FOSTER-funding for student research

We are pleased to announce that Jennifer Christ, a student in the Master of Forest Sciences, has received funding for her project on the simulation of the plasticity of the hydraulic conductivity of trees within the framework of the FOSTER funding program from the TU Dresden.

She will work on the project as a WHK from May 2023 to March 2024 and attend the Society for Ecology meeting in Leipzig in September 2023. Her supervisor at the Chair of Forest Biometrics and Systems Analysis is Dr. Martin Zwanzig.

Abstract

Climate change has multiple impacts on humans and nature. The effects on ecosystems and their functionality cannot yet be predicted with sufficient certainty due to their usually high complexity. Forests are of particular importance, as they can absorb large amounts of atmospheric carbon and fix it for a longer period of time. However, due to the increasing droughts caused by climate change, the mitigating effect of forests is endangered. As drought stress can lead to reduced growth and ultimately increased mortality, trees absorb less CO₂ or even emit it.

This project will simulate the plasticity of hydraulic conductivity under varying environmental conditions. Hydraulic conductivity is an important component of the hydraulic system of trees and is itself also influenced by environmental conditions. To investigate this interplay in more detail, an existing single tree model ('BETTINA') will be adapted. There, hydraulic conductivity will no longer be considered as rigid, but as a dynamic state changing with environmental conditions and the growth of the single tree. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the ontogeny and adaptation strategies of trees to water-limited conditions.

© JC & MZ

FOSTER is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Freestate of Saxony under the Excellence Strategy of the Federal Government and the Länder.