Press Releases

A recent study shows that trees of the central Amazon Rainforest react to climate stress by emitting more volatile compounds, which interfere with the atmosphere’s chemistry. The study, performed by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany and the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), Brazil, was published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment. more

A new study reveals that leaf turnover strategies and heat stress in Amazonian trees affect atmospheric chemistry and carbon cycling: trees, and in particular brevideciduous trees, emit more and more carbon-rich volatile organic compounds as temperatures rise. more

Excellent research is promoted and rewarded at Beutenberg Jena more

Flora Incognita is based on a neural network that learns plant features on its own, enabling automatic identification more

Researchers used radiocarbon to show that organic carbon in dryland topsoils is much older than previously estimated, averaging about 2,000 years. However, when dry soils are wetted, even old carbon is decomposed and respired by microbes. more

The Amazon rainforest experienced unusually high temperatures and atmospheric dryness in 2023. Observations from ATTO and further data revealed that the vegetation’s uptake of carbon was above average early in the year, but drastically reduced during the drought season, leading from a carbon sink into a source. more

Using more than 80 million observations from plant identification apps, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry have produced a detailed picture of fine-scale climate and soil conditions for 326 European cities. more