Dr. Ivano Brunner

With their various feeding types, soil nematodes play a crucial role in the soil food web. Here, we investigated if and how soil nematodes responded to a long-term irrigation in a drought-prone Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest in southern Switzerland, applied to study whether greater soil water availability would improve tree health and reduce tree mortality. After 14 years of irrigation, tree vitality and soil development had improved significantly. However, morphological observations of the soil nematodes revealed a decrease in their total number in the irrigated plots. Overall, the irrigated plots had a lower nematode richness compared with the dry control plots, but the Shannon index did not differ between the two treatments. In addition, the nematode community shifted significantly as a result of the irrigation. Soil physical parameters, such as sand and silt contents and bulk density, were significantly positively correlated with the nematode community in the irrigation treatment. According to a DNA marker sequence analysis, a total of 43 genera of nematodes were assigned. Predatory nematodes were significantly less abundant in the irrigated plots than in the dry control plots, as the average number decreased to 74 in the irrigated plots compared to 3579 in the dry control plots, while non-predators were not significantly affected. A differential abundance analysis revealed that the genera Tripyla and Anatonchus were the predators that declined the most. Overall, marker sequence analysis of forest soil nematodes appears to be a suitable tool for assessing changes in nematode communities and taxa. The disappearance of predatory nematodes under irrigation, however, can perhaps only be explained if other predatory animal groups, such as predatory mites or millipedes, are also analyzed at the same time.

Forests are under pressure and going through rapid changes. However, current inventorying and monitoring (IM) programs are often either disjointed, too narrow in their scope and/or do not operate at fine enough temporal resolutions, which may hinder scientific understanding, the timely supply of information, fast decision making, and may result in the sub-optimal use of resources. For these reasons, there is an urgent need for Advanced Forest Inventorying and Monitoring (AIM) programs to (i) achieve expanded relevance (by augmenting data/information across ecosystem properties and trophic levels), (ii) have increased temporal resolution (by tailored data collection frequency), and (iii) make use of technological advances (by incorporating novel tools and technologies). The Advanced Inventorying and Monitoring for Swiss Forests (SwissAIM) initiative was launched in 2020 to address these needs. SwissAIM builds upon the foundation offered by the existing programs (e.g., national forest inventory, long-term forest ecosystem research, biodiversity monitoring). It aims to offer a collaborative and adaptive framework to enable integrated data collection, evaluation, interpretation, analysis, and modeling. Ideally, it will result in a more responsive system with respect to current and predicted biotic/abiotic stressors that will challenge Swiss forests. Developing such a system implies identifying the information needs of different stakeholders (e.g., science, policy, practice), related technical requirements, and governance frameworks. Here, we present (i) the main features of the SwissAIM initiative (vision, scientific questions and variables, governance and engagement), (ii) the main outcomes of the participatory design process (measurements, sampling, and plot design), (iii) the potential transferability of AIM initiatives outside Switzerland (timing, relevance, practicability), and (iv) the key messages that emerged (i.e., need for advancement, integration and transdisciplinarity, statistical underpinning). Since similar needs related to forest inventorying and monitoring are emerging throughout Europe and elsewhere, the objective of this opinion paper is to share our experience and promote a dialog with those interested in developing AIM initiatives in other countries and regions.

Plastic materials, including microplastics, accumulate in all types of ecosystems, even in remote and cold environments such as the European Alps. This pollution poses a risk for the environment and humans and needs to be addressed. Using shotgun DNA metagenomics of soils collected in the eastern Swiss Alps at about 3,000 m a.s.l., we identified genes and their proteins that potentially can degrade plastics. We screened the metagenomes of the plastisphere and the bulk soil with a differential abundance analysis, conducted similarity-based screening with specific databases dedicated to putative plastic-degrading genes, and selected those genes with a high probability of signal peptides for extracellular export and a high confidence for functional domains. This procedure resulted in a final list of nine candidate genes. The lengths of the predicted proteins were between 425 and 845 amino acids, and the predicted genera producing these proteins belonged mainly to Caballeronia and Bradyrhizobium. We applied functional validation, using heterologous expression followed by enzymatic assays of the supernatant. Five of the nine proteins tested showed significantly increased activities when we used an esterase assay, and one of these five proteins from candidate genes, a hydrolase-type esterase, clearly had the highest activity, by more than double. We performed the fluorescence assays for plastic degradation of the plastic types BI-OPL and ecovio^® only with proteins from the five candidate genes that were positively active in the esterase assay, but like the negative controls, these did not show any significantly increased activity. In contrast, the activity of the positive control, which contained a PLA-degrading gene insert known from the literature, was more than 20 times higher than that of the negative controls. These findings suggest that in silico screening followed by functional validation is suitable for finding new plastic-degrading enzymes. Although we only found one new esterase enzyme, our approach has the potential to be applied to any type of soil and to plastics in various ecosystems to search rapidly and efficiently for new plastic-degrading enzymes.

The importance of fine-root diameter for ecosystem functioning is increasingly recognized, yet much remains to be learned about the variation in fine-root diameter at large scales. We conducted an analysis of fine-root diameter for five root orders for 1163 plant species to detect patterns in relation to resource availability (e.g. carbon, nitrogen, water and net primary production (NPP)), stress intensity (e.g. plant/soil biodiversity and soil bulk density) and temperature. First- to fourth-order root diameters showed non-linear relationships with mean annual temperature (except for first-order root diameter) and/or with latitude. The diameters of the five root orders decreased with increasing mean annual precipitation, but increased with greater NPP, which was the strongest determinant of fine-root diameter. Increasing soil biodiversity was associated with decreasing diameters of fourth- and fifth-order roots, while greater plant biodiversity was associated with decreasing diameters of first- to third-order roots. Soil total nitrogen concentration had a positive effect on first-order root diameter but a negative effect on fourth- and fifth-order root diameters. The patterns reversed for soil total phosphorus concentration. First- to third-order and fifth-order root diameters increased with greater soil bulk density. Second- to fourth-order root diameters increased with higher soil pH. Overall, the variables related to climatic, biological and edaphic factors explained 44–63% of the total variance in the diameters of the different root orders. The unique patterns of plasticity observed in fine-root diameter across root orders in response to varying environmental conditions contributes to a diversification of plant strategies for nutrient/water acquisition and transport under climate change.

Different fungal guilds within the soil fungal community regulate forest ecosystem processes. Soil fungi are dictated by edaphic factors such as soil water and nutrient availabilities. However, how the total number of fungi and the composition of different fungal guilds in the soil vary under covarying pattern of nitrogen deposition and precipitation regime in temperate forests has not been well documented. In this study, we explored the effects of long-term nitrogen-water interactions on the diversity and composition of soil overall fungi and different fungal guilds, and their relationships with fine-root and soil fungal mycelial traits in a temperate forest. The diversity of the totality of soil fungi or any fungal guilds did not change, but the community composition of saprotrophic and symbiotrophic fungi was significantly changed by nitrogen addition (N), showing increased abundance of soil symbiotrophic fungi but decreased abundance of soil saprotrophic fungi. Precipitation reduction (W) significantly altered soil overall and pathotrophic fungal community. Precipitation reduction combined with nitrogen addition (WN) significantly changed soil overall, pathotrophic and symbiotrophic fungal community composition. Soil pathotrophic, saprotrophic and symbiotrophic fungal community composition was variously related to fine-root diameter, root tissue density, nitrogen and/or phosphorus concentration. Long-term nitrogen-water interactions decreased the complexity of soil fungal networks, reflected by the lower edges and average degree, but the higher average path distance and modularity. These findings of soil fungal guild-specific responses to nitrogen-water interactions will deepen our understanding of soil carbon sequestration potential and nutrient cycling in temperate forest ecosystems under future climate changes.

Low temperatures near alpine treelines limit microbial release of soil nitrogen and tree growth. Ectomycorrhizal fungi can increase nitrogen supply for trees, but the importance of this exchange of carbon for nitrogen at the treeline remains unclear. Our bomb radiocarbon measurements indicated that trees transferred carbon fixed <2 years previously to fungi. The allocated carbon likely included sugars involved in starch synthesis, as δ¹³C in fungal caps closely resembled that of fine-root starch. Mass balance of nitrogen isotopes along the plant-fungi-soil continuum revealed that Larix decidua trees relied less on fungal nitrogen (0–35% of N uptake), compared to Pinus mugo trees (up to 41%). We estimated that treeline trees allocate up to 18% of photoassimilates to fungi. Our findings suggest that at alpine treelines, trees allocate to ectomycorrhizal symbionts relatively high amount of carbon compared to the reverse nitrogen flux, but the exact exchange is tree species-specific.

The loss of leaves and needles in tree crowns and tree mortality are increasing worldwide, mostly as a result of more frequent and severe drought stress. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is a tree species that is strongly affected by these developments in many regions of Europe and Asia. So far, changes in metabolic pathways and metabolite profiles in needles and roots on the trajectory towards mortality are unknown, although they could contribute to a better understanding of the mortality mechanisms. Therefore, we linked long-term observations of canopy defoliation and tree mortality with the characterization of the primary metabolite profile in needles and fine roots of Scots pines from a forest site in the Swiss Rhone valley. Our results show that Scots pines are able to maintain metabolic homeostasis in needles over a wide range of canopy defoliation levels. However, there is a metabolic tipping point at around 80-85% needle loss. Above this threshold, many stress-related metabolites (particularly osmoprotectants, defense compounds and antioxidants) increase in the needles, whereas they decrease in the fine roots. If this defoliation tipping point is exceeded, the trees are very likely to die within a few years. The different patterns between needles and roots indicate that mainly belowground carbon starvation impairs key functions for tree survival and suggests that this is an important factor explaining the increasing mortality of Scots pines.

Despite the critical role of microorganisms in plant and fungal residue decomposition, our understanding of their full diversity remains limited. This is due largely to the rapid microbial succession during decomposition, a scarcity of studies including multiple sampling times, and the omission of a species richness index encompassing all decay stages. To address these gaps, we conducted a meta-analysis of 12 studies, each examining bacterial and fungal communities at multiple time points during decomposition. We aimed to determine the overall microbial diversity involved in decomposition processes by aggregating microbial richness at different time points. By comparing cumulative microbial OTU (operational taxonomic unit) richness with single time point microbial richness, we show that the cumulative richness was 2–5 times greater, indicating that a high yet frequently overlooked diversity of microorganisms is involved in the decomposition process. This pattern was consistent across different organic matter types (plant and fungal residues) for both major microbial domains (bacteria and fungi). Moreover, the appearance rate of novel OTUs generally decreased over time for most organic matter types, except for dead wood, which accumulated new fungal OTUs at a notable pace. Our results collectively emphasize the importance of considering various microbial domains, organic matter types, and time points to successfully characterize the diversity of microorganisms involved in decomposition. Further, given the hidden cumulative number of bacterial and fungal species held within plant and fungal residues across decay stages, we propose that these substrates are crucial microbial reservoirs to include to accurately assess global terrestrial microbial diversity.

Proline is an amino acid acting as an osmoprotector in plants, as it reduces osmotic potential and enhances plant water uptake, especially under drought. Aluminum (Al) toxicity causes inhibition of root growth and low leaf hydration with negative consequences for photosynthetic performance. Thus, plants under Al toxicity could benefit from proline accumulation. Here we investigated whether proline is induced by Al in Pinus sylvestris, an Al-tolerant woody species. Proline and abscisic acid (ABA) concentration, gas exchange rates, stomatal conductance (gs), relative needle water content (RWC), stem water potential (Ψw), biometric data and plant biomass were evaluated in plants grown in nutrient solution with 0, 250, 500, and 1000 μM Al for 42 days. Plant growth, gas exchange rates, RWC and ABA were the same between the four treatments, as expected for an Al-tolerant species. The maintenance of needle hydration throughout the study provides a plausible explanation for the similar gas exchange values observed between Al-treated and untreated plants. Over the course of 7 to 14 days, plants exposed to Al showed a decrease in midday stem water potential (Ψmd), and an increase in proline concentration. Subsequently, both parameters exhibited similar values between treatments until the end of the study. These findings suggest proline may play a role in osmotic adjustment in P. sylvestris exposed to Al.

The European Alps are experiencing more than twice the increase in air temperature observed in the rest of the world. Thus, the treeline ecotone, and the unique habitats above it, offer a preview of drastic changes in plant and animal communities. However, our knowledge about climate change impacts on microbial diversity belowground is scarce. Here we investigate how upslope shift of the treeline ecotone, associated with changes in soil nutrient content, temperature and precipitation, will influence alpine ectomycorrhizal (EM) communities of Dryas octopetala, Bistorta vivipara and Salix herbacea across different habitat types in the Alps. We also assessed the degree of EM community taxonomic composition turnover in these habitats across three different climatic projections for 2040 and 2070. Our results indicate that the specialized EM fungal communities from snowbed habitats will be mostly negatively influenced under the current trajectory of environmental shifting predicted for the region. In contrast, fungi from the treeline ecotone, having wider niches, will be positively influenced by future climate and extend upwards. In addition, our predictions of EM community turnover for putative future climatic scenarios revealed high rates of turnover across the entire alpine region. This, together with glacier retreats, will aid colonization of alpine snowbed habitats by new EM plants and associated fungi, bringing additional pressures on local mycorrhizas and likely leading to fungal species extinctions.

In a greenhouse experiment, silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were applied on European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) leaves using the droplet application method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses showed that after 24 h silver nanoparticles were mostly present in aggregates or as single particles on the surface of the leaf, surrounding or covering the stomata. Analyses of cross sections of the leaf revealed that some silver nanoparticles were adhering to the cell walls of the mesophyll and palisade cells, most likely after penetration into the leaf through the stomata as particles and not as Ag ions. Our preliminary results showed evidence of foliar uptake of silver nanoparticles in European beech. This opens new insights on the ability of trees to take up solid nanosized particles, eventually contained in raindrops, through their leaves, and potentially transport them to other parts of the tree. This study would be helpful for investigating the role of trees in atmospheric ultrafine particle mitigation.

Trees have been used for phytoremediation and as biomonitors of air pollution. However, the mechanisms by which trees mitigate nanoparticle pollution in the environment are still unclear. We investigated whether two important tree species, European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), are able to take up and transport differently charged gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) into their stem by comparing leaf-to-root and root-to-leaf pathways. Au-NPs were taken up by roots and leaves, and a small fraction was transported to the stem in both species. Au-NPs were transported from leaves to roots but not vice versa. Leaf Au uptake was higher in beech than in pine, probably because of the higher stomatal density and wood characteristics of beech. Confocal (3D) analysis confirmed the presence of Au-NPs in trichomes and leaf blade, about 20–30 μm below the leaf surface in beech. Most Au-NPs likely penetrated into the stomatal openings through diffusion of Au-NPs as suggested by the 3D XRF scanning analysis. However, trichomes were probably involved in the uptake and internal immobilization of NPs, besides their ability to retain them on the leaf surface. The surface charge of Au-NPs may have played a role in their adhesion and uptake, but not in their transport to different tree compartments. Stomatal conductance did not influence the uptake of Au-NPs. This is the first study that shows nanoparticle uptake and transport in beech and pine, contributing to a better understanding of the interactions of NPs with different tree species.

The contribution from foliage, roots, and fungi to soil organic matter (SOM) represents a key unknown in SOM dynamics. Since stable hydrogen isotope ratios (δ²H_n) can greatly differ among these sources, we explored δ²H_n to elucidate sources contribution to SOM. Moreover, we assessed whether addition of ²H-depleted water - providing ²H-signal that gets incorporated into organic matter - allows tracing of new organic H and thus assessing SOM turnover.
In a 17-year-long irrigation experiment in a dry pine forest, we measured δ²H_n and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) in SOM sources, bulk SOM and particle-size fractions. Relative source contribution to SOM was estimated by Bayesian mixing models including all three isotopes.
The δ²H_n increased from foliar litter (-153‰) to fine roots (-118‰) and fungal mycelia (-81‰). Mixing models indicated that foliar litter dominated organic layers (69 ± 15%) and coarse particulate organic matter (POM) at 0-5 cm (65 ± 12%). In contrast, roots dominated fine POM at 2-5 cm (58 ± 12%). Fungal mycelia contributed only to 1-5% of coarse and fine POM, but to 5-25% of mineral associated organic matter (MOM) at 0-5 cm.
The soil water ²H-depletion with irrigation (-76‰ vs -68‰ at 0-10 cm) was paralleled by lower δ²H_n in coarse POM of irrigated vs dry plots (-122‰ vs -111‰ at 0-5 cm), indicating organic H turnover of less than 17 years. In contrast, δ²H_n in fine POM and MOM decreased only by 3‰ with irrigation, implying mean residence times of approximately 30 years.
While δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N differed by a maximum of 1‰ between plant sources, δ²H_n were 30-39‰ higher in roots than foliar litter, thus improving SOM sources differentiation. Long-term ²H-labelling by irrigation indicated higher organic H turnover in coarse vs fine soil fractions, offering a novel tool to identify SOM cycling and microbial H incorporation into SOM pools.

Climate change can alter the flow of nutrients and energy through terrestrial ecosystems. Using an inverse climate change field experiment in the central European Alps, we explored how long-term irrigation of a naturally drought-stressed pine forest altered the metabolic potential of the soil microbiome and its ability to decompose lignocellulolytic compounds as a critical ecosystem function. Drought mitigation by a decade of irrigation stimulated profound changes in the functional capacity encoded in the soil microbiome, revealing alterations in carbon and nitrogen metabolism as well as regulatory processes protecting microorganisms from starvation and desiccation. Despite the structural and functional shifts from oligotrophic to copiotrophic microbial lifestyles under irrigation and the observation that different microbial taxa were involved in the degradation of cellulose and lignin as determined by a time-series stable-isotope probing incubation experiment with ¹³C-labeled substrates, degradation rates of these compounds were not affected by different water availabilities. These findings provide new insights into the impact of precipitation changes on the soil microbiome and associated ecosystem functioning in a drought-prone pine forest and will help to improve our understanding of alterations in biogeochemical cycling under a changing climate.

Increasing plastic production and the release of some plastic in to the environment highlight the need for circular plastic economy. Microorganisms have a great potential to enable a more sustainable plastic economy by biodegradation and enzymatic recycling of polymers. Temperature is a crucial parameter affecting biodegradation rates, but so far microbial plastic degradation has mostly been studied at temperatures above 20°C. Here, we isolated 34 cold-adapted microbial strains from the plastisphere using plastics buried in alpine and Arctic soils during laboratory incubations as well as plastics collected directly from Arctic terrestrial environments. We tested their ability to degrade, at 15°C, conventional polyethylene (PE) and the biodegradable plastics polyester-polyurethane (PUR; Impranil^®); ecovio^® and BI-OPL, two commercial plastic films made of polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) and polylactic acid (PLA); pure PBAT; and pure PLA. Agar clearing tests indicated that 19 strains had the ability to degrade the dispersed PUR. Weight-loss analysis showed degradation of the polyester plastic films ecovio^® and BI-OPL by 12 and 5 strains, respectively, whereas no strain was able to break down PE. NMR analysis revealed significant mass reduction of the PBAT and PLA components in the biodegradable plastic films by 8 and 7 strains, respectively. Co-hydrolysis experiments with a polymer-embedded fluorogenic probe revealed the potential of many strains to depolymerize PBAT. Neodevriesia and Lachnellula strains were able to degrade all the tested biodegradable plastic materials, making these strains especially promising for future applications. Further, the composition of the culturing medium strongly affected the microbial plastic degradation, with different strains having different optimal conditions. In our study we discovered many novel microbial taxa with the ability to break down biodegradable plastic films, dispersed PUR, and PBAT, providing a strong foundation to underline the role of biodegradable polymers in a circular plastic economy.

Plastic is exceedingly abundant in soils, but little is known about its ecological consequences for soil microbiome functioning. Here we report the impacts of polyethylene and biodegradable Ecovio and BI-OPL plastic films buried in alpine soils for 5 months on the genetic potential of the soil microbiome using shotgun metagenomics. The microbiome was more affected by Ecovio and BI-OPL than by polyethylene. Fungi, α- and β-Proteobacteria dominated on the biodegradable films. Ecovio and BI-OPL showed signs of degradation after the incubation, whereas polyethylene did not. Genes involved in cellular processes and signaling (intracellular trafficking, secretion, vesicular transport), as well as metabolism (carbohydrate, lipid and secondary metabolism), were enriched in the plastisphere. Several α/β-hydrolase gene families (cutinase_like, polyesterase-lipase-cutinase, carboxylesterase), which encode enzymes essential to plastic degradation, and carbohydrate-active genes involved in lignin and murein degradation increased on Ecovio and BI-OPL films. Enriched nitrogen fixation and organic N degradation and synthesis genes and decreased nitrification genes on Ecovio altered the biogeochemical cycling, leading to higher ammonium concentrations and depletion of nitrite and nitrate in the soil. Our results indicate that plastics affect the alpine soil microbiome and its functions and suggest that the plastisphere has an untapped microbial potential for plastic biodegradation.

Predicting forest carbon cycling requires the accurate assessment of large-scale patterns of fine root seasonal dynamics, and thorough comprehension of how biotic and abiotic factors exert direct and/or indirect control over the variation in fine root biomass (FB), necromass stocks (FN) and the biomass/necromass ratio (FBN). We analyzed 67 studies with 1119 observations of FB and FN and used structural equation modeling to examine the relative contributions of the forest biome (boreal versus temperate versus tropical), evolutionary division (angiosperms versus gymnosperms), climate (monthly versus annual), edaphic and geomorphic properties in determining FB, FN and FBN. Temperate forests had a greater FB but lower FN than tropical and boreal forests. Compared with angiosperm forests, gymnosperm forests had a significantly smaller FB and FN but a similar FBN on the global scale. Angiosperm forests had different seasonal patterns of FB, FN and FBN compared to gymnosperm forests in tropical and temperate biomes throughout a year. Climatic and edaphic variables had dominant effects on fine root dynamics. Geomorphic properties directly and/or indirectly mediated fine root dynamics by influencing soil and climatic conditions. Temperature and precipitation at the monthly and annual scales exhibited strong direct effects on FB, FN and FBN, and indirect effects mediated through soil properties. Our synthesis provides evidence that responses of fine roots to environmental factors vary with both evolutionary division and forest biome, suggesting that future climate changes may alter the competition relations among co-existing species (for example, angiosperms versus gymnosperms), belowground carbon stocks, and also ecosystem composition and diversity.

Climate change exposes ecosystems to strong and rapid changes in their environmental boundary conditions mainly due to the altered temperature and precipitation patterns. It is still poorly understood how fast interlinked ecosystem processes respond to altered environmental conditions, if these responses occur gradually or suddenly when thresholds are exceeded, and if the patterns of the responses will reach a stable state. We conducted an irrigation experiment in the Pfynwald, Switzerland from 2003–2018. A naturally dry Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forest was irrigated with amounts that doubled natural precipitation, thus releasing the forest stand from water limitation. The aim of this study was to provide a quantitative understanding on how different traits and functions of individual trees and the whole ecosystem responded to increased water availability, and how the patterns and magnitudes of these responses developed over time. We found that the response magnitude, the temporal trajectory of responses, and the length of initial lag period prior to significant response largely varied across traits. We detected rapid and stronger responses from aboveground tree traits (e.g., tree-ring width, needle length, and crown transparency) compared to belowground tree traits (e.g., fine-root biomass). The altered aboveground traits during the initial years of irrigation increased the water demand and trees adjusted by increasing root biomass during the later years of irrigation, resulting in an increased survival rate of Scots pine trees in irrigated plots. The irrigation also stimulated ecosystem-level foliar decomposition rate, fungal fruit body biomass, and regeneration abundances of broadleaved tree species. However, irrigation did not promote the regeneration of Scots pine trees, which are reported to be vulnerable to extreme droughts. Our results provide extensive evidence that tree- and ecosystem-level responses were pervasive across a number of traits on long-term temporal scales. However, after reaching a peak, the magnitude of these responses either decreased or reached a new stable state, providing important insights into how resource alterations could change the system functioning and its boundary conditions.

Ein natürlich gewachsener und intakter Waldboden ist von unschätzbarem Wert. Er sorgt für sauberes Trinkwasser, schützt vor Hochwasser, ist Lebensraum unzähliger Organismen und bildet die Grundlage für die Holzproduktion. Eine besonders wichtige Rolle spielt der Waldboden als Kohlenstoffspeicher. Wird seine Speicherleistung beeinträchtigt, hat dies negative Auswirkungen auf das Klima. Die Klimafolgen wiederum gefährden die bedeutenden Funktionen des Waldes und seiner Böden. In diesem Forum für Wissen wollen wir (i) die Funktionen von Waldböden und ihre Bedeutung für die Waldökosystemleistungen darstellen, (ii) auf mögliche Beeinträchtigungen der Bodenfunktionen durch Klimafolgen, zum Beispiel Sturmschäden, aufmerksam machen, (iii) Massnahmen und Handlungen aufzeigen, die zur langfristigen Erhaltung und Verbesserung der Bodenfunktionen beitragen können, und (iv) auf zukünftige Trends hinweisen.

A naturally grown and intact forest soil is invaluable. It provides clean drinking water, protects against floods, is the habitat of countless organisms, and is the basis for wood production. Forest soils play a particularly important role as carbon storage, and an impaired storage capacity has a negative impact on the climate. Climate change in turn endangers important functions of the forest and its soils. In this "Forum für Wissen" workshop, we want to (i) present the various functions of forest soils and their significance for forest ecosystem services, (ii) draw attention to possible degradation of soil functions due to climate impacts, e.g. damage caused by storms, (iii) highlight measures and actions that can contribute to the long-term maintenance and improvement of soil functions, and (iv) identify future trends.