TY - JOUR A1 - Egli, Simon A1 - Ayer, François A1 - Peter, Martina A1 - Eilmann, Britta A1 - Rigling, Andreas T1 - Is forest mushroom productivity driven by tree growth? Results from a thinning experiment JF - Annals of Forest Science N2 - • Most of the edible forest mushrooms are mycorrhizal and depend on carbohydrates produced by the associated trees. Fruiting patterns of these fungi are not yet fully understood since climatic factors alone do not completely explain mushroom occurrence. • The objective of this study was to retrospectively find out if changing tree growth following an increment thinning has influenced the diversity patterns and productivity of associated forest mushrooms in the fungus reserve La Chanéaz, Switzerland. • The results reveal a clear temporal relationship between the thinning, the growth reaction of trees and the reaction of the fungal community, especially for the ectomycorrhizal species. The tree-ring width of the formerly suppressed beech trees and the fruit body number increased after thinning, leading to a significantly positive correlation between fruit body numbers and tree-ring width. • Fruit body production was influenced by previous annual tree growth, the best accordance was found between fruit body production and the tree-ring width two years previously. • The results support the hypothesis that ectomycorrhizal fruit body production must be linked with the growth of the associated host trees. Moreover, the findings indicate the importance of including mycorrhizal fungi as important players when discussing a tree as a carbon source or sink. Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/forest/2010011 SN - 1286-4560 (Print) SN - 1297-966X (Online) VL - 67 IS - 5 SP - 509 PB - Springer CY - Paris ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eilmann, Britta A1 - Dobbertin, Matthias A1 - Rigling, Andreas T1 - Growth response of Scots pine with different crown transparency status to drought release JF - Annals of Forest Science Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-013-0310-z SN - 1286-4560 (Print) SN - 1297-966X (Online) VL - 70 IS - 7 SP - 685 EP - 693 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fonti, Patrick A1 - von Arx, Georg A1 - García-González, Ignacio A1 - Eilmann, Britta A1 - Sass-Klaassen, Ute G. W. A1 - Gärtner, Holger A1 - Eckstein, Dieter T1 - Studying global change through investigation of the plastic responses of xylem anatomy in tree rings JF - New Phytologist N2 - Variability in xylem anatomy is of interest to plant scientists because of the role water transport plays in plant performance and survival. Insights into plant adjustments to changing environmental conditions have mainly been obtained through structural and functional comparative studies between taxa or within taxa on contrasting sites or along environmental gradients. Yet, a gap exists regarding the study of hydraulic adjustments in response to environmental changes over the lifetimes of plants. In trees, dated tree-ring series are often exploited to reconstruct dynamics in ecological conditions, and recent work in which wood-anatomical variables have been used in dendrochronology has produced promising results. Environmental signals identified in water-conducting cells carry novel information reflecting changes in regional conditions and are mostly related to short, sub-annual intervals. Although the idea of investigating environmental signals through wood anatomical time series goes back to the 1960s, it is only recently that low-cost computerized image-analysis systems have enabled increased scientific output in this field. We believe that the study of tree-ring anatomy is emerging as a promising approach in tree biology and climate change research, particularly if complemented by physiological and ecological studies. This contribution presents the rationale, the potential, and the methodological challenges of this innovative approach. Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.03030.x SN - 1469-8137 (Online) SN - 0028-646X (Print) VL - 185 IS - 1 SP - 42 EP - 53 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lévesque, Mathieu A1 - Siegwolf, Rolf A1 - Eilmann, Britta A1 - Saurer, Matthias A1 - Rigling, Andreas T1 - Increased water-use efficiency does not lead to enhanced tree growth under xeric and mesic conditions JF - New Phytologist Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.12772 SN - 1469-8137 (Online) SN - 0028-646X (Print) VL - 203 IS - 1 SP - 94 EP - 109 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eilmann, Britta A1 - Zweifel, Roman A1 - Buchmann, Nina A1 - Fonti, Patrick A1 - Rigling, Andreas T1 - Drought-induced adaptation of the xylem in Scots pine and pubescent oak JF - Tree Physiology Y1 - 2009 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpp035 SN - 0829-318X (Print) SN - 1758-4469 (Online) VL - 29 IS - 8 SP - 1011 EP - 1020 PB - Heron CY - Victoria, BC ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dobbertin, Matthias A1 - Eilmann, Britta A1 - Bleuler, Peter A1 - Giuggiola, Arnaud A1 - Graf Pannatier, Elisabeth A1 - Landolt, Werner A1 - Schleppi, Patrick A1 - Rigling, Andreas T1 - Effect of irrigation on needle morphology, shoot and stem growth in a drought-exposed Pinus sylvestris forest JF - Tree Physiology N2 - In Valais, Switzerland, Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) are declining, mainly following drought. To assess the impact of drought on tree growth and survival, an irrigation experiment was initiated in 2003 in a mature pine forest, approximately doubling the annual precipitation. Tree crown transparency (lack of foliage) and leaf area index (LAI) were annually assessed. Seven irrigated and six control trees were felled in 2006, and needles, stem discs and branches were taken for growth analysis. Irrigation in 2004 and 2005, both with below-average precipitation, increased needle size, area and mass, stem growth and, with a 1-year delay, shoot length. This led to a relative decrease in tree crown transparency (−14%) and to an increase in stand LAI (+20%). Irrigation increased needle length by 70%, shoot length by 100% and ring width by 120%, regardless of crown transparency. Crown transparency correlated positively with mean needle size, shoot length and ring width and negatively with specific leaf area. Trees with high crown transparency (low growth, short needles) experienced similar increases in needle mass and growth with irrigation than trees with low transparency (high growth, long needles), indicating that seemingly declining trees were able to ‘recover’ when water supply became sufficient. A simple drought index before and during the irrigation explained most of the variation found in the parameters for both irrigated and control trees. Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpp123 SN - 1758-4469 (Online) SN - 0829-318X (Print) VL - 30 IS - 3 SP - 346 EP - 360 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rigling, Andreas A1 - Eilmann, Britta A1 - Koechli, Roger A1 - Dobbertin, Matthias T1 - Mistletoe-induced crown degradation in Scots pine in a xeric environment N2 - Increasing Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) mortality has been recently observed in the dry inner valleys of the European Alps. Besides drought, infection with pine mistletoe (Viscum album ssp. austriacum) seems to play an important role in the mortality dynamics of Scots pines, but how mistletoes promote pine decline remains unclear. To verify whether pine mistletoe infection weakens the host via crown degradation, as observed for dwarf mistletoes, we studied the negative effects of pine mistletoe infestation on the photosynthetic tissues and branch growth of pairs of infested and non-infested branches. Pine mistletoe infection leads to crown degradation in its host by reducing the length, the radial increment, the ramification, the needle length and the number of needle years of the infested branches. This massive loss in photosynthetic tissue results in a reduction in primary production and a subsequent decrease in carbohydrate availability. The significant reduction in needle length due to mistletoe infection is an indication for a lower water and nutrient availability in infested branches. Thus, mistletoe infection might lead to a decrease in the availability of water and carbohydrates, the two most important growth factors, which are already shortened due to the chronic drought situation in the area. Therefore, pine mistletoe increases the risk of drought-induced mortality of its host when growing in a xeric environment. Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpq038 SN - 1758-4469 (Online) SN - 0829-318X (Print) VL - 30 IS - 7 SP - 845 EP - 832 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eilmann, Britta A1 - Rigling, Andreas ED - Abrams, Marc T1 - Tree-growth analyses to estimate tree species' drought tolerance JF - Tree Physiology N2 - Climate change is challenging forestry management and practices. Among other things, tree species with the ability to cope with more extreme climate conditions have to be identified. However, while environmental factors may severely limit tree growth or even cause tree death, assessing a tree species' potential for surviving future aggravated environmental conditions is rather demanding. The aim of this study was to find a tree-ring-based method suitable for identifying very drought-tolerant species, particularly potential substitute species for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Valais. In this inner-Alpine valley, Scots pine used to be the dominating species for dry forests, but today it suffers from high drought-induced mortality. We investigate the growth response of two native tree species, Scots pine and European larch (Larix decidua Mill.), and two non-native species, black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii Mirb. var. menziesii), to drought. This involved analysing how the radial increment of these species responded to increasing water shortage (abandonment of irrigation) and to increasingly frequent drought years. Black pine and Douglas fir are able to cope with drought better than Scots pine and larch, as they show relatively high radial growth even after irrigation has been stopped and a plastic growth response to drought years. European larch does not seem to be able to cope with these dry conditions as it lacks the ability to recover from drought years. The analysis of trees' short-term response to extreme climate events seems to be the most promising and suitable method for detecting how tolerant a tree species is towards drought. However, combining all the methods used in this study provides a complete picture of how water shortage could limit species. Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tps004 SN - 0829-318X (Print) SN - 1758-4469 (Online) VL - 32 IS - 2 SP - 178 EP - 187 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eilmann, Britta A1 - Sterck, Frank J. A1 - Wegner, L. A1 - de Vries, Sven M. G. A1 - von Arx, G. A1 - Mohren, Godefridus M. J. A1 - den Ouden, Jan A1 - Sass-Klaassen, Ute G. W. T1 - Wood structural differences between northern and southern beech provenances growing at a moderate site JF - Tree Physiology Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpu069 SN - 1758-4469 (Online) SN - 0829-318X (Print) VL - 34 IS - 8 SP - 882 EP - 893 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eilmann, Britta A1 - de Vries, Sven M. G. A1 - den Ouden, Jan A1 - Mohren, Godefridus M. J. A1 - Sauren, Pascal A1 - Sass-Klaassen, Ute G. W. T1 - Origin matters! Difference in drought tolerance and productivity of coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.)) provenances JF - Forest Ecology and Management Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2013.03.031 SN - 1872-7042 (Online) SN - 0378-1127 (Print) VL - 2013 IS - 302 SP - 133 EP - 143 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weemstra, Monique A1 - Eilmann, Britta A1 - Sass-Klaassen, Ute G. W. A1 - Sterck, Frank J. T1 - Summer droughts limit tree growth across 10 temperate species on a productive forest site JF - Forest Ecology and Management Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2013.06.007 SN - 0378-1127 (Print) SN - 1872-7042 (Online) VL - 2013 IS - 306 SP - 142 EP - 149 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Feichtinger, Linda M. A1 - Eilmann, Britta A1 - Buchmann, Nina A1 - Rigling, Andreas T1 - Growth adjustments of conifers to drought and to century-long irrigation JF - Forest Ecology and Management N2 - Our knowledge on tree responses to drought is mainly based on short-term manipulation experiments which do not capture any possible long-term adjustments in this response. Therefore, historical water channels in inner-Alpine dry valleys were used as century-long irrigation experiments to investigate adjustments in tree growth to contrasting water supply. This involved quantifying the tree-ring growth of irrigated and non-irrigated (control) Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Valais (Switzerland), as well as European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) and black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold) in Vinschgau (Italy). Furthermore, the adjustments in radial growth of Scots pine and European larch to an abrupt stop in irrigation were analyzed. Irrigation promoted the radial growth of all tree species investigated compared to the control: (1) directly through increased soil water availability, and (2) indirectly through increased soil nutrients and humus contents in the irrigated plots. Irrigation led to a full elimination of growth responses to climate for European larch and black pine, but not for Scots pine, which might become more sensitive to drought with increasing tree size in Valais. For the control trees, the response of the latewood increment to water availability in July/August has decreased in recent decades for all species, but increased in May for Scots pine only. The sudden irrigation stop caused a drop in radial growth to a lower level for Scots pine or similar level for larch compared to the control for up to ten years. However, both tree species were then able to adjust to the new conditions and subsequently grew with similar (Scots pine) or even higher growth rates (larch) than the control. To estimate the impact of climate change on future forest development, the duration of manipulation experiments should be on longer time scales in order to capture adjustment processes and feedback mechanisms of forest ecosystems. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2014.08.008 SN - 1872-7042 (Online) SN - 0378-1127 (Print) VL - 2014 IS - 334 SP - 96 EP - 105 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Leandro, J. A1 - Bung, Daniel Bernhard A1 - Carvalho, R. T1 - Measuring void fraction and velocity fields of a stepped spillway for skimming flow using non-intrusive methods JF - Experiments in fluids Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-014-1732-6 SN - 0723-4864 (Print) ; 1432-1114 (Online) IS - 55 SP - Art. 1732 PB - Springer Nature CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ratke, Lorenz A1 - Milow, Barbara A1 - Lisinski, Susanne A1 - Hoepfner, Sandra T1 - On an effect of fine ceramic particles on the structure of aerogels JF - Microgravity science and technology Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-014-9380-2 SN - 0938-0108 ; 1875-0494 VL - 26 SP - 103 EP - 110 PB - Springer Nature CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Almajhdi, Fahad N. A1 - Senger, Tilo A1 - Amer, Haitham M. A1 - Gissmann, Lutz A1 - Öhlschläger, Peter T1 - Design of a highly effective therapeutic HPV16 E6/E7-specific DNA vaccine: optimization by different ways of sequence rearrangements (Shuffling) JF - PLOS one N2 - Persistent infection with the high-risk Human Papillomavirus type 16 (HPV 16) is the causative event for the development of cervical cancer and other malignant tumors of the anogenital tract and of the head and neck. Despite many attempts to develop therapeutic vaccines no candidate has entered late clinical trials. An interesting approach is a DNA based vaccine encompassing the nucleotide sequence of the E6 and E7 viral oncoproteins. Because both proteins are consistently expressed in HPV infected cells they represent excellent targets for immune therapy. Here we report the development of 8 DNA vaccine candidates consisting of differently rearranged HPV-16 E6 and E7 sequences within one molecule providing all naturally occurring epitopes but supposedly lacking transforming activity. The HPV sequences were fused to the J-domain and the SV40 enhancer in order to increase immune responses. We demonstrate that one out of the 8 vaccine candidates induces very strong cellular E6- and E7- specific cellular immune responses in mice and, as shown in regression experiments, efficiently controls growth of HPV 16 positive syngeneic tumors. This data demonstrates the potential of this vaccine candidate to control persistent HPV 16 infection that may lead to malignant disease. It also suggests that different sequence rearrangements influence the immunogenecity by an as yet unknown mechanism. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0113461 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 11 IS - 9 PB - PLOS CY - San Francisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Bäcker, Matthias A1 - Mayer, Dirk A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Gating capacitive field-effect sensors by the charge of nanoparticle/molecule hybrids JF - Nanoscale Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/C4NR05987E SN - 2040-3372 (E-Journal); 2040-3364 (Print) SP - 1023 EP - 1031 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kluczka, Sven A1 - Eckstein, Julian A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Vaeßen, Christiane A1 - Roeb, Martin T1 - Process simulation for solar steam and dry reforming JF - Energy procedia : Proceedings of the SolarPACES 2013 International Conference N2 - In co-operation with the German Aerospace Center, the Solar-Institut Jülich has been analyzing the different technologies that are available for methanol production from CO2 using solar energy. The aim of the project is to extract CO2 from industrial exhaust gases or directly from the atmosphere to recycle it by use of solar energy. Part of the study was the modeling and simulating of a methane reformer for the production of synthesis gas, which can be operated by solar or hybrid heat sources. The reformer has been simplified in such a way that the model is accurate and enables fast calculations. The developed pseudo-homogeneous one- dimensional model can be regarded as a kind of counter-current heat exchanger and is able to incorporate a steam reforming reaction as well as a dry reforming reaction. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2014.03.092 SN - 1876-6102 (E-Journal) VL - 49 SP - 850 EP - 859 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, Martin A1 - Hirschfeld, Julian A1 - Lambertz, Rita A1 - Schulze Lohoff, Andreas A1 - Lustfeld, Hans A1 - Pfeifer, Heinz A1 - Reißel, Martin T1 - Validation of a novel method for detecting and stabilizing malfunctioning areas in fuel cell stacks JF - Journal of power sources N2 - In this paper a setup for detecting malfunctioning areas of MEAs in fuel cell stacks is described. Malfunctioning areas generate electric cross currents inside bipolar plates. To exploit this we suggest bipolar plates consisting not of two but of three layers. The third one is a highly conducting layer and segmented such that the cross currents move along the segments to the surface of the stack where they can be measured by an inductive sensor. With this information a realistic model can be used to detect the malfunctioning area. Furthermore the third layer will prevent any current inhomogeneity of a malfunctioning cell to spread to neighbouring cells in the stack. In this work the results of measurements in a realistic cell setup will be compared with the results obtained in simulation studies with the same configuration. The basis for the comparison is the reliable characterisation of the electrical properties of the cell components and the implication of these results into the simulation model. The experimental studies will also show the limits in the maximum number of segments, which can be used for a reliable detection of cross currents. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2014.08.045 SN - 1873-2755 (E-Journal); 0378-7753 (Print) VL - 272 SP - 225 EP - 232 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schusser, Sebastian A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Bäcker, Matthias A1 - Krischer, M. A1 - Leinhos, Marcel A1 - Wagner, P. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - An application of field-effect sensors for in-situ monitoring of degradation of biopolymers JF - Sensors and actuators B: Chemical N2 - The characterization of the degradation kinetics of biodegradable polymers is mandatory with regard to their proper application. In the present work, polymer-modified electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor (PMEIS) field-effect sensors have been applied for in-situ monitoring of the pH-dependent degradation kinetics of the commercially available biopolymer poly(d,l-lactic acid) (PDLLA) in buffer solutions from pH 3 to pH 13. PDLLA films of 500 nm thickness were deposited on the surface of an Al–p-Si–SiO2–Ta2O5 structure from a polymer solution by means of spin-coating method. The PMEIS sensor is, in principle, capable to detect any changes in bulk, surface and interface properties of the polymer induced by degradation processes. A faster degradation has been observed for PDLLA films exposed to alkaline solutions (pH 9, pH 11 and pH 13). Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2014.10.058 SN - 1873-3077 (E-Journal); 0925-4005 (Print) VL - 207, Part B SP - 954 EP - 959 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Konstantinidis, Konstantinos A1 - Flores Martinez, Claudio A1 - Dachwald, Bernd A1 - Ohndorf, Andreas A1 - Dykta, Paul A1 - Bowitz, Pascal A1 - Rudolph, Martin A1 - Digel, Ilya A1 - Kowalski, Julia A1 - Voigt, Konstantin A1 - Förstner, Roger T1 - A lander mission to probe subglacial water on Saturn's moon enceladus for life JF - Acta astronautica Y1 - 2015 SN - 1879-2030 (E-Journal); 0094-5765 (Print) VL - Vol. 106 SP - 63 EP - 89 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER -