Lena Sachsenmaier
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lsachsenmaier.bsky.social
Lena Sachsenmaier
@lsachsenmaier.bsky.social
200 followers 80 following 10 posts

Doctoral Researcher @iDiv in the International Research Training Group TreeDì & AG Wirth/Weigelt @UniLeipzig

Forest Ecology | Biodiversity & Ecosystem Functioning | Drought Responses | Tree Ecophysiology

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Environmental science 57%
Geography 16%
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lsachsenmaier.bsky.social
Lena Sachsenmaier @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social · 12d
Over 2,600🌳 #trees during the 2018–2020 #drought :
• Traits disadvantageous in normal years became beneficial under drought
• Trees grew better with neighbours whose hydro-functional traits differed from their own
🗞️Paper out now @globalchangebio.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Hydro‐Functional Traits and Their Dissimilarity to the Neighbourhood Buffer Tree Growth Against the 2018–2020 Central European Drought
Climate change is putting forests at risk. Our research shows that a tree's water-use strategy largely determines its growth across years: whereas one strategy performs better in normal years, the ot....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com

lsachsenmaier.bsky.social
Lena Sachsenmaier @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social · 8d
Here, the press releases of Leipzig University www.uni-leipzig.de/en/newsdetai...
and iDiv www.idiv.de/diverse-fore...
Diverse forests are more resistant to climate change
Droughts are having a major impact on Europe’s forests — and climate change could make them even more frequent. But diversity helps: a new study led by the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Leipzig University shows that forests are more resistant to drought when trees employ different strategies for using water. The decisive factor is not only how many species are present, but how differently they absorb, store, and use water.
www.uni-leipzig.de

lsachsenmaier.bsky.social
Lena Sachsenmaier @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social · 12d
Thanks for making this work possible!
@treedi.bsky.social, @idiv-research.bsky.social, @agwirthweigelt.bsky.social, @mixedforests.bsky.social, @fonrobinson.bsky.social, @castretis.bsky.social, @sharathpaligi.bsky.social, @bernhardschuldt.bsky.social, @eisenhauerlab.bsky.social

lsachsenmaier.bsky.social
Lena Sachsenmaier @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social · 12d
That means:
• There is no single hydro-functional strategy that always leads to more growth — in drought and non-drought years ⚖️
• Planting tree mixtures with distinct hydro-functional strategies can potentially help forests withstand future droughts 🌳💧

lsachsenmaier.bsky.social
Lena Sachsenmaier @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social · 12d
Key results:
• A tree's hydraulic safety and stomatal control were major drivers of growth
• Traits showed a performance trade-off: less advantageous in normal years → beneficial under #drought
• Trees grew better when surrounded by neighbours with contrasting hydro-functional traits

lsachsenmaier.bsky.social
Lena Sachsenmaier @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social · 12d
We analysed tree growth in the #MyDiv experiment (Germany) from 2016-2021 and measured 14 hydro-functional #traits of 10 #tree species to see how drought, a tree’s hydro-functional traits, and trait differences with neighbours affect growth.

Reposted by Johannes Quaas, John Parker, Karl Andraczek , and 1 more

idiv-research.bsky.social
iDiv Biodiversity Research @idiv-research.bsky.social · 13d
New study led by @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social @agwirthweigelt.bsky.social shows: forest stands made up of tree species with different water-use strategies (not just many species) grow better in drought years. #iDivResearch #Biodiversity
www.idiv.de/diverse-fore...
Diverse forests are more resistant to climate change
www.idiv.de

Reposted by Lena Sachsenmaier

treedi.bsky.social
TreeDì @treedi.bsky.social · 25d
Inspiring joint conference of @treedi.bsky.social and @multitroph.bsky.social at @idiv-research.bsky.social, with 20 presentations by doctoral researchers, 7 workshops, 5 international keynote speakers, 1 excursion and 1 guided city tour.

Reposted by Billur Bektaş, Lena Sachsenmaier

karlandraczek.bsky.social
Karl Andraczek @karlandraczek.bsky.social · Oct 13
I had the honour to write a @newphyt.bsky.social commentary on this fantastic paper — summarizing its key insights and exploring exciting directions for future research. Hope it may spark new ideas and helps the community! ✨
🔗 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Trajectories of alpine plant communities under climate change.

Reposted by Colleen M. Iversen, Lena Sachsenmaier

henneckejustus.bsky.social
Justus Hennecke @henneckejustus.bsky.social · Oct 7
Super excited to see that the last chapter of my PhD on root trait - ecosystem functioning relationships is now published in @newphyt.bsky.social!
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
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

lsachsenmaier.bsky.social
Lena Sachsenmaier @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social · Jul 22
Busy making needle imprints and diving into stomatal worlds under the microscope 🔬🌲
Measuring stomatal size and density — still amazed by the incredible variation, even among conifers!
#ARBOfun #stomata #conifer #drought #forest

lsachsenmaier.bsky.social
Lena Sachsenmaier @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social · Jul 16
Such a great week with the #sTREND working group — lots of ideas on tree traits and neighbourhood diversity taking shape. 🌲🌳 Grateful to have been part of it! #FunctionalTraits #ForestDiversity @idiv-research.bsky.social
juliakoricheva.bsky.social Julia Koricheva @juliakoricheva.bsky.social · Jul 16
Fun week @idiv-research.bsky.social attending the 1st meeting of sTREND working group on synthesis of tree traits responses to neighbouring diversity with @mixedforests.bsky.social, @ritasousasilva.bsky.social, @habenblondeel.bsky.social, @cavenderg9.bsky.social, @shankothari.bsky.social and others

Reposted by Jeannine Cavender‐Bares, Lena Sachsenmaier

juliakoricheva.bsky.social
Julia Koricheva @juliakoricheva.bsky.social · Jul 16
Fun week @idiv-research.bsky.social attending the 1st meeting of sTREND working group on synthesis of tree traits responses to neighbouring diversity with @mixedforests.bsky.social, @ritasousasilva.bsky.social, @habenblondeel.bsky.social, @cavenderg9.bsky.social, @shankothari.bsky.social and others

Reposted by Karl Andraczek, Lena Sachsenmaier

agwirthweigelt.bsky.social
The Wirth-Weigelt Working Group @agwirthweigelt.bsky.social · Jul 16
Root shrinkage measurements of 40 #tree species at #ARBOfun completed! We've measured root #shrinkage, to understand #root-soil contact under #drought. The campaign was led by Dr. Anvar Sanaei with great support of our technician Nicole Nabel. Excited to see the results! #RootTraits #PlantScience

lsachsenmaier.bsky.social
Lena Sachsenmaier @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social · Jul 2
Into the canopy for tiny pores 🌲🔎
We sampled needles from 12 #conifer species at the arboretum #ARBOfun to study stomatal density and size. Looking forward to the lab work & to uncovering what these traits can reveal about tree drought responses in a changing climate. #stomata #drought #forest
A person standing on a ladder collecting conifer needles of the species Tsuga canadensis Close-up of the abaxial side of Abies needles showing the white wax layers over the bands of stomata Needle of Picea sitchensis under the binocular with wax layers of stomatal pores visible View of the arboretum ARBOfun in Großpösna, Germany

Reposted by Lena Sachsenmaier

idiv-research.bsky.social
iDiv Biodiversity Research @idiv-research.bsky.social · Apr 16
16 April is the day when Leipzig celebrates its floodplain forest – and fittingly, a new paper by Annalena Lenk @agwirthweigelt.bsky.social shows how the current tree dieback combined with the thinning of certain understorey species, can support oak regeneration.🌳🍃

www.idiv.de/experiment-i...
Experiment in Leipzig’s floodplain forest
Using tree mortality to support oak regeneration
www.idiv.de

Reposted by Malte Jochum, Lena Sachsenmaier

idiv-research.bsky.social
iDiv Biodiversity Research @idiv-research.bsky.social · Apr 10
Congratulations to iDiv’s founding director Christian Wirth!🥂

Yesterday, he received the member certificate of the Academy of Sciences @leopoldina.org - a high scientific honour.👏

Read more (in German): www.idiv.de/de/christian...
@agwirthweigelt.bsky.social @unileipzig.bsky.social #iDivImpact
iDiv-Gründungsdirektor Christian Wirth bekommt Urkunde als neues Mitglied der Leopoldina
Die Aufnahme in die 1652 gegründete Gelehrtengesellschaft gilt als hohe wissenschaftliche Anerkennung.
www.idiv.de

Reposted by Lena Sachsenmaier

agwirthweigelt.bsky.social
The Wirth-Weigelt Working Group @agwirthweigelt.bsky.social · Apr 8
🎉 Congrats to our PhD student @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social, whose paper on #forest #growth #resistance & #resilience to drought was shortlisted for the 2024 Harper Prize! 🌳 Read more on the Journal of Ecology blog: jecologyblog.com/2025/04/04/l...
Lena Sachsenmaier: Forest growth resistance and resilience to the 2018–2020 drought depend on tree diversity and mycorrhizal type
2024 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: For the next two weeks, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2024 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research pape…
jecologyblog.com

Reposted by Lena Sachsenmaier

agwirthweigelt.bsky.social
The Wirth-Weigelt Working Group @agwirthweigelt.bsky.social · Apr 8
👏 And also congrats to @karlandraczek.bsky.social! His paper on #biodiversity – #productivity relationships in managed #grasslands was as well shortlisted for the 2024 Harper Prize! 🌱 Read more on the Journal of Ecology blog: jecologyblog.com/2025/04/02/k...
Karl Andraczek: Weak reciprocal relationships between productivity and plant biodiversity in managed grasslands
2024 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: For the next two weeks, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2024 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research pape…
jecologyblog.com

Reposted by John Parker, Lena Sachsenmaier

mixedforests.bsky.social
Florian Schnabel @mixedforests.bsky.social · Apr 7
Interested in how #forest #resilience to #drought depended on tree diversity and #mycorrhiza?

The study by @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social in @journalofecology.bsky.social was just shortlisted for the Harper Prize🚨👏 Read more on the paper here👇

jecologyblog.com/2025/04/04/l...
Lena Sachsenmaier: Forest growth resistance and resilience to the 2018–2020 drought depend on tree diversity and mycorrhizal type
2024 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: For the next two weeks, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2024 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research pape…
jecologyblog.com

Reposted by Lena Sachsenmaier

karlandraczek.bsky.social
Karl Andraczek @karlandraczek.bsky.social · Apr 4
🌍 Ever wondered what life is made of - literally?
We just launched StoichLife, a global dataset of the elemental building blocks of life across nearly 6,000 species! 🌱🐟
Spanning land, water, and sea, it opens up new insights into how organisms are shaped by their environments 🏜️🏔️🌊 #stoichiometry

Reposted by Karl Andraczek, Lena Sachsenmaier

agwirthweigelt.bsky.social
The Wirth-Weigelt Working Group @agwirthweigelt.bsky.social · Apr 3
New paper by our PhD student Annalena Lenk in #Forest #Ecology and Management: #Climate change-induced tree mortality can promote #oak regeneration in #floodplain forests – if flood-intolerant maple species are selectively removed. #Biodiversity #Research
sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Elevated tree mortality as a regeneration niche for oak? Testing different management approaches in a meliorated floodplain forest
Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur L.), a keystone species in European temperate floodplain forests, faces regeneration challenges due to dense canopies c…
sciencedirect.com

Reposted by John Parker, Haben Blondeel, Rémy Beugnon , and 1 more

mixedforests.bsky.social
Florian Schnabel @mixedforests.bsky.social · Mar 31
Are you interested in #forest microclimate, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning? 🌲🌳🌡️

🗞️In our new study we show: Tree diversity increases #forest temperature buffering🗞️

doi.org/10.1111/ele....

/w @remybeugnon.bsky.social, @uni-freiburg.de, @unileipzig.bsky.social, @agwirthweigelt.bsky.social
Tree Diversity Increases Forest Temperature Buffering via Enhancing Canopy Density and Structural Diversity
Making use of 6 years of microclimate measurements in a large-scale tree diversity experiment covering a species richness gradient ranging from 1 to 24 tree species, we demonstrate that tree species ....
doi.org

Reposted by Lena Sachsenmaier

karlandraczek.bsky.social
Karl Andraczek @karlandraczek.bsky.social · Mar 24
Very cool paper reviewing how the Root Economics Space advances our understanding of fine-root functioning 🫚🌾☀️

It was a great pleasure to work with such an amazing team of coauthors, especially the fantastic lead team @elsaelsam.bsky.social , @joanabergmann.bsky.social

Reposted by John Parker, Emilio Vilanova, Martin Ehbrecht , and 3 more

remybeugnon.bsky.social
Rémy Beugnon @remybeugnon.bsky.social · Mar 23
🌴🌳 Tree species richness increases climate buffering 🌡️🥵

I am so happy to share our latest piece, now published in Ecology Letters!

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Tree Diversity Increases Forest Temperature Buffering via Enhancing Canopy Density and Structural Diversity
Making use of 6 years of microclimate measurements in a large-scale tree diversity experiment covering a species richness gradient ranging from 1 to 24 tree species, we demonstrate that tree species ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Karl Andraczek, Lena Sachsenmaier

journalofecology.bsky.social
Journal of Ecology @journalofecology.bsky.social · Mar 20
We're pleased to announce the shortlist for this year's Harper Prize. 🏆

Each year, we award the Harper Prize to the best paper in the journal by an early career author.

See the full list here:
2024 Harper Prize Shortlist: Early Career Research Award
The Harper Prize is awarded annually by the British Ecological Society for the best paper in Journal of Ecology by an early career author. We are pleased to present th…
buff.ly

Reposted by Lena Sachsenmaier

castretis.bsky.social
Pablo Castro Sánchez-Bermejo @castretis.bsky.social · Mar 10
This has definitely been an adventure! 🥾 On Friday, after some years working on my PhD, I defended my thesis. And having the chance to give this step surrounded by colleagues, friends and family has been something “unbeleafable” 🍃

Reposted by Lena Sachsenmaier

agwirthweigelt.bsky.social
The Wirth-Weigelt Working Group @agwirthweigelt.bsky.social · Mar 3
How does #biodiversity affect plant #defence investment?

We found that while overall defence investment remains stable, plant species richness decouples leaf and root defences.

For more details, check out our paper: nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
@newphyt.bsky.social
Plant species richness promotes the decoupling of leaf and root defence traits while species‐specific responses in physical and chemical defences are rare
The increased positive impact of plant diversity on ecosystem functioning is often attributed to the accumulation of mutualists and dilution of antagonists in diverse plant communities. While increa...
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by John Parker, Martin Ehbrecht, Lena Sachsenmaier

mixedforests.bsky.social
Florian Schnabel @mixedforests.bsky.social · Feb 25
Interested in #forest restoration and #carbon sequestration?

🚨 In our new study in @globalchangebio.bsky.social we show that 🌳 Tree diversity 🌲 increases carbon stocks and fluxes in a tropical forest experiment.

#TreeDivNet, @uni-freiburg.de

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Tree Diversity Increases Carbon Stocks and Fluxes Above—But Not Belowground in a Tropical Forest Experiment
We examined the potential of mixed-species planted forests compared to monospecific forests to act as a nature-based solution to climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration. By analysing m....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com

lsachsenmaier.bsky.social
Lena Sachsenmaier @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social · Feb 24
Really enjoyed the ARBOfun meeting @iDiv! Always a pleasure to exchange ideas in such a unique setting — happy to be part of this community! #ARBOfun
agwirthweigelt.bsky.social The Wirth-Weigelt Working Group @agwirthweigelt.bsky.social · Feb 24
ARBOfun Meeting 2025 @iDiv – Thanks for your brilliant talks, the fruitful discussions, and two inspiring days! Exciting to see how our research evolves on this unique platform, where 100 different tree species grow side by side. #ARBOfun