Ben Hafner
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benscharmin.bsky.social
Ben Hafner
@benscharmin.bsky.social
Tree ecophysiologist, soil-root interactions, a fine root researcher
TUM Soil Biophysics: https://www.lss.ls.tum.de/sbe/get-to-know-us/
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Benjamin-Hafner
Calling all #rootexudate enthusiasts!
Join our @egubg.bsky.social session (with Taryn Bauerle, @melaniebrunn.bsky.social, Maire Holz & Sami Ullah) at the @egu.eu 2026 General Assembly on exudate composition, function & persistence.
Submit by 15 Jan meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/sessio...
November 3, 2025 at 5:20 PM
🐝 PhD Opportunity @tum.de
Explore how soil health & structure shape habitats for ground-nesting pollinators in the Horizon Europe project ProPollSoil.
Join our interdisciplinary team in Soil Biophysics & Environmental Systems 🌿

🔗 Details: www.lss.ls.tum.de/sbe/offered-...
Doctoral Candidate Soil–Pollinator Interactions and Soil Health
www.lss.ls.tum.de
October 29, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Reposted by Ben Hafner
On the train back after a very inspiring workshop on root exudation in Berlin, funded by @newphyt.bsky.social

What is it, is it important, where should we be in 10 years time, and how do we get there? Stay tuned for the answers!
June 25, 2025 at 7:42 AM
New paper on #drought_legacy lead by @kyo-hikino.bsky.social showing that slow recovery of leaf area in mature #spruce following a long-term #drought alleviated physiological #stress during recurrent drought: doi.org/10.1111/plb....
Drought legacy in mature spruce alleviates physiological stress during recurrent drought
The slow recovery of leaf area in mature spruce following a long-term drought alleviated physiological stress during recurrent drought.
doi.org
May 16, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Reposted by Ben Hafner
🌳Published🌳

#Tree #mycorrhizal associations regulate relationships between #plant & microbial communities & #soil organic C stocks at local scales in a temperate #forest
🌎🧪
Tree mycorrhizal associations regulate relationships between plant & microbial communities & soil organic C stocks at local scales in a temperate forest
Mengxu Zhang, Emma J. Sayer, Ji Ye, Zuoqiang Yuan, Fei Lin, Zhanqing Hao, Shuai Fang, Zikun Mao, Pengcheng Jiang, Meihui Zhu, Xugao Wang. This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology ar…
fesummaries.wordpress.com
March 30, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Reposted by Ben Hafner
📢New Paper - Smart roots! Plants modify roots to maintain strategically use water. When soils are drying, plants can decrease water use from topsoil whilst boosting uptake at greater depths. 🌱💧
@newphyt.bsky.social @uonresearch.bsky.social
Full story 👇
www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/smart-r...
March 19, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Mature beech trees redistribute soil water, equal to ca. 10% of stand #transpiration, from deeper moist #soils to dry surface soils, where seedlings of different #tree species take it up. New #hydraulicredistribution paper with TUM & BoKu Ecophys groups: doi.org/10.1111/plb....
Redistribution of soil water by mature trees towards dry surface soils and uptake by seedlings in a temperate forest
Mature beech trees redistributed soil water, equal to ca. 10% of stand transpiration, from deeper moist soils to dry surface soils, where it was taken up by seedlings of different tree species.
doi.org
March 7, 2025 at 10:19 AM
#Exudates decrease strongly during #plantdevelopment and #metabolome shifts from diverse, sugar-dominated to secondary exudates. Fast-growth genotypes exude root establishing, slow-growth more defensive compounds. See our paper with @drmicrowill.bsky.social and the Bauerle lab.
March 7, 2025 at 9:42 AM