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We are using stable isotope ratios of the light elements hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen as universal tool for studying physical, chemical and biological processes in forests and other ecosystems. Due to natural isotope fractionations, environmental changes leave unique fingerprints in organic matter, like tree-rings. It is therefore possible to detect the influence of ongoing climate changes on plant physiology. By applying isotopically labelled substrate, matter fluxes through plants and soil can be traced and better understood.
We have isotope-Ratio mass-spectrometers and dedicated periphery for the analysis of organic matter, gas samples and water samples. With HPLC and GC we apply compound-specific isotope ratio analysis of sugars and organic acids.
Additional isotope mass-spectrometers are operated by the Zentrallabor WSL.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Contact
Dr. Matthias Saurer
scientific staff member, senior scientist
Dr. Marco Lehmann
scientific staff member
Publications
Walthert, L.; Ganthaler, A.; Mayr, S.; Saurer, M.; Waldner, P.; Walser, M.; Zweifel, R.; Von Arx, G., 2021: From the comfort zone to crown dieback: sequence of physiological stress thresholds in mature European beech trees across progressive drought. Science of the Total Environment, 753: 141792 (14 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141792
Lehmann, M.M.; Vitali, V.; Schuler, P.; Leuenberger, M.; Saurer, M., 2021: More than climate: Hydrogen isotope ratios in tree rings as novel plant physiological indicator for stress conditions. Dendrochronologia, 65: 125788 (5 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.dendro.2020.125788
Timofeeva, G.; Treydte, K.; Bugmann, H.; Salmon, Y.; Rigling, A.; Schaub, M.; Vollenweider, P.; Siegwolf, R.; Saurer, M., 2020: How does varying water supply affect oxygen isotope variations in needles and tree rings of Scots pine?. Tree Physiology, 40, 10: 1366-1380. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpaa082
Peters, R.L.; Miranda, J.C.; Schönbeck, L.; Nievergelt, D.; Fonti, M.V.; Saurer, M.; Stritih, A.; Fonti, P.; Wermelinger, B.; Von Arx, G.; Lehmann, M.M., 2020: Tree physiological monitoring of the 2018 larch budmoth outbreak: preference for leaf recovery and carbon storage over stem wood formation in Larix decidua. Tree Physiology, 40: 1697-1711. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpaa087
Battipaglia, G.; Awada, T.; Aus Der Au, R.; Innangi, M.; Saurer, M.; Cherubini, P., 2020: Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations outweighs effects of stand density in determining growth and water use efficiency in Pinus ponderosa of the semi-arid grasslands of Nebraska (U.S.A.). Global Ecology and Conservation, 24: e01274 (11 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01274
Sabella, E.; Moretti, S.; Gärtner, H.; Luvisi, A.; De Bellis, L.; Vergine, M.; Saurer, M.; Cherubini, P., 2020: Increase in ring width, vessel number and δ18O in olive trees infected with Xylella fastidiosa. Tree Physiology, 40, 11: 1583-1594. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpaa095
Churakova, O.V.; Fonti, M.V.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Saurer, M.; Myglan, V.S., 2020: Impact of recent climate change on water-use efficiency strategies of Larix sibirica in the Altai-Sayan mountain range. Forests, 11, 10: 1103 (11 pp.). doi: 10.3390/f11101103
Wang, A.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Joseph, J.; Thomas, F.M.; Werner, W.; Gessler, A.; Rigling, A.; Schaub, M.; Saurer, M.; Li, M.; Lehmann, M.M., 2020: Effects of soil moisture, needle age and leaf morphology on carbon and oxygen uptake, incorporation and allocation: a dual labeling approach with 13CO2 and H218O in foliage of a coniferous forest. Tree Physiology, (13 pp.). doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpaa114
Joseph, J.; Gao, D.; Backes, B.; Bloch, C.; Brunner, I.; Gleixner, G.; Haeni, M.; Hartmann, H.; Hoch, G.; Hug, C.; Kahmen, A.; Lehmann, M.M.; Li, M.; Luster, J.; Peter, M.; Poll, C.; Rigling, A.; Rissanen, K.A.; Ruehr, N.K.; ... Gessler, A., 2020: Rhizosphere activity in an old-growth forest reacts rapidly to changes in soil moisture and shapes whole-tree carbon allocation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America PNAS, 117, 40: 24885-24892. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2014084117
Lehmann, M.M.; Egli, M.; Brinkmann, N.; Werner, R.A.; Saurer, M.; Kahmen, A., 2020: Improving the extraction and purification of leaf and phloem sugars for oxygen isotope analyses. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 34, 19: e8854 (10 pp.). doi: 10.1002/rcm.8854
Churakova-Sidorova, O.V.; Lienert, S.; Timofeeva, G.; Siegwolf, R.; Roden, J.; Joos, F.; Saurer, M., 2020: Measured and modelled source water δ18O based on tree-ring cellulose of larch and pine trees from the permafrost zone. iForest, 13, 3: 224-229. doi: 10.3832/ifor3212-013
Churakova Sidorova, O.V.; Corona, C.; Fonti, M.V.; Guillet, S.; Saurer, M.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Stoffel, M.; Vaganov, E.A., 2020: Recent atmospheric drying in Siberia is not unprecedented over the last 1,500 years. Scientific Reports, 10: 15024 (8 pp.). doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-71656-w
Pandey, S.; Cherubini, P.; Saurer, M.; Carrer, M.; Petit, G., 2020: Effects of climate change on treeline trees in Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest, Central Himalaya). Journal of Vegetation Science, 31, 6: 1146-1155. doi: 10.1111/jvs.12921
Bose, A.K.; Gessler, A.; Bolte, A.; Bottero, A.; Buras, A.; Cailleret, M.; Camarero, J.J.; Haeni, M.; Hereş, A.; Hevia, A.; Lévesque, M.; Linares, J.C.; Martinez-Vilalta, J.; Matías, L.; Menzel, A.; Sánchez-Salguero, R.; Saurer, M.; Vennetier, M.; Ziche, D.; Rigling, A., 2020: Growth and resilience responses of Scots pine to extreme droughts across Europe depend on predrought growth conditions. Global Change Biology, 26, 8: 4521-4537. doi: 10.1111/gcb.15153
Miranda, J.C.; Rodríguez-Calcerrada, J.; Pita, P.; Saurer, M.; Oleksyn, J.; Gil, L., 2020: Carbohydrate dynamics in a resprouting species after severe aboveground perturbations. European Journal of Forest Research, 139: 841-852. doi: 10.1007/s10342-020-01288-2
Churakova (Sidorova), O.V.; Fonti, M.V.; Kirdyanov, A.V.; Myglan, V.S.; Barinov, V.V.; Sviderskaya, I.V.; Naumova, O.V.; Ovchinnikov, D.V.; Shashkin, A.V.; Saurer, M.; Guillet, S.; Corona, C.; Fonti, P.; Panyushkina, I.P.; Büntgen, U.; Hughes, M.K.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Stoffel, M.; Vaganov, E.A., 2020: Eco-physiological response of conifers from high-latitude and -altitude Eurasian regions to stratospheric volcanic eruptions. Journal of Siberian Federal University. Biology, 13, 1: 5-24. doi: 10.17516/1997-1389-0313
Kirdyanov, A.V.; Saurer, M.; Siegwolf, R.; Knorre, A.A.; Prokushkin, A.S.; Churakova (Sidorova), O.V.; Fonti, M.V.; Büntgen, U., 2020: Long-term ecological consequences of forest fires in the continuous permafrost zone of Siberia. Environmental Research Letters, 15, 3: 034061 (11 pp.). doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ab7469
Lehmann, M.M.; Goldsmith, G.R.; Mirande‐Ney, C.; Weigt, R.B.; Schönbeck, L.; Kahmen, A.; Gessler, A.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Saurer, M., 2020: The 18O‐signal transfer from water vapour to leaf water and assimilates varies among plant species and growth forms. Plant, Cell and Environment, 43, 2: 510-523. doi: 10.1111/pce.13682
Lehmann, M.M.; Ghiasi, S.; George, G.M.; Cormier, M.; Gessler, A.; Saurer, M.; Werner, R.A., 2019: Influence of starch deficiency on photosynthetic and post-photosynthetic carbon isotope fractionations. Journal of Experimental Botany, 70, 6: 1829-1841. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erz045
Shestakova, T.A.; Voltas, J.; Saurer, M.; Berninger, F.; Esper, J.; Andreu‐Hayles, L.; Daux, V.; Helle, G.; Leuenberger, M.; Loader, N.J.; Masson‐Delmotte, V.; Saracino, A.; Waterhouse, J.S.; Schleser, G.H.; Bednarz, Z.; Boettger, T.; Dorado‐Liñán, I.; Filot, M.; Frank, D.; ... Gutiérrez, E., 2019: Spatio‐temporal patterns of tree growth as related to carbon isotope fractionation in European forests under changing climate. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 28, 9: 1295-1309. doi: 10.1111/geb.12933
Leonelli, G.; Battipaglia, G.; Cherubini, P.; Saurer, M.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Maugeri, M.; Stenni, B.; Fumagalli, M.L.; Pelfini, M.; Maggi, V., 2019: Tree-ring δ18O from an Alpine catchment reveals changes in glacier stream water inputs between 1980 and 2010. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 51, 1: 250-264. doi: 10.1080/15230430.2019.1623607
Churakova (Sidorova), O.V.; Lehmann, M.M.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Saurer, M.; Fonti, M.V.; Schmid, L.; Timofeeva, G.; Rinne-Garmston, K.T.; Bigler, C., 2019: Compound-specific carbon isotope patterns in needles of conifer tree species from the Swiss National Park under recent climate change. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 139: 264-272. doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2019.03.016
Zalloni, E.; Battipaglia, G.; Cherubini, P.; Saurer, M.; De Micco, V., 2019: Wood growth in pure and mixed Quercus ilex L. forests: drought influence depends on site conditions. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10: 397 (14 pp.). doi: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00397
Awada, T.; Skolaut, K.; Battipaglia, G.; Saurer, M.; Riveros-Iregui, D.A.; Schapaugh, A.; Huddle, J.; Zhou, X.; Martin, D.; Cherubini, P., 2019: Tree-ring stable isotopes show different ecophysiological strategies in native and invasive woody species of a semiarid riparian ecosystem in the Great Plains of the United States. Ecohydrology, 12, 3: e2074 (13 pp.). doi: 10.1002/eco.2074
Churakova (Sidorova), O.V.; Fonti, M.V.; Saurer, M.; Guillet, S.; Corona, C.; Fonti, P.; Myglan, V.S.; Kirdyanov, A.V.; Naumova, O.V.; Ovchinnikov, D.V.; Shashkin, A.V.; Panyushkina, I.P.; Büntgen, U.; Hughes, M.K.; Vaganov, E.A.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Stoffel, M., 2019: Siberian tree-ring and stable isotope proxies as indicators of temperature and moisture changes after major stratospheric volcanic eruptions. Climate of the Past, 15, 2: 685-700. doi: 10.5194/cp-15-685-2019
Klesse, S.; Weigt, R.; Treydte, F.; Saurer, M.; Schmid, L.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Frank, D.C., 2018: Oxygen isotopes in tree rings are less sensitive to changes in tree size and relative canopy position than carbon isotopes. Plant, Cell and Environment, 41, 12: 2899-2914. doi: 10.1111/pce.13424
Zalloni, E.; Battipaglia, G.; Cherubini, P.; Saurer, M.; De Micco, V., 2018: Contrasting physiological responses to Mediterranean climate variability are revealed by intra-annual density fluctuations in tree rings of Quercus ilex L. and Pinus pinea L.. Tree Physiology, 38, 8: 1213-1224. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpy061
Churakova (Sidorova), O.V.; Lehmann, M.M.; Saurer, M.; Fonti, M.V.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Bigler, C., 2018: Compound-specific carbon isotopes and concentrations of carbohydrates and organic acids as indicators of tree decline in mountain pine. Forests, 9, 6: 363 (12 pp.). doi: 10.3390/f9060363
Aus der Au, R.; Awada, T.; Hiller, J.; Battipaglia, G.; Saurer, M.; Cherubini, P., 2018: Tree rings of Pinus ponderosa and Juniperus virginiana show different responses to stand density and water availability in the Nebraska grasslands. The American Midland Naturalist, 180, 1: 18-36. doi: 10.1674/0003-0031-180.1.18
Gessler, A.; Cailleret, M.; Joseph, J.; Schönbeck, L.; Schaub, M.; Lehmann, M.; Treydte, K.; Rigling, A.; Timofeeva, G.; Saurer, M., 2018: Drought induced tree mortality - a tree-ring isotope based conceptual model to assess mechanisms and predispositions. New Phytologist, 219, 2: 485-490. doi: 10.1111/nph.15154
Churakova (Sidorova), O.V.; Saurer, M.; Bryukhanova, M.; Siegwolf, R.; Bigler, C., 2018: Water-use strategies of conifer trees from the Swiss National Park to recent climatic changes. In: Bauch, K. (eds), 2018: Conference volume, 6th symposium for research in protected areas. 6th symposium for research in protected areas, Salzburg, Austria. 107-110.
Weigt, R.B.; Streit, K.; Saurer, M.; Siegwolf, R.T.W., 2018: The influence of increasing temperature and CO2 concentration on recent growth of old-growth larch: contrasting responses at leaf and stem processes derived from tree-ring width and stable isotopes. Tree Physiology, 38, 5: 706-720. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpx148
Lehmann, M.M.; Goldsmith, G.T.; Schmid, L.; Gessler, A.; Saurer, M.; Siegwolf, R.T.W., 2018: The effect of 18O-labelled water vapour on the oxygen isotope ratio of water and assimilates in plants at high humidity. New Phytologist, 217, 1: 105-116. doi: 10.1111/nph.14788
Shestakova, T.A.; Voltas, J.; Saurer, M.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Kirdyanov, A.V., 2017: Warming effects on Pinus sylvestris in the cold-dry Siberian forest-steppe: positive or negative balance of trade?. Forests, 8, 12: 490 (21 pp.). doi: 10.3390/f8120490
Blees, J.; Saurer, M.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Ulevicius, V.; Prevôt, A.S.H.; Dommen, J.; Lehmann, M.M., 2017: Oxygen isotope analysis of levoglucosan, a tracer of wood burning, in experimental and ambient aerosol samples. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 31, 24: 2101-2108. doi: 10.1002/rcm.8005
Timofeeva, G.; Treydte, K.; Bugmann, H.; Rigling, A.; Schaub, M.; Siegwolf, R.; Saurer, M., 2017: Long-term effects of drought on tree-ring growth and carbon isotope variability in Scots pine in a dry environment. Tree Physiology, 37, 8: 1028-1041. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpx041
Galiano, L.; Timofeeva, G.; Saurer, M.; Siegwolf, R.; Martínez-Vilalta, J.; Hommel, R.; Gessler, A., 2017: The fate of recently fixed carbon after drought release: towards unravelling C storage regulation in Tilia platyphyllos and Pinus sylvestris. Plant, Cell and Environment, 40, 9: 1711-1724. doi: 10.1111/pce.12972
Lehmann, M.M.; Gamarra, B.; Kahmen, A.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Saurer, M., 2017: Oxygen isotope fractionations across individual leaf carbohydrates in grass and tree species. Plant, Cell and Environment, 40, 8: 1658-1670. doi: 10.1111/pce.12974
Keller, K.M.; Lienert, S.; Bozbiyik, A.; Stocker, T.F.; Churakova (Sidorova), O.V.; Frank, D.C.; Klesse, S.; Koven, C.D.; Leuenberger, M.; Riley, W.J.; Saurer, M.; Siegwolf, R.; Weigt, R.B.; Joos, F., 2017: 20th century changes in carbon isotopes and water-use efficiency: tree-ring-based evaluation of the CLM4.5 and LPX-Bern models. Biogeosciences, 14, 10: 2641-2673. doi: 10.5194/bg-14-2641-2017
Petrucco, L.; Nardini, A.; Von Arx, G.; Saurer, M.; Cherubini, P., 2017: Isotope signals and anatomical features in tree rings suggest a role for hydraulic strategies in diffuse drought-induced die-back of Pinus nigra. Tree Physiology, 37: 523-535. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpx031
Bryukhanova, M.V.; Fonti, P.; Kirdyanov, A.V.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Saurer, M.; Pochebyt, N.P.; Churakova (Sidorova), O.V.; Prokushkin, A.S., 2015: The response of δ13C, δ18O and cell anatomy of Larix gmelinii tree rings to differing soil active layer depths. Dendrochronologia, 34: 51-59. doi: 10.1016/j.dendro.2015.05.002
Esper, J.; Konter, O.; Krusic, P.J.; Saurer, M.; Holzkämper, S.; Büntgen, U., 2015: Long-term summer temperature variations in the Pyrenees from detrended stable carbon isotopes. Geochronometria, 42, 1: 53-59. doi: 10.1515/geochr-2015-0006
Frank, D.C.; Poulter, B.; Saurer, M.; Esper, J.; Huntingford, C.; Helle, G.; Treydte, K.; Zimmermann, N.E.; Schleser, G.H.; Ahlström, A.; Ciais, P.; Friedlingstein, P.; Levis, S.; Lomas, M.; Sitch, S.; Viovy, N.; Andreu-Hayles, L.; Bednarz, Z.; Berninger, F.; ... Weigl, M., 2015: Water-use efficiency and transpiration across European forests during the Anthropocene. Nature Climate Change, 5, 6: 579-581. doi: 10.1038/nclimate2614
Lévesque, M.; Siegwolf, R.; Saurer, M.; Eilmann, B.; Rigling, A., 2014: Increased water-use efficiency does not lead to enhanced tree growth under xeric and mesic conditions. New Phytologist, 203, 1: 94-109. doi: 10.1111/nph.12772
Eilmann, B.; Buchmann, N.; Siegwolf, R.; Saurer, M.; Cherubini, P.; Rigling, A., 2010: Fast response of Scots pine to improved water availability reflected in tree-ring width and δ13C. Plant, Cell and Environment, 33, 8: 1351-1360. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3040.2010.02153.x
Saurer, M.; Cherubini, P.; Bonani, G.; Siegwolf, R., 2003: Tracing carbon uptake from a natural CO2 spring into tree rings: an isotope approach. Tree Physiology, 23, 14: 997-1004. doi: 10.1093/treephys/23.14.997
Rebetez, M.; Saurer, M.; Cherubini, P., 2003: To what extent can oxygen isotopes in tree rings and precipitation be used to reconstruct past atmospheric temperature? A case study. Climatic Change, 61, 1-2: 237-248. doi: 10.1023/A:1026369000246
Saurer, M.; Schweingruber, F.; Vaganov, E.A.; Shiyatov, S.G.; Siegwolf, R., 2002: Spatial and temporal oxygen isotope trends at the northern tree-line in Eurasia. Geophysical Research Letters, 29, 9: 1296 (4 pp.). doi: 10.1029/2001gl013739
Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Matyssek, R.; Saurer, M.; Maurer, S.; Günthardt-Goerg, M.s.; Schmutz, P.; Bucher, J.B., 2001: Stable isotope analysis reveals differential effects of soil nitrogen dioxide on the water use efficiency in hybrid poplar leaves. New Phytologist, 149, 2: 233-246. doi: 10.1046/j.1469-8137.2001.00032.x
Schleppi, P.; Bucher-Wallin, I.; Siegwolf, R.; Saurer, M.; Muller, N.; Bucher, J.B., 1999: Simulation of increased nitrogen deposition to a montane forest ecosystem: partitioning of the added 15N. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 116, 1-2: 129-134. doi: 10.1023/A:1005206927764
Bucher, J.B.; Tarjan, D.P.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Saurer, M.; Blum, H.; Hendrey, G.R., 1998: Growth of a deciduous tree seedling community in response to elevated CO2 and nutrient supply. Chemosphere, 36, 4–5: 777-782. doi: 10.1016/S0045-6535(97)10123-0
Saurer, M.; Borella, S.; Schweingruber, F.; Siegwolf, R., 1997: Stable carbon isotopes in tree rings of beech: climatic versus site-related influences. Trees: Structure and Function, 11, 5: 291-297. doi: 10.1007/s004680050087
Matyssek, R.; Günthardt-Goerg, M.S.; Schmutz, P.; Saurer, M.; Landolt, W.; Bucher, J.B., 1997: Response mechanisms of birch and poplar to air pollutants. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 6, 1-2: 3-22. doi: 10.1300/J091v06n01_02
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