Günter Hoch

PD Dr. Günter Hoch is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Sciences – Botany at the University of Basel, Switzerland. His research centers on the ecophysiology of trees, with a particular emphasis on carbon storage dynamics, drought stress responses, and the resilience of forest ecosystems to climate change.

Research Focus:

• Carbon allocation and storage in trees under carbon limitation
• Physiological controls of non-structural carbohydrate reserves (e.g., starch, lipids)
• Drought-induced tree mortality and recovery mechanisms
• Whole-tree carbon balance and growth under environmental stress
• Scaling from individual tree responses to ecosystem-level processes

Approach: His team integrates field observations, experimental manipulations, and biophysical modeling to understand how trees regulate carbon reserves and water relations under stress. A key goal is to identify biomarkers (e.g., starch concentrations in sapwood) that reflect the carbon status and health of trees.

Recent Work: His publications span high-impact journals like Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, New Phytologist, and Global Change Biology, addressing topics such as hydraulic failure, carbon starvation, and the impacts of extreme droughts (e.g., 2018 Central European drought) on forest ecosystems.

Collaborations: He contributes to large-scale networks like TreeNet, a Swiss initiative monitoring drought and growth indicators in forests, and collaborates internationally on projects linking plant ecophysiology to biogeochemical cycles.

Contact: guenter.hoch@unibas.ch | Tel: +41 (0)61 207 35 14