tasmania5, Technical University of Denmark6, Agricultural Research Service7, Texas A&M University8, Purdue University9, North Carolina State University10, ETH Zurich11, University of Basel12, University of Oklahoma13, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences14, Duke University15, Tuscia University16, Wageningen University and Research Centre17
TL;DR: Because single factor CO2 responses often dominated over warming responses in the combined treatments, the results suggest that projected responses to future global warming in Earth System models should not be parameterized using single factor warming experiments.
Abstract: In recent years, increased awareness of the potential interactions between rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([ CO2 ]) and temperature has illustrated the importance of multifactorial ecosystem manipulation experiments for validating Earth System models. To address the urgent need for increased understanding of responses in multifactorial experiments, this article synthesizes how ecosystem productivity and soil processes respond to combined warming and [ CO2 ] manipulation, and compares it with those obtained in single factor [ CO2 ] and temperature manipulation experiments. Across all combined elevated [ CO2 ] and warming experiments, biomass production and soil respiration were typically enhanced. Responses to the combined treatment were more similar to those in the [ CO2 ]-only treatment than to those in the warming-only treatment. In contrast to warming-only experiments, both the combined and the [ CO2 ]-only treatments elicited larger stimulation of fine root biomass than of aboveground biomass, consistently stimulated soil respiration, and decreased foliar nitrogen (N) concentration. Nonetheless, mineral N availability declined less in the combined treatment than in the [ CO2 ]-only treatment, possibly due to the warming-induced acceleration of decomposition, implying that progressive nitrogen limitation (PNL) may not occur as commonly as anticipated from single factor [ CO2 ] treatment studies. Responses of total plant biomass, especially of aboveground biomass, revealed antagonistic interactions between elevated [ CO2 ] and warming, i.e. the response to the combined treatment was usually less-than-additive. This implies that productivity projections might be overestimated when models are parameterized based on single factor responses. Our results highlight the need for more (and especially more long-term) multifactor manipulation experiments. Because single factor CO2 responses often dominated over warming responses in the combined treatments, our results also suggest that projected responses to future global warming in Earth System models should not be parameterized using single factor warming experiments.
364 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a conceptual model, the "mosaic concept", which mainly depends on structural parameters such as habitat diversity and landscape heterogeneity, and functionally on metacommunity dynamics.
364 citations
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University of Geneva1, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research2, ETH Zurich3, Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate4, International Centre for Theoretical Physics5, University of Fribourg6, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne7, Spanish National Research Council8, University of the Balearic Islands9, Centre national de la recherche scientifique10, University of Innsbruck11
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide an overview on the current knowledge on snow, glacier, and permafrost processes, as well as their past, current, and future evolution.
Abstract: . The mountain cryosphere of mainland Europe is recognized to have important impacts on a range of environmental processes. In this paper, we provide an overview on the current knowledge on snow, glacier, and permafrost processes, as well as their past, current, and future evolution. We additionally provide an assessment of current cryosphere research in Europe and point to the different domains requiring further research. Emphasis is given to our understanding of climate–cryosphere interactions, cryosphere controls on physical and biological mountain systems, and related impacts. By the end of the century, Europe's mountain cryosphere will have changed to an extent that will impact the landscape, the hydrological regimes, the water resources, and the infrastructure. The impacts will not remain confined to the mountain area but also affect the downstream lowlands, entailing a wide range of socioeconomical consequences. European mountains will have a completely different visual appearance, in which low- and mid-range-altitude glaciers will have disappeared and even large valley glaciers will have experienced significant retreat and mass loss. Due to increased air temperatures and related shifts from solid to liquid precipitation, seasonal snow lines will be found at much higher altitudes, and the snow season will be much shorter than today. These changes in snow and ice melt will cause a shift in the timing of discharge maxima, as well as a transition of runoff regimes from glacial to nival and from nival to pluvial. This will entail significant impacts on the seasonality of high-altitude water availability, with consequences for water storage and management in reservoirs for drinking water, irrigation, and hydropower production. Whereas an upward shift of the tree line and expansion of vegetation can be expected into current periglacial areas, the disappearance of permafrost at lower altitudes and its warming at higher elevations will likely result in mass movements and process chains beyond historical experience. Future cryospheric research has the responsibility not only to foster awareness of these expected changes and to develop targeted strategies to precisely quantify their magnitude and rate of occurrence but also to help in the development of approaches to adapt to these changes and to mitigate their consequences. Major joint efforts are required in the domain of cryospheric monitoring, which will require coordination in terms of data availability and quality. In particular, we recognize the quantification of high-altitude precipitation as a key source of uncertainty in projections of future changes. Improvements in numerical modeling and a better understanding of process chains affecting high-altitude mass movements are the two further fields that – in our view – future cryospheric research should focus on.
363 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 |