Veröffentlichungen

Publications by RTG Doctoral and Postdoctoral Researchers

Peer-reviewed publications

• Bärwald J, Pierick K, Ammer C, Link RM, Hackmann CA (2026) Intra-annual radial growth of beech, Douglas fir and spruce: Differences between pure and mixed stands reveal complementarity between species. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 388: 111314.


• Klenke J, von Groß V, Fuchs JM, Topanotti LR, Wildermuth B, Rivera Pérez CA, Lu J-Z, Likulunga LE, Knoke T, Paul C (2026) Balancing biodiversity and economics: Using robust Pareto-optimisation to quantify ecological–economic trade-offs in German mixed beech forests. Ambio.


• Piccini S, Wildermuth B, Matevski D, Kriegel P, Penanhoat A, Seidel D, Hagge J, Gossner MM, Schuldt A (2026) Same forest, different story: Beetle community responses to non-native tree species depend on the vertical stratum. Journal of Applied Ecology 63: e70472.


• Paligi SS, Hackmann CA, Schick J, Audisio M, Coners H, Mund M, Ammer C, Leuschner C (2026) Isohydric Douglas fir shows earlier drought-induced declines in stem water status and growth than anisohydric beech. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 388: 111294..


• Köthe K, Georgi R, Hamutenya J, Müller C, Nghikembua M, Pettenkofer T, Trumpa M, Seidel D (2026) A novel two-step framework for bush biomass change-detection and quantification in Namibia using ground- and drone-based LiDAR - a pilot study. Biomass and Bioenergy 212: 109270.


• Mrak K, Hahn P, Wildermuth B, Lamersdorf N (2026) Mineral nitrogen form preference, partitioning and root morphological traits of Douglas fir and European beech under intra—and interspecific competition in-situ. European Journal of Forest Research 145:38.

• Hackmann CA, Paligi SS, Mund M, Hölscher D, Leuschner C, Pietig K, Ammer C (2025) Root water uptake depth in temperate forest trees: species-specific patterns shaped by neighbourhood and environment. Plant Biology DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.70058.


• Lu J-Z, Wenglein R, Bluhm C, Stuckenburg T, Potapov AM, Ammer C, Scheu S (2025) Reduced predation and energy flux in soil food webs by introduced tree species: Bottom-up control of multitrophic biodiversity across size compartments. Functional Ecology 39: 64-76 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14696.


• Lu J-Z, Yang J, Bluhm C, Foltran E, Rivera Perez CA , Glatthorn J, Ammer C, Lamersdorf N, Polle A, Berg M, Potapov AM, Scheu S (2025) Mixed forests with native species mitigate impacts of introduced Douglas fir on soil decomposers (Collembola). Ecological Applications: 35: 3.


• Mittelman P, Balkenhol N (2025) Effects of mixed forests and introduced Douglas-fir on the dynamics of European beech seeds and seedlings. Forest Ecology and Management 588: 122766.


• Mittelman P, Pineda M, Balkenhol N (2025) Mixed broadleaf–conifer forests promote coexistence of red squirrels and dormice. European Journal of Wildlife Research 71: 67.


• Mrak K, Hackmann CA, Paligi SS, Ammer C, Lamersdorf N, Leuschner C, Marshall JD, Magh RK (2025) De-Coupled Water and Nitrogen Translocation From Subsoil to Canopy of Temperate Forest Trees. Plant, Cell & Environment. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70327.


• Paligi SS, Link RM, Hackmann CA, Coners H & Leuschner C (2025) Water consumption of beech, spruce and Douglas fir in pure and mixed stands in a wet and a dry year – Testing predictions of the iso/anisohydry concept. Science of the Total Environment 970: 178948.


• Stuckenburg T, Lu J-Z, Scheu S (2025) C, N and P dynamics during litter decomposition in pure and mixed beech – conifer stands: Effects of litter species, site conditions and native vs non-native conifer species. Forest Ecology and Management 594: 122929.


• van Galen LG... Lu J-Z, ...Scheu S et al. (2025) A global database of soil microbial phospholipid fatty acids and enzyme activities. Sci Data 12: 1568.

• Appleby SM, Bebre I, Riebl H, Balkenhol N, Seidel D (2024) Linking small mammal capture probability with understory structural complexity using a mobile laser scanning-derived metric: A case study. Ecological Research 39: 360–367. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12447.


• Audisio M, Sennhenn-Reulen H, Schott I, Paligi SS, Mrak K, Hertel D, Leuschner C, Polle A (2024) Mycorrhization, root tip vitality and biomass of Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies and Pseudotsuga menziesii in monospecific and mixed combinations under water reduction and nitrogen addition. Trees – Structure and Function 38: 695-708. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-024-02509-6.


• Audisio M, Muhr J, Polle A (2024) Ectomycorrhizal fungi of Douglas‐fir retain newly assimilated carbon derived from neighboring European beech. New Phytologist 243(5): 1980-1990.


• Foltran EC, Lamersdorf N (2024) Tree species identity drives soil Carbon and Nitrogen stocks in nutrient-poor sites. Forest Ecology and Management 567: 122090.


• Lichter J, Wiemann PFV, Kneib T (2024) Variational Inference: uncertainty quantification in additive models. Advances in Statistical Analysis 108:279-331, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10182-024-00492-4.


• Lu JZ, Bluhm C, Foltran E, Rivera Pérez CA, Ammer C, Caruso T, Glatthorn J, Lamersdorf N, Polle A, Sandmann D, Schaefer I, Schuldt A, Maraun M, Scheu S (2024) Functional traits in soil-living oribatid mites unveil trophic reorganization in belowground communities by introduced tree species. Geoderma 448: 116947. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116947.


• Hackmann CA, Sennhenn-Reulen H, Mund M, Ammer C (2024) Local neighborhood affects stem rehydration under drought: evidence from mixtures of European beech with two different conifers. Tree physiology 44: tpae114.


• Lwila A, Ammer C, Gailing O, Leinemann L, Mund M (2024) Root overlap and allocation of above- and belowground growth of European beech in pure and mixed stands of Douglas fir and Norway spruce. Forest Ecosystems 11: 100217.


• Mrak K, Covre-Foltran E, Lamersdorf N (2024) Elevated nitrate concentrations in soil solution under pure Douglas fir stands can be lowered by mixing with European beech and by site selection. Forest Ecology and Management 564: 122004.


• Mittelman P, Appleby SM, Balkenhol N (2024) Forest composition shapes seed‐rodent interactions in a gradient of broadleaves and conifers. Journal of Applied Ecology 61: 1944-1954 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14711 .


• Paligi SS, Lichter JH, Kotowska M, Schwutke R, Audisio M, Mrak K, Penanhoat A, Schuldt B, Hertel D, Leuschner C (2024) Water status dynamics and drought tolerance of juvenile European beech, Douglas fir and Norway spruce trees as dependent on neighborhood and nitrogen supply, Tree Physiology 44:tpae044. https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpae044.


• Penanhoat A, Guerrero Ramirez N, Aubry-Kientz M, Diekmann L, Paligi SS, Audisio M, Mrak K, Seidel D (2024) Effect of competition intensity and neighbour identity on architectural traits of Fagus sylvatica. Trees – Structure and Function 38: 1177-1187. DOI:10.1007/s00468-024-02544-3 .


• Schumann K, Schuldt B, Fischer M, Ammer C, Leuschner C (2024) Xylem safety in relation to the stringency of plant water potential regulation of European beech, Norway spruce, and Douglas-fir trees during severe drought. Trees – Structure and Function: 38: 607–623.


• Topanotti LR, Fuchs JM, Alber M, Schick J, Penanhoat A, Lu J-Z, Rivera Pérez CA, Foltran EC, Appleby S, Wildermuth B, Stuckenberg T, Likulunga LE, Glatthorn J, Schuldt A, Polle A, Balkenhol N, Scheu S, Ammer C, Paul C, Guerrero-Ramírez N (2024) Enhancing economic multifunctionality without compromising multidiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality via forest enrichment. Science Advances 10: eadp6566..


• Wenglein R, Lu J-Z, Scheu S (2024) The influence of forest types including native and non‐native tree species on soil macrofauna depends on site conditions. Ecology and Evolution 14(9): e70311 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70311.


• Wildermuth B, Penanhoat A, Sennhenn-Reulen H, Matevski D, Drescher J, Aubry-Kientz M, Seidel D, Schuldt A (2024) Canopy structure influences arthropod communities within and beyond tree identity effects: Insights from combining LiDAR data, insecticidal fogging and machine learning regression modelling, Ecological Indicators 160: 222901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.111901.


• Wildermuth B, Hagge J, Seifert CL, Tjaden R, Schuldt A (2024) Beneficial effects of native broadleaved forests on canopy beetle diversity are not reduced by admixture of non-native conifers. Journal of Applied Ecology 61: 1000-1014. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14623.

• Appleby SM, Balkenhol N (2023) Douglas fir and Norway spruce have similar effects on small mammal density, but not survival, in Central European managed forests. Mammalian Biology 104(1): 25-39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-023-00384-1.


• Foltran EC, Ammer C, Lamersdorf N (2023) Do admixed conifers change soil nutrient conditions of European beech stands? Soil Research 61: 647-662.


• Glatthorn J, Appleby S, Balkenhol N, Kriegel P, Likulunga LE, Lu JZ, Matevski D, Polle A, Riebl H, Rivera Pérez CA, Scheu S, Seinsche A, Schall P, Schuldt A, Wingender S, Ammer C (2023) Species diversity of forest floor biota in non-native Douglas-fir stands is similar to that of native stands. Ecosphere 14(7): e4609.


• Schick J, Albert M, Schmidt M (2023) A new approach for modeling stand height development of German forests under climate change. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 6:1201636.


• Lwila AS, Post-Leon A, Ammer C, Mund M (2023) Site properties, species identity, and species mixture affect fine root production, mortality, and turnover rate in pure and mixed forests of European Beech, Norway spruce, and Douglas-fir. Ecological Indicators 147: 109975.


• Matevski D, Foltran E, Lamersdorf, Schuldt A (2023) Introduction of non-native Douglas fir reduces leaf damage on beech saplings and mature trees in European beech forests. Ecological Applications 33: e2786.


• Riebl H, Klein N, Kneib T (2023) Modelling intra-annual tree stem growth with a distributional regression approach for Gaussian process responses. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series C: Applied Statistics 72(2): 414–433.


• Matevski D, Schuldt A (2023) Non-native Douglas fir promotes epigeal spider density, but has a mixed effect on functional diversity. Biodiversity and Conservation 32: 1233–1250.


• Wildermuth B, Fardiansah R, Matevski D, Lu JZ, Kriegel P, Scheu S, Schuldt A (2023) Conifers and non-native tree species shift trophic niches of generalist arthropod predators in Central European beech forests. BMC Ecology and Evolution 23(3): 1-14.


• Wildermuth B, Seifert, CL, Husemann M, Schuldt A (2023) Metabarcoding reveals that mixed forests mitigate negative effects of non‐native trees on canopy arthropod diversity. Ecological Applications 33: e2921.


• Wildermuth B, Dönges C, Matevski D, Penanhoat A, Seifert CL, Seidel D, ... Schuldt A (2023) Tree species identity, canopy structure and prey availability differentially affect canopy spider diversity and trophic composition. Oecologia 203: 37-51.

• Annighöfer P, Mund M, Seidel D, Ammer C, Amezteguid A, Balandier P, Bebre I, Coll L, Collete C, Hamm T, Huth F, Schneider H, Kühne C, Löf M, Petritan AM, Petritan IC, Schall P, Bauhus J (2022) Examination of aboveground attributes to predict belowground biomass of young trees. Forest Ecology and management 505: 119942.


• Bebre I, Marques I, Annighöfer P (2022) Biomass Allocation and Leaf Morphology of Saplings Grown under Various Conditions of Light Availability and Competition Types. Plants 11: 305.


• Likulunga LE, Clausing S, Krüger J, Lang F, Polle A (2022) Fine root biomass of European beech trees in different soil layers show different responses to season, climate, and soil nutrients. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 5: 955327.


• Lu JZ, Cordes PH, Maraun M, Scheu S (2022) High consistency of trophic niches in soil microarthropod species (Oribatida, Acari) across soil depth and forest type. Ecology and Evolution 12: e9572.


• Marques I, Kneib T, Klein N (2022) Discussion on “Spatial+: A novel approach to spatial confounding” by Emiko Dupont, Simon N. Wood, and Nicole H. Augustin. Biometrics 78(4): 1295-1299.


• Marques I, Kneib T, Klein N (2022) Mitigating Spatial Confounding by Explicitly Correlating Gaussian Random Fields. Environmetrics 33(5): e2727.


• Marques I, Kneib T, Klein N (2022) A non-stationary model for spatially dependent circular response data based on wrapped Gaussian processes. Statistics and Computing 32: 73.


• Rivera Pérez CA, Janz D, Schneider D, Daniel R, Polle A (2022) Transcriptional Landscape of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi and Their Host Provide Insight into N Uptake from Forest Soil. mSystems 7: e00957-21.


• Schuldt A, Huke P, Glatthorn J, Hagge J, Wildermuth B, Matevski D (2022) Tree mixtures mediate negative effects of introduced tree species on bird taxonomic and functional diversity. Journal of Applied Ecology 59: 3049–3060.

• Bebre I, Riebl H, Annighöfer P (2021) Seedling Growth and Biomass Production under Different Light Availability Levels and Competition Types. Forests 12: 1376.


• Clausing S, Likulunga EL, Janz D, Feng HY, Schneider D, Daniel R, Krüger J, Lang F, Polle A (2021) Impact of nitrogen and phosphorus addition on resident soil and root mycobiomes in beech forests. Biology and Fertility of Soils 57: 1031-1052.


• Glatthorn J (2021) A spatially explicit index for tree species or trait diversity at neighborhood and stand level. Ecological Indicators 130: 108073.


• Glatthorn J, Annighöfer P, Balkenhol N, Leuschner C, Polle A, Scheu S, Schuldt A, Schuldt B, Ammer C (2021) An interdisciplinary framework to describe and evaluate the functioning of forest ecosystems. Basic and Applied Ecology 52: 1-14.


• Kriegel P, Matevski D, Schuldt A (2021) Monoculture and mixture-planting of non-native Douglas fir alters species composition, but promotes the diversity of ground beetles in a temperate forest system. Biodiversity and Conservation. 30: 1479-1499.


• Likulunga EL, Rivera Pérez CA, Schneider D, Daniel R, Polle A (2021) Forest tree species composition and abiotic site conditions drive soil fungal communities and functional groups. Forest Ecolgy and Management 502: 119709.


• Lu JZ, Scheu S (2021) Response of soil microbial communities to mixed beech-conifer forests varies with site conditions. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 155: 108155.


• Lwila AS, Mund M, Ammer C, Glatthorn J (2021) Site conditions more than species identity drive fine root biomass, morphology and spatial distribution in temperate pure and mixed forests. Forest Ecology and Management 499: 119581.


• Matevski D, Schuldt A (2021) Tree species richness, tree identity and non-native tree proportion affect arboreal spider diversity, abundance and biomass – Forest Ecology and Management 483: 118775.


• Matevski D, Glatthorn J, Kriegel P, Schuldt A (2021) Non-native Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) promotes pest control in a model caterpillar experiment in Central European plan-tations. In: Forest Ecology and Management 489: 119099.


• Seidel D, Annighöfer P, Thielman A, Seifert QE, Thauer J-H, Glatthorn J, Ehbrecht, M, Kneib, T, Ammer A (2021) Predicting tree species from 3D laser scanning point clouds using deep learning. Frontiers in Plant Science 12: 635440.

• Bebre I, Annighöfer P, Ammer C, Seidel D (2020) Growth, morphology, and biomass allocation of recently planted seedlings of seven European tree species along a light gradient. iForest 13: 261-269.


• Schuldt B, Buras A, Arend M, Vitasse Y, Beierkuhnlein C, Damm A, Gharun M,Grams TEE, Hauck M, Hajek P, Hartmann H, Hiltbrunner E, Hoch G, Holloway-Phillips M, Körner C, Larysch E, Lübbe T, Nelson DB, Rammig A, Rigling A, Rose L, Ruehr NK, Schumann K, Weiser F, Werner C, Wohlgemuth T, Zang CS, Kahmen A (2020) A first assessment of the impact of the extreme 2018 summer drought on Central European forests. Opinion Paper. Basic and Applied Ecology 45: 86-103.

• Marques I, Klein N, Kneib T (2019) Non-stationary spatial regression for modelling monthly precipitation in Germany. Spatial Statistics 19: 100386.

Other publications

• Matevski D, Glatthorn J, Foltran EC (2022) Leaf damage data on European beech leaves from saplings and mature trees from Lower Saxony, Germany in 2019. Pangaea: Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science.

• Bebre I, Riebl H, Annighöfer P (2021) Height, diameter, biomass, leaf area, and relative height volume growth of European beech, Norway spruce, and Douglas fir grown in monospecific and mixed pots under different light availability levels. Pangaea: Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science.


• Likulunga EL, Rivera Pérez CA, Schneider D, Daniel R, Polle A (2021) The abundance of soil fungi with associated functional and taxonomic guilds in pure and mixed beechconifer tree stands. Pangaea: Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science.


• Lwila AS, Ammer C, Mund M, Glatthorn J (2021) RTG 2300 - Fine root biomass inventory 2018. Pangaea: Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science.


• Rivera Pérez CA, Janz D, Schneider D, Daniel R, Polle A (2021) Transcriptional Landscape of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi and Their Host Provide Insight into N Uptake from Forest Soil. BioRxiv, 2021.07.23.453179.


• Rivera Pérez CA, Janz D, Schneider D, Daniel R, Polle A (2021) Mineral nitrogen nutrition of Fagus sylvatica L roots colonized by ectomycorrhizal fungi in native forest soil. Dryad Dataset.


• Rivera Pérez CA, Schneider D, Daniel R, Polle A (2021) Characterization of root fungal community of European beech saplings. Sequence Read Archive (SRA).

• Ammer C, Annighöfer P, Balkenhol N, Hertel D, Leuschner C, Polle A, Lamersdorf N, Scheu S, Glatthorn J (2020) Rtg 2300 - study design, location, topography and climatic conditions of research plots in 2020. Pangaea: Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science.


• Ammer C, Annighöfer P, Balkenhol N, Hertel D, Leuschner C, Polle A, Lamersdorf N, Scheu S, Glatthorn J (2020) Rtg 2300: Enrichment of European beech forests with conifers. Pangaea: Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science.


• Foltran EC, Lamersdorf N, Ammer C (2020) Douglas fir and Norway spruce admixtures to beech forests along a site gradient in Northern Germany – Are soil nutrient conditions afected? bioRxiv doi.org/2020.09.25.313213.


• Rivera Pérez CA, Janz D, Schneider D, Daniel R, Polle A (2020) Transcription profiling of mycorrhized European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) roots in response to fertilization with different forms of inorganic nitrogen. ArrayExpress database.

• Sauer J, Sennhenn-Reulen H, Nagel J (2018) Struktur und Dynamik von Mischbeständen mit Buche, Fichte und Douglasie. In: Klädtke J, Kohnle U (eds): Deutscher Verband Forstlicher Forschungsanstalten, Conference Report 2018: Sektion Ertragskunde. Jahrestagung 14.–16.05.2018, Vígľaš/Slowakia. ISSN 1432-2609

Other publications of the RTG

• Ammer C (2019) Diversity and forest productivity in a changing climate. The New Phytologist 221 (1): 50-66.


• Leuschner C (2020) Drought response or European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) – A review. Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics 47: 125576.