PD Dr. Norbert Kunert
Privatdozent
apl. Prof. Dr. Norbert Kunert
außerplanmäßiger Professor
Research interest
Norbert Kunert is a forest ecophysiologist at the University of Bayreuth. Kunert’s research focuses on water and carbon use physiology of trees under a changing climate.
Teaching (at the University of Freiburg)
Tropical Forest Ecology
Wissenschaftliches Schreiben für Studierende der angewandten Naturwissenschaften und Technik
Education
12/2017 Habilitation, Silviculture and Physiological Forest Ecology Faculty Environment and Natural Resources, Freiburg, Germany
06/2010 Ph.D. in Forest Science and Wood Ecology, Department of Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, Georg-August University, Germany
02/2007 M.Sc. in Biology, TU-Munich, Germany
05/2006 M.Sc. in Wood and Forestry Science, TU-Munich, Germany
04/2006 Diploma in Forestry Science and Resource Management, TU-Munich, Germany
02/2005 B.Sc. in Forestry Science, TU-Munich, Germany
External links
Research gate profile https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Norbert-Kunert?ev=hdr_xprf
Google scholar profile https://scholar.google.de/citations?user=IY4rZ1wAAAAJ&hl=en
Publications
59 Kunert, N., 2025. Rapid springtime leaf osmotic adjustment, but low late-seasonal and interannual variation in leaf turgor loss points in three temperate tree species. Journal or Forestry Research.
58 Mangold, S., Sonnenberg, A., Rosner, S., Kunert, N., 2024. Herbstphänologie - wie verhalten sich neue Baumarten? AFZ – Der Wald 20, 17-20.
57 Kunert, N., Münchinger, I.K., Hajek, P., 2024. Turgor loss point explains climate-driven growth reduction in trees in Central Europe. Plant Biology.
56 Kunert, N., 2024. Leaf temperatures of an Austrian oak are below photosynthetic temperature thresholds during a heatwave in Central Europe. Biologia.
55 Kunert, N., Aparecido, L.M.T., 2024. Ecosystem carbon fluxes are tree size-dependent in an Amazonian old-growth forest. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 346, 109895.
54 Rosner, S., Luss, S., Konnerth, J., Kunert, N., 2024. Radial compression strength can predict the hydraulic vulnerability of mature Norway spruce. Maderas 26.
53 Düsterhöft, E., Burgesmeir, B., Mayer, J., Nitschky, N., Schächer, L., Kunert, N., 2024. Spätfröste – Probleme mit neuen Baumarten. AFZ – Der Wald 5, 20-23.
52 Kunert, N., Münchinger, I.K., 2023. Klimawandelgehölz Vogelkirsche. AFZ – Der Wald 15, 42-45.
51 Münchinger, I.K., Hajek, P., Akdogan, B., Toraño Caicoya, A., Kunert, N., 2023. Leaf thermal tolerance and sensitivity of temperate tree species are correlated with leaf physiological and functional drought resistance traits. Journal of Forestry Research 34, 63–76.
50 Vargas, G., Kunert, N., Hammond, W., Berry, Z.C., Werden, L., Smith-Martin, C., Wolfe, B., Toro, L., Mondragón-Botero, A., Pinto L.J. Schwartz, N., Uriarte, M., Sack, L., Anderson-Teixeira, K., Powers, J., 2022. Leaf habit affects the distribution of drought sensitivity but not water transport efficiency in the tropics. Ecology Letters.
49 Kunert, N., Hajek, P., 2022. Shade-tolerant temperate broad-leaved trees are more sensitive to thermal stress than light-demanding species during a moderate heatwave. Trees, Forests and People 9,100282.
48 Kunert, N., Brändle, J., El-Madany, T., 2022. Carbon allocation and tree diversity: shifts in autotrophic respiration in tree mixtures compared to monocultures. Biologia.
47 Kunert, N., Brändle, J., 2022. How drought tolerant are tropical woody crop species - turgor loss points for the five most common species in the emerging landscapes in Southeast Asia. Earth and Environmental Science 1053, 012023.
46 Kunert, N., Hajek, P, 2022. Der Hochwald ist tot - es lebe der Niederwald? AFZ – Der Wald 15, 30-34
45 Jansen, S., Bittencourt, P., Pereira, L., Schenk, J., Kunert, N., 2022. A crucial phase in plants - it’s a gas, gas, gas! New Phytologist 233, 1556–1559.
44 Kunert, N., Hajek, P., 2021. Hitzetoleranz von Nadelbäumen. AFZ – Der Wald 22, 24-27.
43 Kunert, N., Hajek, P., Hietz, P., Morris, H., Rosner, S., Tholen, D., 2021. Summer temperatures reach the thermal tolerance threshold of photosynthetic decline in temperate conifers. Plant Biology.
42 Chitra-Tarak, R., Xu, C., Aguilar, S., Anderson-Teixeira, K.J., Chambers, J., Detto, M., Faybishenko, B., Fisher, R.A., Knox, R.G., Koven, C.D., Kueppers, L.M., Kunert, N., Kupers, S.J., McDowell, N.G., Newman, B.D., Paton, S.R., Pérez, R., Ruiz, L., Sack, L., Warren, J.M., Wolfe, B.T., Wright, C., Wright, S.J., Zailaa, J. and McMahon, S.M. 2021. Hydraulically-vulnerable trees survive on deep-water access during droughts in a tropical forest. New Phytologist .231(5): 1798–1813.
41 Morgan, R.B., Herrmann, V., Kunert, N., Bond-Lamberty, B., Muller-Landau, H.C., Anderson-Teixeira, K.J., 2021. Global patterns of forest autotrophic carbon fluxes. Global Change Biology 2, 2840-2855.
40 Kunert, N., Zailaa, J., Herrmann, V., Muller-Landau, H.C., Wright, S.J., Pérez, R., McMahon, S.M., Condit, R., Hubbell, S.P., Sack, L., Davies, S.J., Anderson-Teixeira, K.J., 2021. Leaf turgor loss point shapes local and regional distributions of evergreen but not deciduous tropical trees. New Phytologist 230 (2), 485-496.
39 McGregor, I.R., Helcoski, R., Kunert, N., Tepley, A.J., Gonzalez‐Akre, E.B., Herrmann, V., Zailaa, J., Stovall, A.E.L, Bourg, N.A., McShea, W.J., Pederson, N., Sack, L., Anderson‐Teixeira, K.J., 2020. Tree height and leaf drought tolerance traits shape growth responses across droughts in a temperate broadleaf forest. New Phytologist 231, 601-616.
38 Kunert, N., Tomaskova, I., 2020. Leaf turgor loss point at full hydration for 41 native and introduced tree and shrub species from Central Europe. Journal of Plant Ecology 13 (6), 754–756.
37 Kunert, N., 2020. Buche, Kiefer und Fichte sterben aus unterschiedlichen Gründen. AFZ – Der Wald 6, 39-40.
36 Kunert, N., 2020. Preliminary indications for diverging heat and drought sensitivities in Norway spruce and Scots pine in Central Europe. iForest 13: 89-91.
35 Brändle, J., Kunert, N., 2019. An automated stem CO2 efflux chamber based on industrial ultra-low-cost sensors. Tree Physiology 39 (12), 1975-1983.
34 Kunert, N., 2019. Die Trockentoleranz der Eichen. AFZ-Der Wald 20, 15-16.
33 Kunert, N., Zailaa, J., 2019. Specific leaf area of tropical trees growing in different tree species mixtures. New Forests 50 (6), 873–890.
32 Kunert, N., Aparecido, L.M.T., El-Madany, T., Wolf, S., Potvin, C., 2019. Understanding the controls over forest carbon use efficiency on small spatial scales: Effects of forest disturbance and tree diversity. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 269-270C, 136-144.
31 Hilman, B., Muhr, J., Trumbore, S.E., Kunert, N., Carbone, M.S., Yuval, P., Wright, S.J., Moreno, G., Pérez-Priego, O., Migliavacca, M., Carrara, A., Grünzweig, J.M. Osem, Y., Weiner, T., Angert, A., 2019. Comparison of CO2 and O2 fluxes demonstrate retention of respired CO2 in tree stems from a range of tree species. Biogeosciences 16, 177-191.
30 Kunert, N., 2019. Das Ende der Kiefer als Hauptbaumart in Mittelfranken. AFZ – Der Wald 3, 42-43.
29 Aparecido, L.M.T., dos Santos, J., Higuchi, N., Kunert, N., 2019. Relevance of wood anatomy and size of Amazonian trees in the determination and allometry of sapwood area. Acta Amazonica 49 (1), 1-10.
28 Muhr, J., Trumbore, S., Higuchi, N., Kunert, N., 2018. Living on borrowed time – Amazonian trees use decade-old storage carbon to survive for months after complete stem girdling. New Phytologist 220 (1), 111-120.
27 Kunert, N., 2018. Die waldbauliche Bedeutung von Waldrändern im Klimawandel. AFZ - Der Wald 9, 26-28.
26 Kunert, N., 2018. A case study on the vertical and diurnal variation of stem CO2 effluxes in an Amazonian forest tree. Trees –Structure and Function 32 (3), 913 - 917.
25 Kunert, N., Mercado Cárdenas, A., 2018. Treasures in insect collections: the future of the bomb-radiocarbon analysis. Insect Science 25, 1128-1131.
24 Kunert, N., 2017. Einschlag zur kurzfristigen Reduzierung von Trockenstress? AFZ - Der Wald 22, 24-26.
23 Cobb, R.C., Ruthrof, K.X., Breshears, D.D., Llorett, F., Aakala, T., Adams, H. D., Allen, C. D., Anderegg, W., Ewers, B., Galiano, L., Grünzweig, J. M., Hartmann, H., Huang, C., Klein, T., Kunert, N., Kitzberger, T., Landhausser, S., Levick, S.,, Preisler, Y., Suarez, M.‐L., Trotsiuk, V., Zeppel, M., 2017. Ecosystem Dynamics and Management after Forest die-off: A global synthesis with conceptual state-and-transition models. Ecosphere 8 (12), e02034.
22 Mewett, G., Köller, A.E., Reinhart, A.L., Sang, Z., Stepehns, A., Strölin, M., Kunert, N., 2017. An ecological, socio-economic and silvicultural assessment of the sustainability of reduced impact logging in tropical forests. Annals of Ecology and Environmental Science 1 (1), 1-15.
21 Kunert, N., Aparecido, L.M.T., Wolff, S., Higuchi, N., dos Santos, J., Araujo, A., Trumbore, S., 2017. A revised hydrological model for the Central Amazon: The importance of emergent canopy trees in the forest water budget. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 239, 47-57.
20 Kunert, N., 2016. The rich coast – or the El Dorado in Tropical ecology. Biotropica 48 (6), 926.
19 Kunert, N., 2016. Curios relationship revealed by looking at long term data sets – the geometry and allometric scaling of diel xylem sap flux in tropical trees. Journal of Plant Physiology 205, 80-83.
18 Kunert, N., 2016. Wiederaufforstung in den Tropen mit Mischbeständen. AFZ – Der Wald 3, 43-45.
17 Kunert, N., Edinger, J., 2015. Xylem sap flux affects conventional stem CO2 efflux measurements in tropical trees. Biotropica 47(6), 650-653.
16 Kunert, N., Aparecido, L. M. T., Barros, P., Higuchi, N., 2015. Modeling potential impacts of planting palms or trees in small holder fruit plantations on ecohydrological processes in the Central Amazon. Forests 6(8), 2530-2544.
15 Kunert, N., Aparecido, L. M. T., dos Santos, J., Higuchi, N., Trumbore, S, 2015. Higher tree transpiration due to road-associated edge effects in a tropical moist lowland forest. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 213, 183–192.
14 Kunert, N., Mercado Cardenas, A., 2015. Are diverse tropical tree plantations more resistant to drought than monocultures? Forests 6(6), 2029-2046.
13 Aparecido, L. M. T., dos Santos, J., Higuchi, N., Kunert, N., 2015. Ecological applications of differences in the hydraulic efficiency of palms and broad leaved trees. Trees - Structure and Function 29(5),1431–1445.
12 Da Silva, F., Suwa, R., Kajimoto, T., Ishizuka, M., Higuchi, N., Kunert, N., 2015. Allometric equations for estimating biomass including roots for Euterpe precatoria the most abundant palm species in the Amazon. Forests 6(2), 450-463.
11 Jardine, K., Yañez-Serrano, A.M., Williams, J., Kunert, N., Jardine, A., Taylor, T., Abrell, L., Artaxo, P., Guenther, A., Hewitt, C.N., House, E., Florentino, A. P., Manzi, A., Higuchi, N., Kesselmeier, J., Behrendt, T., Veres, P. R., Derstroff, B., Fuentes, J. D., Martin, S., Andreae M. O. 2015. Dimethyl Sulfide in the Amazon Rainforest. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 29(1), 19-32.
10 Schwendenmann, L., Pendall, E., Sanchez-Bragado, R., Kunert, N., Hölscher, D., 2015. Tree water uptake in a tropical plantation varying in tree diversity: interspecific differences, seasonal shifts and complementarity. Ecohydrology 8(1), 1-12.
9 Kunert, N., 2014. Evaluating the future of our forests. Biotropica 46(6), 773.
8 Sapijanskas, J., Paquette, A., Potvin, C., Kunert, N., Loreau, M., 2014. Tropical tree diversity enhances light capture through crown plasticity and spatial and temporal niche differences. Ecology 95, 2479–2492.
7 Kunert, N., Barros, P., Higuchi, N., 2013. Do palm water use characteristics explain the spatial distribution of palms in the Central Amazon? Acta Horticulturae 99, 197-204.
6 Trumbore, S., Angert, A., Kunert, N., Muhr, J., Chambers, J.Q., 2013. What’s the flux? Unraveling how CO2 fluxes from trees reflect underlying physiological processes. New Phytologist 197(2), 353-355.
5 Kunert, N., Mercado Cárdenas, A., 2012. Effects of xylem water transport on CO2 efflux of woody tissue in a tropical tree. Hoehnea 39(1), 139-144.
4 Kunert, N., Schwendenmann, L., Potvin, C., Hölscher, D., 2012. Tree transpiration in relation to tree diversity in a Panamanian forest plantation. Journal of Applied Ecology 49, 135-144.
3 Schneebeli, M., Wolf, S., Kunert, N., Eugster, W. Mätzler, C., 2011. Relating the X-band opacity of a tropical tree canopy to sap flow, rain interception and dew formation. Remote Sensing of Environment 115, 2116-2125.
2 Dierick, D., Kunert, N., Köhler, M., Schwendenmann, L., Hölscher, D., 2010. Comparison of tree water use characteristics in reforestation and agroforestry stands across the tropics. In: T. Tscharntke, Ch. Leuschner, E. Veldkamp, H. Faust, E. Guhardja, A. Bidin (eds.) Tropical Rainforests and Agroforests under Global Change. Springer, Berlin, pp 293-308.
1 Kunert, N., Schwendenmann, L., Hölscher, D., 2010. Seasonal dynamics of tree sap flux and water use in nine species in Panamanian forest plantations. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 150, 411-419.