Ruth Magh

Post doctoral researcher

Office

Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Institute of Geoscience
Burgweg 11 / H302
07749 Jena / Germany

Research activity

I'm interested in the water and nutrient uptake dynamics of forests. This includes investigating root water- and nutrient uptake, transport, and incorporation into biomass. I work in mixed and pure species forests of the temperate and boreal region, and in ecosystems with different water and nitrogen availabilities. In the future I am interested to see if, and how this heterogeneity is translated into the soil, and how this influences soil water recharge and nutrient retention/leaching.

Currently, I work on the following questions in particular:

To what extend do roots reach for either water or nutrients horizontally and vertically?
How much is nitrogen uptake influenced by mass flow?
How do trees compete for nutrients with other players in the ecosystem and are mycorrhizal networks moving nutrients around to provide them to their tree hosts?

Also check out https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ruth-Kristina-MaghExternal link.

Selected publications

Lutter R., N. Henriksson, H. Lim, R. Blaško, RK. Magh, T. Näsholm, A. Nordin, T. Lundmark, JD. Marshall: Belowground resource utilization in monocultures and mixtures of Scots pine and Norway spruce.External link Forest Ecology and Management, 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119647

Henriksson N., H. Lim, JD. Marshall, O. Franklin, RE. McMurtie, R. Lutter, RK. Magh, T. Lundmark, T. Näsholm: Tree water uptake enhances nitrogen acquisition in a fertilized boreal forest – but not under nitrogen poor conditionsExternal link. New Phytologist, 2021. doi: 10.1111/NPH.17578

De Deurwaerder H.P.T., M.D. Visser, M. Detto, P. Boeckx, F. Meunier, K. Kuehnhammer, RK. Magh, JD. Marshall, L. Wang, L. Zhao, H. Verbeek: Causes and consequences of pronounced variation in the isotope composition of plant xylem waterExternal link. Biogeosciences, 2020. doi: 10.5194/bg-17-4853-2020

Magh RK., C. Eiferle, T. Burzlaff, M. Dannenmann, H. Rennenberg, M. Dubbert: Competition for water rather than facilitation in mixed beech-fir forests after drying- wetting-cycleExternal link. Journal of Hydrology, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.124944

Rehschuh S., M. Fuchs, J. Tejedor, A. Schäfler-Schmid, RK. Magh, T. Burzlaff, H. Rennenberg, M. Dannenmann: Admixing Fir to European Beech Forests Improves the Soil Greenhouse Gas BalanceExternal link. Forests 10: 213, 2019. doi:10.3390/f10030213

Magh RK., B. Bonn, R. Grote, T. Burzlaff, S. Pfautsch, H. Rennenberg: Drought Superimposes the Positive Effect of Silver Fir on Water Relations of European Beech in Mature Forest StandsExternal link. Forests, 2019. doi: 10.3390/f10100897

Magh RK., F. Yang, S. Rehschuh, M. Burger, M. Dannenmann, R. Pena, T. Burzlaff, M. Ivankovic, H. Rennenberg: Nitrogen Nutrition of European Beech Is Maintained at Sufficient Water Supply in Mixed Beech-Fir StandsExternal link. Forests, 2018. doi:10.3390/f9120733

Magh RK., M. Grün, V. Knothe, T. Stubenazy, J. Tejedor, M. Dannenmann, H. Rennenberg: Silver-fir (Abies alba MILL.) neighbors improve water relations of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), but do not affect N nutrition. Trees, 2018. doi:10.1007/s00468-017-1557-zExternal link

Conference contributions

Magh RK., N. Henriksson, H. Lim, R. Lutter, T. Näsholm, T. Lundmark, JD. Marshall: Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Water- and Nitrogen Uptake in two contrasting Boreal Scots Pine Forest Stands – and the importance of within stem distribution profiles. AGU Fall Meeting 2021. Talk (invited)

Magh RK., N. Henriksson, H. Lim, R. Lutter, T. Lundmark, JD. Marshall: Borehole equilibration 2.0 or how to chase tracer pulses in a forested ecosystem. EGU General Assembly 2021. Talk

Magh RK., C. Eiferle, H. Rennenberg, M. Dubbert: Water use strategies of mature beeches – a comparison of pure and mixed stands. Jahrestagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Stablie Isotope e.V. 2018. Talk