Roman Link

Im Zentrum meiner wissenschaftlichen Arbeit steht die Ökophysiologie des Wassertransports von Pflanzen, mit speziellem Fokus auf den Effekt von Trockenheitsereignissen auf den Gesundheitszustand und das Überleben von Bäumen. Hierbei verfolge ich einen mechanistischen, prozessbasierten Ansatz, der die vielfältigen Anpassungen von Pflanzen zur Regulation des Wasserhaushalts und zum Umgang mit Trockenheit in einem in sich geschlossenen Konzept vereint und die physikalischen Vorgänge in den Mittelpunkt rückt, die trockenheitsbedingter Baum-Mortalität zugrunde liegen. Ein besonderer Fokus meiner Arbeit liegt dabei auf der Optimierung bestehender und der Entwicklung neuer Messansätze sowie der Entwicklung verbesserter Wege der Auswertung der daraus resultierenden Daten mit modernen statistischen Methoden.

Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt meiner Arbeit ist die Ökologie tropischer Wälder, mit denen ich mich seit meiner Bachelorarbeit beschäftige und die ich in Feldstudien während diverser Auslandsaufenthalte in Ecuador und Costa Rica kennen lernen durfte.

Publikationen

Rieder JS, Link RM, Köthe K, Seidel D, Ullmann T, Žmegač A, Zang C, Schuldt B. 2024. TreeCompR: Tree competition indices for inventory data and 3D point clouds (preprint). biorXiv: 2024.03.23.586379.

Pierick K, Leuschner C, Link RM, Báez S, Velescu A, Wilcke W, Homeier J. 2024. Above- and belowground strategies of tropical montane tree species are coordinated and driven by small-scale nitrogen availability. Functional Ecology n/a.

Kurjak D, Petrík P, Konôpková AS, Link RM, Gömöry D, Hajek P, Liesebach M, Leuschner C, Schuldt B. 2024. Inter-provenance variability and phenotypic plasticity of wood and leaf traits related to hydraulic safety and efficiency in seven European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) provenances differing in yield. Annals of Forest Science 81: 11.

von Lampe F, Link RM, Bergmeier E. 2023. How gradients of climate and soil determine Mediterranean annual-rich dryland vegetation. Journal of Vegetation Science 34:e13214.

Paligi  SS, Link RM, Isasa E, Bittencourt P, Cabral JS, Jansen S, Oliveira RS, Pereira L, Schuldt B. 2023. Assessing the agreement between the pneumatic and the flow‐centrifuge method for estimating xylem safety in temperate diffuse‐porous tree species. Plant Biology: n/a.

Isasa E, Link RM, Jansen S, Tezeh FR, Kaack L, Sarmento Cabral J, Schuldt B. 2023. Addressing controversies in the xylem embolism resistance – vessel diameter relationship. New Phytologist: nph.18731. 

Gattmann M, McAdam SAM, Birami B, Link RM, Nadal-Sala D, Schuldt B, Yakir D, Ruehr NK. 2022. Anatomical adjustments of the tree hydraulic pathway decrease canopy conductance under long-term elevated CO2. Plant Physiology: kiac482.

Kahmen A, Basler D, Hoch G, Link RM, Schuldt B, Zahnd C, Arend M. 2022. Root water uptake determines the hydraulic vulnerability of temperate European tree species during the extreme 2018 drought. Plant Biology: n/a.

Pierick K, Link RM, Leuschner C, Homeier J. 2022. Elevational trends of tree fine root traits in species-rich tropical Andean forests. OIKOS: e08975.

Kotowska MM, Samhita S, Hertel D, Triadati T, Beyer F, Allen K, Link RM, Leuschner C. 2022. Consequences of tropical rainforest conversion to tree plantations on fine root dynamics and functional traits. OIKOS: e08898.

Arend M, Link RM, Zahnd C, Hoch G, Schuldt B, Kahmen A. 2022. Lack of hydraulic recovery as a cause of post-drought foliage reduction and canopy decline in European beech. New Phytologist 234: 1195–1205.

Hajek P, Link RM, Nock CA, Bauhus J, Gebauer T, Gessler A, Kovach K,Messier C, Paquette A, Saurer M, et al. 2022. Mutually inclusive mechanisms of drought-induced tree mortality. Global Change Biology 28: 3365–3378.

Ramesha MN, Link RM, Paligi SS, Hertel D, Röll A, Hölscher D, Schuldt B. 2022. Variability in growth-determining hydraulic wood and leaf traits in Melia dubia across a steep water availability gradient in southern India. Forest Ecology and Management 505: 119875.

Weithmann G, Link RM, Banzragch B-E, Würzberg L, Leuschner C, Schuldt B. 2022. Soil water availability and branch age explain variability in xylem safety of European beech in Central Europe. Oecologia 198: 629-644.

Arend M, Link RM, Patthey R, Hoch G, Schuldt B, Kahmen A. 2021. Rapid hydraulic collapse as cause of drought-induced mortality in conifers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118: e2025251118.

Fuchs S, Leuschner C, Link RM, Schuldt B. 2021. Hydraulic variability of three temperate broadleaf tree species along a water availability gradient in central Europe. New Phytologist 231: 1387–1400.

Hartmann H, Link RM, Schuldt B. 2021. A whole-plant perspective of isohydry: stem-level support for leaf-level plant water regulation. Tree Physiology 41: 901–905.

Paligi SS, Link RM, Isasa E, Bittencourt P, Cabral JS, Jansen S, Oliveira RS, Pereira L, Schuldt B. 2021. Accuracy of the pneumatic method for estimating xylem vulnerability to embolism in temperate diffuse-porous tree species (Pre-Print). BiorXiv. DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.15.431295

Röll A, Ramesha MN, Link RM, Hertel D, Schuldt B, Patil SL, Hölscher D. 2021. Water Availability Controls the Biomass Increment of Melia dubia in South India. Forests 12: 1675.

Weithmann G, Schuldt B, Link RM, Heil D, Hoeber S, John H, Müller-Haubold H, Schüller L-M, Schumann K, Leuschner C. 2021. Leaf trait modification in European beech trees in response to climatic and edaphic drought. Plant Biology n/a.

Zimmermann J, Link RM, Hauck M, Leuschner C, Schuldt B. 2021. 60-year record of stem xylem anatomy and related hydraulic modification under increased summer drought in ring- and diffuse-porous temperate broad-leaved tree species. Trees 35: 919–937.

Link RM, Fuchs S, Arias Aguilar D, Leuschner C, Castillo Ugalde M, Valverde Otarola JC, Schuldt B. 2020. Tree height predicts the shape of radial sap flow profiles of Costa-Rican tropical dry forest tree species. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 287: 107913.

Li S, Li X, Link RM, Li R, Deng L, Schuldt B, Jiang X, Zhao R, Zheng J, Li S, et al. 2019. Influence of Cambial Age and Axial Height on the Spatial Patterns of Xylem Traits in Catalpa bungei, a Ring-Porous Tree Species Native to China. Forests 10: 662.

Link RM, Schuldt B, Choat B, Jansen S, Cobb AR. 2018. Maximum-likelihood estimation of xylem vessel length distributions. Journal of Theoretical Biology 455: 329–341.

Fuchs S, Leuschner C, Link RM, Coners H, Schuldt B. 2017. Calibration and comparison of thermal dissipation, heat ratio and heat field deformation sap flow probes for diffuse-porous trees. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 244–245: 151–161.

Vorträge

9/2022 5^th Xylem International Meeting, Würzburg, Germany. Link RM, Hajek P, Nock CA, Bauhus J, Gebauer T, Gessler A, Kovach K, Messier C, Paquette A, Saurer M, et al. 2022. Mutually inclusive mechanisms of drought-induced tree mortality.

9/2021 International Online Meeting on Plant Pneumatics. Paligi SP, Link RM, Isasa M, Bittencourt P, Sarmento Cabral J, Jansen S, Oliveira R, Pereira L, Schuldt B. Accuracy of the pneumatic method for estimating xylem vulnerability to embolism in temperate diffuse-porous tree species.

9/2019 4^th Xylem International Meeting, Padua, Italy. Link RM, Schuldt B, Choat B, Jansen S, Cobb AR. Estimating xylem vessel length distributions.

9/2019 Annual Meeting of the GfÖ, Münster, Germany. Link RM, Hartmann H, Arias Aguilar D, Valverde Otarola JC, Castillo Ugalde M, Schuldt B. Size, not wood properties, predicts the productivity of Costa Rican tropical forest trees along a lowland precipitation gradient.

3/2018 European Conference of Tropical Ecology, Paris, France. Link RM, Delzon S, Leuschner C, Arias Aguilar D, Valverde Otarola JC, Castillo Ugalde M, Schuldt B. Do structural, functional and wood anatomical traits predict drought responses of Costa Rican tropical forest tree species?

Poster

9/2023 Annual meeting of the GfÖ, Leipzig, Germany. Link RM, Hajek P, Nock CA, Bauhus J, Gebauer T, Gessler A, Kovach K, Messier C, Paquette A, Saurer M, et al. 2022. Neighborhood effects on drought-induced tree mortality.

7/2022 New Phytologist next generation scientists meeting, Tartu, Estonia. Link RM, Hajek P, Nock CA, Bauhus J, Gebauer T, Gessler A, Kovach K, Messier C, Paquette A, Saurer M, et al. Mutually inclusive mechanisms of drought-induced tree mortality.

12/2017 Jount Annual Meeting of the BES, GfÖ, NECOV & EEF, Ghent, Belgium. Link RM, Fuchs S, Arias Aguilar D, Valverde Otarola JC, Schuldt B. Tree height and wood density predict the shape of radial sap flow profiles in tropical dry forest species in Costa Rica.

2/2014 Annual Conference of the German Society of Tropical Ecology (gtö), Freising, Germany. Link RM & Homeier J. Small-scale spatial distribution of Piperaceae and Rubiaceae in a tropical montane ecosystem in southern Ecuador.

2/2011 Annual Conference of the German Society of Tropical Ecology (gtö), Frankfurt, Germany. Link RM, Cumbicus N, Valentin A, Homeier J. The variation of biomass and productivity along gradients of topography and elevation in the Andes of Southern Ecuador.

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.de/citations?user=MF4v9YEAAAAJ&hl=de
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Roman-Link
Github: http://github.com/r-link