Krista Lõhmus

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ecology)
• Professor (Full) at University of Tartu

The main C and N fluxes of a winter rapeseed field in Central Estonia were quantified for one year to identify the highest fluxes and major sources of uncertainty. Greenhouse gas emissions were measured with the closed chamber method, leaching losses were estimated by combining the soil water balance and leachate analyses, and soil C and N changes...

To evaluate the impact of stand age on the ecosystem's C budget, as well as the post-harvest recovery of the C storages and fluxes, a chronosequence of Scots pine stands from the clear-cut stage up to the age of 110 years was studied. An age-related trend of net primary production (NPP) demonstrated effective C accumulation in the young and middle-...

Plant community biomass production is co‐dependent on climatic and edaphic factors that are often covarying and non‐independent. Disentangling how these factors act in isolation is challenging, especially along large climatic gradients that can mask soil effects. As anthropogenic pressure increasingly alters local climate and soil resource supply u...

Ecosystem responses to climate change are mainly predicted based on short-term studies. However, the first response can be a temporary overreaction, different from the later response of the more acclimated ecosystem. The current paper is a follow-up study of our previous article, where the effect of elevated atmospheric humidity on forest ecosystem...

Litter decomposition is a key process that drives carbon and nutrient cycles in forest soils. The decomposition of five different substrate types was analyzed in hemiboreal coniferous forests, focusing on the mass loss and nutrient (N, P, and K) release of fine roots (FR) and needle litter in relation to the initial substrate and soil chemistry. A...

This study analyses long‐term changes in drought indices (Standardised Precipitation Index—SPI, Standardised Precipitation–Evapotranspiration Index—SPEI) at 1 and 3 months scales at 182 stations in 11 central and eastern European countries during 1949–2018. For comparative purposes, the necessary atmospheric evaporative demand (AED) to obtain SPEI...

Plant community biomass production is co-dependent on climatic and edaphic factors that are often covarying and non-independent. Disentangling how these factors act in isolation is challenging, especially along large climatic gradients that can mask soil effects. As anthropogenic pressure increasingly alters local climate and soil resource supply u...

Climate models predict increasing amounts of precipitation and relative atmospheric humidity for high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Therefore, tree species must adjust to the new climatic conditions. We studied young silver birches (Betula pendula Roth) in a long-term (2012–2018) free air humidity manipulation experiment, with the aim of cl...

Thinning changes the functioning of the whole forest ecosystem, including carbon and nitrogen (N) cycling. The input of organic matter and N into soil, as well as soil temperature and moisture regimes change, which may have an impact on the intensity of the net nitrogen mineralization (NNM) process. The main aims of this study were to estimate the...

Hemiboreal forests form a transitional belt between boreal and temperate forests in Eurasia, and due to long-term climate warming they could potentially expand in a northerly direction. However, carbon (C) exchange studies in this transitional forest type are scarce. In 2014–2015 we analyzed CO2 exchange in a hemiboreal mixed forest at SMEAR Estoni...

Processes determining the carbon (C) balance of a forest ecosystem are influenced by a number of climatic and environmental factors. In Northern Europe, a rise in atmospheric humidity and precipitation is predicted. The study aims to ascertain the effect of elevated atmospheric humidity on the components of the C budget and on the C-sequestration c...

Clear-cutting is a conventional method of forest management which significantly changes carbon (C) cycling at the ecosystem level for a long time. Estimation of the interim period during which the ecosystem turns from a C source to a C sink is crucial for clarifying the environmental effects of management on forest C cycling. The current study prov...

The decomposition of the leaf litter, fine roots (d < 2 mm) and coarser roots (2 ≤ d < 5 mm) of grey alder and silver birch, as well as of α-cellulose sheets using the litterbag method was studied in two experimental stands on Podzoluvisol soils in Southern Estonia. For both tree species, the coarser roots decomposed faster than the fine roots, (p...

The original version of this Article contained an error in the first sentence of the Acknowledgements section, which incorrectly referred to the Estonian Research Council grant identifier as "PUTJD618". The correct version replaces the grant identifier with "PUTJD619". This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a powerful greenhouse gas and the main driver of stratospheric ozone depletion. Since soils are the largest source of N2O, predicting soil response to changes in climate or land use is central to understanding and managing N2O. Here we find that N2O flux can be predicted by models incorporating soil nitrate concentration (NO3...

Increasing atmospheric humidity—a climate trend predicted for northern Europe—will reduce water flux through vegetation. Diminished transpirational water flux impacts various physiological processes, causing growth decline in deciduous trees. We propose, based on the results obtained from the long-term free air humidity manipulation experiment, con...

Expected climate change in high latitudes includes increased air temperature, precipitation, and humidity in the coming decades. Simultaneously, climate extremes like heat waves and droughts become more frequent. In the Free-Air Humidity Manipulation (FAHM) experiment in silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) and hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. × P. t...

- The tree root–mycorhizosphere plays a key role in resource uptake, but also in the adaptation of forests to changing environments. - The adaptive foraging mechanisms of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) and fine roots of Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris and Betula pendula were evaluated along a gradient from temperate to subarctic boreal forest (38 sites betwee...

The interactive effects of climate variables and tree-tree competition are still insufficiently understood drivers of forest response to global climate change. Precipitation and air humidity are predicted to rise concurrently at high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. We investigated if the growth response of deciduous trees to elevated air humi...

AimsUnderstanding the linkage of soil respiration (Rs) with forest development is essential for long-term C cycle models. We estimated the variation and temperature sensitivity (Q10 value) of Rs and its hetero-, (Rh) and autotrophic (Ra) components in relation to abiotic and biotic factors in Norway spruce stands of different ages, and the effect o...

Soil microbes play a fundamental role in forest ecosystems and respond rapidly to changes in the environment. Simultaneously with the temperature increase the climate change scenarios also predict an intensified hydrological cycle for the Baltic Sea runoff region. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of elevated air humidity on the top so...

As changes in air temperature, precipitation, and air humidity are expected in the coming decades, studies on the impact of these environmental shifts on plant growth and functioning are of major importance. Greatly understudied aspects of climate change include consequences of increasing air humidity on forest ecosystems, predicted for high latitu...

Key message Elevated atmospheric humidity reduced bud size by restricting primordium growth and increased the frequency of bud break in fast-growing deciduous trees, but the responses are species-specific. Abstract The initiation, development, and growth potential of buds determine the structure of a tree crown. Climate change scenarios project...

We studied the physicochemical properties of stemwood in saplings of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) and hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx.), grown for four years under artificially elevated relative air humidity (on average by 7%) in field conditions, using the Free Air Humidity Manipulation (FAHM) research facility in Est...

Known as biogeochemical hotspots in landscapes, riparian buffer zones exhibit considerable potential concerning mitigation of groundwater contaminants such as nitrate, but may in return enhance the risk for indirect N2O emission. Here we aim to assess and to compare two riparian grey alder forests in terms of gaseous N2O and N2 fluxes and dissolved...

Light- and nitrogen-use change was examined along productivity gradients in natural grasslands at Laelatu, western Estonia, both at community level and in most abundant species. Aboveground biomass (M) ranged from 341 to 503 g m−2 in wet (W) and from 248 to 682 g m−2 in dry (D) community. Aboveground leaf area ratio (aLAR) decreased with rising M i...

The biomass allocation, as well as leaf and short root morphological parameters in young (1-7-year-old) black alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn), silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) plantations on the oil shale post-mining area were investigated with the aim to analyze morphological adaptations of studied param...

Due to the climate change, higher precipitation and an increase in air humidity is expected in northern Europe in the near future (IPCC 2007). There are some studies about irrigation, elevated CO2 and O3 etc., but still we have too little knowledge about the humidity effect on the deciduous forest ecosystem. In 2006 a free-air humidity manipulation...

In the Northern and Baltic countries, grey alder is a prospective tree species for short-rotation forestry. Hence, knowledge about the functioning of such forest ecosystems is critical in order to manage them in a sustainable and environmentally sound way. The 17-year-long continuous time series study is conducted in a grey alder plantation growing...

Morphological plasticity of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) short roots (known also as first and second order roots with primary development) allows trees to adjust their water and nutrient uptake to local environmental conditions. The morphological traits (MTs) of short-living EcM roots, such as specific root length (SRL) and area, root tip frequency per ma...

A study was performed on saplings of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) growing at the free air humidity manipulation site, which was established to investigate the effect of increased air humidity on tree performance and canopy functioning. The aim of the experiment was to simulate the impact of the increasing atmospheric humidity on forest ecosys...

Climate manipulation experiments at ecosystem-scale enable us to simulate, investigate and predict changes in carbon balance of forest ecosystems. Considering the predicted increase in air humidity and precipitation for northern latitudes, this work aimed at investigating the effect of increased air humidity on soil respiration, distribution of soi...

Background and aims The main objectives of this study were to determine how the carbon age of fine root cellulose varies between stands, tree species, root diameter and soil depth. In addition, we also compared the carbon age of fine roots from soil cores of this study with reported values from the roots of the same diameter classes of ingrowth cor...

Air moisture is one of the main factors causing the greenhouse effect, but humidity has not been thoroughly studied at the ecosystem level. In 2006 a free-air humidity manipulation (FAHM) facility was established in Estonia to investigate the effect of humidity on the performance of two tree species—silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) and hybrid as...

At northern latitudes a rise in atmospheric humidity and precipitation is predicted as a consequence of global climate change. In 2006 an unique experimental facility for free air humidity manipulation (FAHM) was established in Estonia to study the functioning of deciduous forest ecosystem under altered humidity conditions. The experimental site co...

The influence of forest ageing on fine-root morphology and relations between fine-root and leaf characteristics is poorly studied. The aim of this study was to analyse age-driven changes in ectomycorrhizal roots (EcM roots) and leaf morphology in a chronosequence of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.), which would provide a better understanding of...

Previous investigations have been demonstrated that night-time water flux may increase or remain unchanged at low mineral nutrient availability. At the same time, it is a well-known fact that nighttime water flux is relatively high in fast-growing species, which typically grow in fertile soil. To test the impact of soil nutrient deficiency on night...

At northern latitudes a rise in atmospheric humidity and precipitation is predicted as a consequence of global climate change. We studied several growth and functional traits of hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L.×P. tremuloides Michx.) in response to elevated atmospheric humidity (on average 7% over the ambient level) in a free air experimental facil...

Growth characteristics (arithmetic mean ± standard error) of hybrid aspens in control (C1, C2, C4) and humidified (H1, H2, H4) plots during the study period. (DOC)

First and second order results of the model. (DOC)

The aim of the study was to determine the density of oven dry stemwood (moisture content 0%) of two fast-growing tree species, grey alder (Alnus incana (L.) Moench) and hybrid alder (Alnus hybrida A. Br.), growing on abandoned agricultural land. The study is based on two 16-year-old experimental stands located in Southern Estonia (N 58°32 E 27°12)....

A facility for free air humidity manipulation (FAHM) was established to investigate the effect of increased air humidity on belowground biomass and turnover in silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) forest ecosystems with respect to rising air humidity predicted for Northern Europe. Fine root and rhizomes are short-lived and recognized as the most imp...

a b s t r a c t During recent decades, studies of the carbon (C) balance of forest ecosystems have became more actual, mainly in connection with the global increase of CO 2 in the atmosphere. In the present study the stand chronosequence approach was applied to analyse C sequestration dynamics. Study was made of C accu-mulation both in biomass and...

Fine root acclimation to different environmental conditions is crucial for growth and sustainability of forest trees. Relatively small changes in fine root standing biomass (FRB), morphology or mycorrhizal symbiosis may result in a large change in forest carbon, nutrient and water cycles. We elucidated the changes in fine root traits and associated...

Limited nutrient acquisition from soil is a key process limiting productivity in boreal forest. We investigated short-root morphological adaptations and rhizosphere effect in relation to site conditions in interaction with tree mineral nutrition. We studied seven young (8- to 14-yearold) silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) stands on abandoned agric...

A facility for free air humidity manipulation (FAHM) was established to investigate the effect of increased air humidity on trees’ performance and their canopy functioning with respect to rising air humidity predicted for Northern Europe. The FAHM system enables air relative humidity (RH) to be increased up to 18 units (%) over the ambient level du...

The aim of this study was to test P-enriched filter materials from a wastewater treatment experiment regarding their fertilizing efficiency in pot experiments with silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) seedlings. Tested materials included hydrated calcium-rich oil shale ash and well-mineralised peat. A mixture of peat and hydrated ash demonstrated th...

The growth, aboveground biomass production and nutrient accumulation in black alder (Alnus glutinosa (L) Gaertn.), silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L) plantations during 7 years after planting were investigated on reclaimed oil shale mining areas in Northeast Estonia with the aim to assess the suitability of the...

The effect of adding low concentrations of a sediment/microbial community suspension to speed up the development of the denitrification capacity in the restored HSSF of a hybrid CW was studied during a one-year period after the filling of the horizontal filter with new light weight aggregates (LWA). Two HSSF filters with the same LWA substrate but...

Mining activities create wastelands that require reclamation. The relief of abandoned opencast oil shale mining area is rugged, and the mining spoil is extremely stony and alkaline (pH 8), with low N and organic content. Planting of fast-growing deciduous tree species such as silver birch (Betula pendula) on post-mining area is the best means to ac...

Short-rotation energy forestry is one of the potential ways for management of abandoned agricultural areas. It helps sequestrate carbon and mitigate human-induced climate changes. Owing to symbiotic dinitrogen (N2) fixation by actinomycetes and the soil fertilizing capacity and fast biomass growth of grey alders, the latter can be suitable species...

We studied greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in two differently loaded riparian Alnus incana-dominated forests in agricultural landscapes of southern Estonia: a 33-year-old stand in Porijõgi, in which the uphill agricultural activities had been abandoned since the middle of the 1990s, and a 50-year-old stand in Viiratsi, which still receives polluted lat...

Early survival and growth of black alder, silver birch and Scots pine were investigated on reclaimed extremely stony and heterogeneous calcareous (pH 8) opencast oil shale mining areas (OOSMAs). Biomass allocation, production, leaf and root adaptations, and mineral nutrition in relation to tree species and soil heterogeneity were analysed. The adap...

Ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi contribute significantly to the shaping of short-root morphology, playing an important role in balancing the costs and benefits of root growth and nutrient uptake and exchange in boreal forests. We aimed to assess the effect of various EcM fungal taxa on root traits at seven sites dominated by grey alder, Alnus incana (L...

Variations in ectomycorrhizal (EcM) short root tips of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in 16 stands throughout Finland were studied, and their relationships with latitude, organic layer C:N ratio, temperature sum and foliage biomass were determined. There were no significant differences in EcM root tip f...

The dynamics of the above-ground biomass production of a grey alder plantation on abandoned farmland was investigated during 11 years after establishment. In the 12-year-old stand, the total biomass of the above-ground part of the stand was 68.8 t dry matter (DM) ha(-1) and the current annual production (CAP) was 14.0 t DM ha(-1) year(-1). The pred...

Riparian buffer zones are considered to be important elements of agricultural watersheds, in that they control nutrient and carbon fluxes. Although the water purification effect of riparian ecosystems has been well studied, there is little knowledge of their internal cycling, especially in the area of gaseous emissions. We measured fluxes of nitrou...

In 2001 and 2002, fluxes of N(2)O, CH(4), CO(2) and N(2) were measured in two constructed wetlands (CW) for domestic wastewater treatment in Estonia. The difference between the median values of N(2)O, CH(4), and N(2) fluxes in the horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF) CWs was non-significant, being 1.3-1.4 and 1.4-4.1 mg m(-2) d(-1) for N(2)O-N and CH(...

The effect of land use type on the dynamics and annual rate of net nitrogen mineralization (NNM) in a naturally generated silver birch stand and in a grassland, both on abandoned agricultural land, was assessed in situ in the upper 0–20 cm soil layer using the method of buried polyethylene bags. Annual NNM rate in the birch stand (156 kg N ha−1 yea...

High soil acidity and elevated soil Al concentrations limit plant growth in many terrestrial ecosystems. Aluminium toxicity can be ameliorated by Ca. Thus, Ca/Al molar ratios in soil solution and in plant tissues have been proposed as superior indicators than Al concentration itself for evaluating the Al toxicity stress to trees (Cronan & Grigal, J...

Fine roots (<2 mm) are very dynamic and play a key role in forest ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling and accumulation. We reviewed root biomass data of three main European tree species European beech, (Fagus sylvatica L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), in order to identify the differences between spe...

Variability in short root morphology of the three main tree species of Europe's boreal forest (Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and silver birch (Betula pendula Roth)) was investigated in four stands along a latitudinal gradient from northern Finland to southern Estonia. Silver birch and Scots pine were presen...

The above-ground biomass and production, below-ground biomass, nutrient (NPK) accumulation, fine roots and foliar characteristics of a 8-year-old silver birch (Betula pendula) natural stand, growing on abandoned agricultural land in Estonia, were investigated. Total above-ground biomass and current annual production after eight growing seasons was...

Decomposition of fine roots (<1 mm in diameter) of the clones of Salix viminalis, S. dasyclados and α-cellulose sheets (50 x 10 x 1 mm) was studied in a 6-years old Salix spp. plantation established on abandoned agricultural land in Estonia. The substrates were incubated in litterbags (mesh size 0.14 mm) in 5-10 cm topsoil, in non-fertilised plots...

The restoration of post-industrial landscapes is often a challenge regarding multifunctional land use issues. Multifunctionality is important from the point of view of both natural capital and socio-economic values. On the other hand, restoration provides several opportunities for the optimal use of landscape functions. In this paper we analyse opp...

Black alder (Alnus glutinosa) plantations of different age were investigated on reclaimed oil shale mining areas in Northern Estonia with the aim of analysing the impact of microbial communities in the rhizosphere and bulk soil, and the effect of fine root adaptations on stand development and productivity. Biolog Ecoplates were used to determine th...

Grey alder (Alnus incana) and black alder (Alnus glutinosa) stands on forest land, abandoned agricultural, and reclaimed oil-shale mining areas were investigated with the aim of analysing the functional diversity and activity of microbial communities in the soil–root interface and in the bulk soil in relation to fine-root parameters, alder species,...

Wood ash is recommended as a compensatory fertiliser to counteract the effects of acidic deposition on forest ecosystems. Spatial distribution of biomass, necromass and morphology parameters of the fine roots (diameter classes <1, 1–2, <2 mm) of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) were analysed in response to fertilisation with granulated wood...

The present research was carried out in Scots pine, black alder and silver birch stands of different age in Estonia in 2004 to analyse fine root morphological adaptations in recultivated areas of opencast oil shale mining and semicoke hills. Morphological adaptation of short roots to corresponding soil conditions was specific for tree species. Func...

Fine root bio- and necromass, net primary production (NPP) of fine roots and its proportion of the NPP of trees, as well as turnover rate were investigated in a fertile middle-aged Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) stand by sequential core and ingrowth core methods. The stand's site type is Oxalis, the site quality class is Ia and the soil typ...

The aim of this article is to evaluate and compare common cattail (Typha latifolia) biomass production and annual accumulation of nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, and heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) in phytomass in 3 treatment wetland systems in Estonia. The biomass samples (roots/rhizomes, shoots with leaves, and spadixes) and litter were collected fro...

We studied plant biomass production and nutrient accumulation by wood club-rush (Scirpus sylvaticus) and reed (Phragmites australis) in a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland in 2001 and 2002. The wetland consists of two beds, one with dry and another with wetter conditions. From both beds, 5 above-ground, below-ground, and litter samples...

We measured nitrous oxide (N2O), dinitrogen (N2), and methane (CH4) fluxes in two constructed wetlands (CW) in Estonia using the closed chamber method and the He-O method in the period from October 2000 to March 2003. Emission rates of N2O-N, N2-N and CH4-C from both CWs varied significantly on a both spatial and temporal scale, ranging from 1 to 2...

The present research was carried out in three black alder plantations in Estonia in 1998-2002. The above-ground productivity and the efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus use in a plantation in reclaimed opencast oil-shale mining area in Sirgala were analyzed and compared with two plantations growing on fertile mineral soils. The activity and diver...