Publikationen Kübert

• Originalarbeiten in wissenschaftlichen Fachzeitschriften

Originalarbeiten in wissenschaftlichen Fachzeitschriften

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2019

• Kuebert A, Goetz M, Kuester E, Piayda A, Rothfuss Y, Werner C, Dubbert M
  Nitrogen Loading Enhances Stress Impact of Drought on a Semi-natural Temperate Grassland
  2019 Front Plant Sci, Band: 10, Seiten: 1 - 16
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  Kurzfassung

  Two important threats to the sustainable functioning of seminatural grasslands in temperate zones are (1) nutrient loading due to agricultural fertilization and pollution, and (2) the increase of extreme drought events due to climate change. These threats may cause substantial shifts in species diversity and abundance and considerably affect the carbon and water balance of ecosystems. The synergistic effects between those two threats, however, can be complex and are poorly understood. Here, we experimentally investigated the effects of nitrogen addition and extreme drought (separately and in combination) on a seminatural temperate grassland, located in Freiburg (South Germany). To study the grassland response, we combined eddy-covariance techniques with open gas exchange systems. Open gas exchange chambers were connected to an infrared gas analyzer and water isotope spectrometer, which allowed the partitioning of net ecosystem exchange and evapotranspiration. Vegetation parameters were described by species richness, species abundance, and leaf area index. Our results suggest that grassland communities, strongly weakened in their stress response by nitrogen loading, can substantially lose their carbon sink function during drought. While nitrogen addition caused a significant loss in forb species (−25%), precipitation reduction promoted a strong dominance of grass species at season start. Consequently, the grass-dominated and species-poor community suffered from a strong above-ground dieback during the dry summer months, likely caused by lower water use efficiency and weaker drought adaptations of the species community. Over the growing season (April-September), the carbon sequestration of the studied grassland was reduced by more than 60% as a consequence of nitrogen addition. Nitrogen addition in combination with precipitation reduction decreased carbon sequestration by 73%. Eutrophication can severely threaten the resilient functioning of grasslands, in particular when drought periods will increase as predicted by future climate scenarios. Our findings emphasize the importance of preserving high diversity of grasslands to strengthen their resistance against extreme events such as droughts.

2017

• Dubbert M, Kübert A, Werner C
  Impact of leaf traits on temporal dynamics of transpired oxygen isotope signatures and its impact on atmospheric vapor
  2017 Front Plant Sci
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  Kurzfassung

  Oxygen isotope signatures of transpiration (δE) are powerful tracers of water movement from plant to global scale. However, a mechanistic understanding of how leaf morphological/ physiological traits effect δE is missing. A laser spectrometer was coupled to a leaf-level gas-exchange system to measure fluxes and isotopic signatures of plant transpiration under controlled conditions in seven distinct species (Fagus sylvatica, Pinus sylvestris, Acacia longifolia, Quercus suber, Coffea arabica, Plantago lanceolata, Oxalis triangularis). We analyzed the role of stomatal conductance (gs) and leaf water content (W) on the temporal dynamics of δE following changes in relative humidity (rH). Changes in rH were applied from 60 to 30 % and from 30 to 60 %, which is probably more than covering the maximum step changes occurring under natural conditions. Further, the impact of gs and W on isotopic non-steady state Isofluxes was analyzed. Following changes in rH, temporal development of δE was well described by a one-pool modelling approach for most species. Isofluxes of δE were dominantly driven by stomatal control on E, particularly for the initial period of 30 min following a step change. Hence, the deviation of isofluxes from isotopic steady state can be large, even though plants transpire near to isotopic steady state. Notably, not only transpiration rate and stomatal conductance, but also the leaf traits stomatal density (as a measure of gmax) and leaf water content are significantly related to the time constant (τ) and non-steady-state isofluxes. This might provide an easy-to-access means of a priori assumptions for the impact of isotopic non-steady-state transpiration in various ecosystems. We discuss the implications of our results from leaf to ecosystem scale.