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Arthur Gessler

@arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social

4.1K followers 6.8K following 340 posts

#Ecosystem Science and Impacts of #Climate Change; #Forest #Ecology; #Biodiversity. | Ecosystem Ecology group at @wslresearch.bsky.social | | Professor at @usyseth.bsky.social | | Head of the @SwissForestLab.bsky.social | .. more

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · Jan 18

The earth gets drier and warmer, and #megadroughts have been increasing for 40 years and will do so in the future. Substantial negative impacts on #water supply, #agriculture and all #ecosystem services are to be expected. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Global increase in the occurrence and impact of multiyear droughts

Persistent multiyear drought (MYD) events pose a growing threat to nature and humans in a changing climate. We identified and inventoried global MYDs by detecting spatiotemporally contiguous climatic ...

www.science.org

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · 3d

Nighttime Warming Enhances Tree Growth in Temperate Tree Species

Moderate night warming (+2°C) enhances radial growth via faster cell expansion, but daytime(night +4°C) warming weakens benefits. Ring-porous, arbuscular mycorrhizal and isohydric species show heig...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · 4d

Rooting for function: community‐level fine‐root traits relate to many ecosystem functions

Humans are driving biodiversity change, which also alters community functional traits. However, how changes in the functional traits of the community alter ecosystem functions—especially belowground...

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Arthur Geßler

Ali Raza @aliraza6.bsky.social · 7d

Excited to share our review is on the Cover of @cp-trendsplantsci.bsky.social (Vol 30, Issue 10)🤩🎉😍

👉 #Panomics to manage combined #abiotic stresses in plants

🔗 www.cell.com/trends/plant...

Congratulations to all authors @agbioworld.bsky.social👏

@plantteaching.bsky.social @cellpress.bsky.social

In this work, together with my wonderful co-authors (Yiran Li, Channapatna Prakash, and Zhangli Hu), we discuss how climate change-driven combined abiotic stresses threaten global crop productivity, and how panomics, AI-driven breeding, single-cell omics, and advanced phenotyping can guide the way for stress-smart crops of the future🌱

🔑 𝙆𝙚𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨:

Panomics + AI = unlocking novel molecular targets & pathways

Field-level validation + spatial/single-cell omics for real-world solutions

Synthetic biology and epigenome editing as next-gen breeding strategies

Crop wild relatives as hidden reservoirs of resilience

Designing "genetic circuits" and "full-gene packages" for enhanced tolerance

Ultimately, we propose panomics as a “social insurance” for crops, equipping them to withstand real-world stress combinations and secure sustainable agriculture in a changing climate 🌍✨

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · 8d

Effects of Soil and Atmospheric Drought on Intra-Annual δ13C Patterns in Tree Rings https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpaf120

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Reposted by Francis Martin

Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · 8d

New research reveals how to better monitor tree #drought #stress! We combined remote sensing data (greenness & photoprotection indicators) with leaf water potential measurements to track drought impacts across different tree species.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Deciphering tree drought responses across species: linking leaf water potentials with remote sensing greenness and photoprotection dynamics

Monitoring forest drought stress requires indicators that capture tree water relations across species and scales. Remote sensing enables large-scale a…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · 10d

Want to do disruptive science? Include more rookie researchers

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Valerie M. Delmotte, Arthur Geßler, Julie L. Lockwood , and 4 more Valerie M. Delmotte, Arthur Geßler, Julie L. Lockwood, Silvia Secchi, Juan Rocha, Tim Stephens, Jason A. Heppler

Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 11d

"After nearly 40 years, the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States, or ARCUS, will close September 30."

"The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States funded programs that aided Indigenous communities and tracked melting sea ice, among dozens of initiatives."

After Trump cut the National Science Foundation by 56 percent, a venerable Arctic research center closes its doors

The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States funded programs that aided Indigenous communities and tracked melting sea ice, among dozens of initiatives.

grist.org

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Reposted by Arthur Geßler

WSL Umweltforschung @wslresearch.bsky.social · 16d

Die Unwetter 2024 forderten in der Schweiz 13 Todesopfer, 3 Vermisste und verursachten Schäden von 905 Mio. CHF. Es handelt sich um die fünfthöchste Jahresschadenssumme seit Beginn der Erhebungen 1972. www.wsl.ch/de/news/unwe... @bafu.admin.ch #Schweiz #WSL #Naturgefahren #Forschung

Unwetter 2024: viele Todesopfer und hohe Kosten

Dreizehn Todesfälle und 905 Mio. Franken Schäden: Das ist die Bilanz der Unwetter 2024, wie die jährliche Auswertung durch die WSL ergab.

www.wsl.ch

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · 16d

Absorptive fine #roots drive substantial #forest #soil carbon accumulation over the long term: Substantial forest soil carbon accrual from absorptive fine roots over decadal timescales - Nature Geoscience

Substantial forest soil carbon accrual from absorptive fine roots over decadal timescales - Nature Geoscience

The accrual of soil carbon from absorptive fine roots exceeds that of leaf litter in forests despite lower productivity, according to an analysis of field observations from Northern Hemisphere forest sites.

www.nature.com

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · 22d

Tree ring 14C and 13C content reveal reliance on fast cycling carbon for pine growth in semiarid montane forests

Trees harbor large stores of nonstructural carbohydrates, some of which are quite old (> 10 yr), yet we know little of how these older stores may be used for woody growth. Crucially, the use of old ...

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · 22d

Air pollutants, biodiversity loss, and climate stress - the pressures on forests have changed. Long-term measurements are crucial for identifying impacts at an early stage. They are a basis for forest management and environmental policy. @waldwissen.bsky.social: www.waldwissen.net/en/technique...

Forest ecosystems in transition: the findings of 40 years of research

Air pollutants, biodiversity loss, climate stress - the pressures on forests have changed. Long-term measurements are essential to identify the effects at an early stage. The resulting data forms a ba...

www.waldwissen.net

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · 28d

Our new paper reveals that tropical rainforests adapt to P limitation through microbially mediated strategies: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Decadal nutrient addition reveals phosphorus limitation and its adaptive mechanisms in tropical rainforests

Tropical rainforests on low-phosphorus soils are highly biodiverse and productive, playing a crucial role in climate change mitigation. However, the d…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Reposted by Sonia I. Seneviratne, Arthur Geßler

Departement Umweltsystemwissenschaften (D-USYS), ETH Zürich @usyseth.bsky.social · 29d

🔥🌍 New research led by Prof. @soniaseneviratne.bsky.social at @ethz.ch, with lead author @yannquilcaille.bsky.social, shows how greenhouse gas emissions from major fossil fuel and cement producers have significantly intensified global heat waves.

👉 Full article: go.ethz.ch/2u

Rising heat waves tied to fossil fuel and cement production

According to ETH Zurich climate researchers, greenhouse gas emissions from major fossil fuel and cement producers are significant contributors to the occurrence and intensity of heat waves. These find...

go.ethz.ch

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · 29d

Klimawandel ist wohl maßgeblich für viele Hitzewellen verantwortlich

Die globale Erwärmung macht Hitzewellen wahrscheinlicher und extremer. Massiv dazu beigetragen haben Wissenschaftlern zufolge die Emissionen der fossilen Industrie, namentlich von Firmen wie Saudi Aramco, Gazprom und BP.

www.spiegel.de

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · 29d

Systematic attribution of heatwaves to the emissions of carbon majors - Nature

Climate change made 213 historical heatwaves reported over 2000–2023 more likely and more intense, to which each of the 180 carbon majors (fossil fuel and cement producers) substantially contributed.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Valerie M. Delmotte, Peter Thorne, Arthur Geßler , and 9 more Valerie M. Delmotte, Peter Thorne, Arthur Geßler, Wim Thiery, Gavin A. Schmidt, Wolfgang Crämer, Matthias Cuntz, Juan Cole, Dominik Wiedenhofer, John Hogan, Zerina Lokmic‐Tomkins, Béatrice Cointe

Prof. Sonia I Seneviratne @soniaseneviratne.bsky.social · 29d

Hot off the press: We can provide for the first time a systematic attribution of recent #heatwaves to the emissions of #carbon_majors. Essential new #Nature article coordinated by @yannquilcaille.bsky.social at @ethz.ch, with numerous contributors @usyseth.bsky.social:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Arthur Geßler, Andreas Schweiger

WSL Umweltforschung @wslresearch.bsky.social · Sep 1

🌳🐦‍⬛ Der neue Leiter der Forschungseinheit Wald- und Bodenökologie der WSL ist Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social. Mit seiner Arbeit möchte er verstehen, wie Wälder auf Umweltveränderungen wie Hitze und #Trockenheit reagieren. Wir gratulieren! www.wsl.ch/de/news/neue... #wald #waldökologie

Neuer Leiter der Einheit Wald- und Bodenökologie

Der renommierte Waldökologe Arthur Gessler übernimmt die Leitung der neuen WSL-Forschungseinheit.

www.wsl.ch

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · Aug 25

Impact of a 2°C Warmer Climate on the Fine Root System of European Beech, Sessile Oak, Scots Pine, and Douglas Fir in Central European Lowland Forests - Ecosystems

Climate change increasingly exposes Central European forests to drought and heat stress, causing vitality decline and increased mortality of key tree species. How warming alters the size and dynamics of tree root systems is not well known. In a root coring and ingrowth core study in 24 stands, we compared fine root biomass (FRB), necromass, productivity, longevity and morphology in mature stands of European beech, sessile oak, Scots pine, and Douglas fir in two German lowland regions differing by 2 °C in mean annual temperature, which may evidence long-term thermal acclimation. FRB was significantly smaller in the warmer region in beech and Douglas fir, while cumulated fine root surface area was reduced in pine, Douglas fir, and beech, but not in oak. Both root productivity and longevity were reduced in the warmer region in Douglas fir and pine, indicating vulnerability to warming. Beech showed a non-significant productivity reduction, while longevity slightly increased. Oak tended to increase productivity and longevity, indicating highest resilience to warming. Fine root system size was more plastic than root morphology, which differed only slightly between the regions. Using reductions in root longevity and in fine root productivity in the warmer region as criteria, species are ranked for their belowground vulnerability to warming as: Scots pine > Douglas fir > European beech > sessile oak. We conclude that Central Europe’s major timber species differ largely in their belowground vulnerability to warming, with conifers being more sensitive than broad-leaved species.

link.springer.com

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · Aug 25

Emerging trend of increasing spring frost damage for beech at higher elevations in the Jura Mountains: evidence from tree‐ring data

Late spring frost (LSF) severely impacts tree growth and forest productivity, with global warming potentially altering LSF risk due to asymmetric changes in vegetation onset and frost timing. Howeve...

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Matthias Cuntz

Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · Aug 18

Cancelling mRNA studies is the highest irresponsibility

The rest of the world is not following the US government’s dangerous path, and will stick with the technology that helped the world out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

www.nature.com

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · Aug 17

A unifying framework for understanding how edge effects reshape the structure, composition and function of forests

Due to widespread deforestation and habitat fragmentation, today most of the world's forests lie within 1 km of an edge. Forests near edges are warmer, drier, receive more light, and are more exposed...

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · Aug 12

Cirdian Rhythm Engineering: https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.70420

Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · Aug 9

Water films, from the cuticle into stomata - X-ray micro-CT imaging to study foliar water uptake mechanisms in plants with contrasting leaf topography: https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.70421

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Reposted by Arthur Geßler

Methods in Ecology and Evolution @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social · Aug 9

📖Published📖

Arnold et al. propose a design that will allow ecologists to simulate more realistic heat events in the field by combining a controllable convection heater system with a semi-enclosed chamber with adjustable vents 🌍 🧪

buff.ly/k2GJSA2

Images of the chamber and active heating system. (a) Annotated detail image of the heating system, electrical components, and chambers (not to scale). Field photos from Mt. Hotham, VIC, Australia (Case study 1): (b) two polycarbonate chambers attached via black ducting to one heating system under a tarpaulin for protection from the weather; and (c) side view of a chamber with its semi-enclosed, overhanging lid with adjustable portholes, circulating fans, and Stevenson screen housing thermocouples. (d) Field photo from Perisher Valley, NSW, Australia (Case study 2). The heating system attached to three chambers showing improved insulative ducting and open tent protecting and ventilating the heating system. Note that chamber lids are transparent like the chamber sides but appear grey due to reflections of cloud cover.

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Reposted by Arthur Geßler, Pieter A. Zuidema, Jason Stajich

Nature Microbiology @natmicrobiol.nature.com · Aug 8

#NatMicroPicks

Hidden microbial world in trees🌳

Living wood hosts trillions of bacteria making trees a complex ecosystems with major roles in forest health and function.

#PlantMicro #MicroSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A diverse and distinct microbiome inside living trees - Nature

Microbiome analyses of living trees show that a single tree can host approximately one trillion bacteria, with microbial communities distinctly partitioned between heartwood and sapwood and with minim...

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Arthur Geßler

Boris Rewald @borisrewald.bsky.social · Aug 8

🚨Publication Alert🚨Root mixture analysis: methods and vision. Marco Lombardi et al. doi.org/10.1016/j.tp... - A 🧪 rational why we need (better) tools to study (crop) #root mixtures to move toward #sustainable #production of #food #feed #energy. Download 50 days: authors.elsevier.com/a/1lZUN4rGdj...

Figure 1. Key figure. Advanced spectroscopy-based pipeline for root species differentiation.

(A) Root phenotyping system. The root phenotyping system consists of a minirhizotron installed in the field trials at various angles from the vertical axis, best suited for accommodating the camera system. (B) Light spectrum. The light spectrum consists of three main regions: UV, visible light, and IR. The IR region is further divided into two groups: near-IR (NIR) spanning 750–1000 nm and short-wave IR (SWIR) covering 1000–2500 nm. Examples of six features that could be detected in roots in multispectral analysis encoding for blue, green, red, water, nitrogen, and carbon. The wavelength scale is expressed in nanometers (nm). (C) Multispectral camera system. The camera is mounted on an aluminum tube, which allows smooth movement along the minirhizotron for efficient data collection. On the right is an example of image overlay of different multispectral bands. (D) Root species differentiation. Left: The large volume of multispectral images captured by the camera system is processed and segmented using software that leverages deep learning and machine learning for high-throughput segmentation. The segmentation involves distinguishing and separating root objects from nonroot objects within root and soil mixtures. Center: The segmented roots are clustered using unsupervised methods, including k-means clustering and principal component analysis. Right: Supervised statistical analysis predicts root species (species 1 and species 2) in a mixture. Created in BioRender (https://BioRender.com/k43u259).

© 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2025.07.003

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · Aug 2

Temporal repackaging of rainfall magnifies negative impacts of vapor pressure deficit on semiarid ecosystem productivity

Many drylands are experiencing less frequent but larger rainfall events alongside rising temperatures and vapor pressure deficit (VPD). How these shifts influence dryland productivity remains unclea...

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Arthur Geßler, Els Torreele, Paul Ekblom , and 2 more Arthur Geßler, Els Torreele, Paul Ekblom, Rosie Meek, Malcolm Tait

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · Aug 2

For thousands of years, we have been parasitised, exploited and destroyed by elites. Our survival depends on overthrowing them.
Fascinating article by @dpcarrington.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘Self-termination is most likely’: the history and future of societal collapse

An epic analysis of 5,000 years of civilisation argues that a global collapse is coming unless inequality is vanquished

www.theguardian.com

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Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · Jul 30

Effects of soil N on xylem differentiation processes: „Soil nitrogen drives inverse acclimation of xylem growth cessation to rising temperature in Northern Hemisphere conifers“ | PNAS

Soil nitrogen drives inverse acclimation of xylem growth cessation to rising temperature in Northern Hemisphere conifers | PNAS

Controlled experiments suggest that the seasonal build-up of nitrogen (N) limitation constrains the responses of forest autumn phenology to elevate...

www.pnas.org

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Reposted by Andreas Schweiger

Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · Jul 29

Net Ecosystem CO2 Exchange of a Subalpine Spruce Forest in Switzerland Over 26 Years: Effects of Phenology and Contributions of Abiotic Drivers at Daily Time Scales

This study investigated how climate change has affected carbon uptake in a subalpine spruce forest in Switzerland over 26 years. Air temperatures rose and soil moisture declined, while the amount of ...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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