Dr. Matthias Saurer
Function
scientific staff member, senior scientist
Contact
Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
Zürcherstrasse 111
8903 Birmensdorf
Site
Birmensdorf Bi HL D 35
My main research interest is the application of stable isotopes in ecological and climatic studies. This technique is very versatile and helps to improve our understanding of plant-climate interaction and physiological responses to environmental factors.
More on info on our lab
Positions
- 1994 - 2016
Paul Scherrer Institute, Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry - 2017 -
WSL Birmensdorf
Projects
- SNF "Compound-specific dual-isotope anaylsis for the anaylsis plant responses to environmental changes"
- SBF-COST "The relationship between stable isotopes, water-use efficiency and tree mortality under drought"
FURTHER INFORMATION
Publications WSL
Scientific publication article peer reviewed
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
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
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-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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.; 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.; 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Further scientific publications
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.