New paper published by Nadine Brinkmann in Plant Biology on tree water uptake depth
In this paper Nadine reports data from a three-year study in which she has investigated the soil water uptake depth for different mature temperate tree species. With this study, Nadine shows that different tree species have similar soil water uptake depts when the soil is moist. During dry spells, however, ash, beech and maple trees are able to shift their water uptake to deeper soil layers. In contrast, Norway spruce cannot access deeper soil layers but is restricted to water uptake from the top soil, even during drought when these soil layers fall dry. With this study, Nadine delivers an important mechanistic explanation for Norway spruce trees being among the most drought sensitive tree species in temperate European forests.