Spatial Ecology

Global change including land use and climate changes are impacting ecosystems. Our studies seek to understand and forecast the changes in the biological (i.e. the distribution of species, communities, and ecosystems) and cultural landscape (under influence from human use) in space and time using spatial models. Shifts in biodiversity and ecosystem structure are expected to decrease the quality of the ecosystem goods and services provided within landscapes. Forecasts of how species assemblage will shift in response to global change and impact the provision of services is essential for planning. In addition, we study how ecosystems changed in the past (e.g. climate change during the Quaternary), which provide a crucial understanding to forecast how global changes will impact current ecosystems. To solve those questions, we combine field experiments, mathematical and statistical models.

• Integrating strategic planning intentions into land-change simulations: Designing and assessing scenarios for Bucharest
  Bacau, Simona; Domingo, Dario; Palka, Gaetan; Pellissier, Loic; Kienast, Felix
  Sustainable Cities And Society  10.1016/j.scs.2021.103446  JAN 2022
• Similar trait structure and vulnerability in pelagic fish faunas on two remote island systems
  Steinberg, Madeline; Juhel, Jean-Baptiste; Marques, Virginie; Peron, Clara; Hocde, Regis; et al.
  Marine Biology  10.1007/s00227-021-03998-6  JAN 2022
• Area, isolation and climate explain the diversity of mammals on islands worldwide
  Barreto, Elisa; Rangel, Thiago F.; Pellissier, Loic; Graham, Catherine H.
  Proceedings Of The Royal Society B-biological Sciences  10.1098/rspb.2021.1879  DEC 22 2021
• A quantitative review of abundance-based species distribution models
  Waldock, Conor; Stuart-Smith, Rick D.; Albouy, Camille; Cheung, William W. L.; Edgar, Graham J.; et al.
  Ecography 10.1111/ecog.05694  DEC 2021
• How wild bees find a way in European cities: Pollen metabarcoding unravels multiple feeding strategies and their effects on distribution patterns in four wild bee species
  Casanelles-Abella, Joan; Mueller, Stefanie; Keller, Alexander; Aleixo, Cristiana; Orti, Marta Alos; et al.
  Journal Of Applied Ecology  10.1111/1365-2664.14063  OCT 2021
• Earth history events shaped the evolution of uneven biodiversity across tropical moist forests
  Hagen, Oskar; Skeels, Alexander; Onstein, Renske E.; Jetz, Walter; Pellissier, Loic
  Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America  10.1073/pnas.2026347118  OCT 5 2021
• Applying deep neural networks to predict incidence and phenology of plant pests and diseases
  Grunig, Marc; Razavi, Elisabeth; Calanca, Pierluigi; Mazzi, Dominique; Wegner, Jan Dirk; et al.
  Ecosphere 10.1002/ecs2.3791  OCT 2021
• Influence of historical changes in tropical reef habitat on the diversification of coral reef fishes
  Leprieur, Fabien; Pellissier, Loic; Mouillot, David; Gaboriau, Theo
  Scientific Reports  10.1038/s41598-021-00049-4  OCT 20 2021
• How many replicates to accurately estimate fish biodiversity using environmental DNA on coral reefs?
  Stauffer, Salome; Jucker, Meret; Keggin, Thomas; Marques, Virginie; Andrello, Marco; et al.
  Ecology And Evolution  10.1002/ece3.8150  NOV 2021
• Species ecology explains the spatial components of genetic diversity in tropical reef fishes
  Donati, Giulia Francesca Azzurra; Zemp, Niklaus; Manel, Stephanie; Poirier, Maude; Claverie, Thomas; et al.
  Proceedings Of The Royal Society B-biological Sciences  10.1098/rspb.2021.1574  SEP 29 2021
• Use of environmental DNA in assessment of fish functional and phylogenetic diversity
  Marques, Virginie; Castagne, Paul; Polanco Fernandez, Andrea; Helena Borrero-Perez, Giomar; Hocde, Regis; et al.
  Conservation Biology  10.1111/cobi.13802  DEC 2021
• Applying predictive models to study the ecological properties of urban ecosystems: A case study in Zurich, Switzerland
  Casanelles-Abella, Joan; Chauvier, Yohann; Zellweger, Florian; Villiger, Petrissa; Frey, David; et al.
  Landscape And Urban Planning 10.1016/j.lurbplan.2021.104137  OCT 2021
• Detecting aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity in a tropical estuary using environmental DNA
  Polanco, Andrea F.; Mutis Martinezguerra, Maria; Marques, Virginie; Villa-Navarro, Francisco; Borrero Perez, Giomar Helena; et al.
  Biotropica 10.1111/btp.13009   NOV 2021
• Patterns of taxonomic and functional diversity in the global cleaner reef fish fauna
  Quimbayo, Juan P.; Mendes, Thiago C.; Barneche, Diego R.; Dias, Murilo S.; Grutter, Alexandra S.; et al.
  Journal Of Biogeography 10.1111/jbi.14214  OCT 2021
• eDNA sampled from stream networks correlates with camera trap detection rates of terrestrial mammals
  Lyet, Arnaud; Pellissier, Loic; Valentini, Alice; Dejean, Tony; Hehmeyer, Abigail; et al.
  Scientific Reports 10.1038/s41598-021-90598-5  JUN 15 2021
• Linking functional traits and demography to model species-rich communities
  Chalmandrier, Loic; Hartig, Florian; Laughlin, Daniel C.; Lischke, Heike; Pichler, Maximilian; Stouffer, Daniel B.; Pellissier, Loic)
  Nature Communications 10.1038/s41467-021-22630-1  MAY 11 2021
• Changes in plant-herbivore network structure and robustness along land-use intensity gradients in grasslands and forests
  Neff, F; Brandle, M; Ambarli, D; Ammer, C; Bauhus, J; Boch, S; Holzel, N; Klaus, VH; Kleinebecker, T; Prati, D; Schall, P; Schafer, D; Schulze, ED; Seibold, S; Simons, NK; Weisser, WW; Pellissier, L; Gossner, MM
  Science Advances 10.1126/sciadv.abf3985  MAY 2021
• Earth history events shaped the evolution of uneven biodiversity across tropical moist forests.
  Hagen O, Skeels A, Onstein R, Jetz W, Pellissier L.
  PNAS, Publication date: Oct 2021. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2026347118
• gen3sis: A general engine for eco-evolutionary simulations of the processes that shape Earth’s biodiversity.
  Hagen O, Flück B, Fopp F, Cabral JS, Hartig F, Pontarp M, et al. (2021)
  PLoS Biol 19(7): e3001340. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001340, https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001340
• Low spatial autocorrelation in mountain biodiversity data and model residuals
  Chevalier, Mathieu; Mod, Heidi; Broennimann, Olivier; Di Cola, Valeria; Schmid, Sarah; Niculita-Hirzel, Helene; Pradervand, Jean-Nicolas; Schmidt, Benedikt R; Ursenbacher, Sylvain; Pellissier, Loic; Guisan, Antoine
  Ecosphere  10.1002/ecs2.3403 Published: MAR 2021
• The effect of community-wide phytochemical diversity on herbivory reverses from low to high elevation
  Fernandez-Conradi, Pilar; Defossez, Emmanuel; Delavallade, Adrien; Descombes, Patrice; Pitteloud, Camille; et al.
  Journal Of Ecology, 10.1111/1365-2745.13649, MAR 2021
• Detection of the elusive Dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) using environmental DNA at Malpelo island (Eastern Pacific, Colombia)
  Juhel, Jean-Baptiste; Marques, Virginie; Polanco Fernandez, Andrea; Borrero-Perez, Giomar H.; Mutis Martinezguerra, Maria; et al.
  Ecology And Evolution, 10.1002/ece3.7057, APR 2021
• Spatial and evolutionary predictability of phytochemical diversity
  Defossez, E; Pitteloud, C; Descombes, P; Glauser, G; Allard, PM; Walker, TWN; Fernandez-Conradi, P; Wolfender, JL; Pellissier, L; Rasmann, S
  Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America  10.1073/pnas.2013344118 JAN 19 2021
• The structure of plant-herbivore interaction networks varies along elevational gradients in the European Alps
  Pitteloud, Camille; Walser, Jean-Claude; Descombes, Patrice; de Santana, Charles Novaes; Rasmann, Sergio; Pellissier, Loic
  Journal Of Biogeography  10.1111/jbi.14014 FEB 2021
• Novel trophic interactions under climate change promote alpine plant coexistence
  Patrice Descombes; Camille Pitteloud; Gaëtan Glauser; Emmanuel Defossez; Alan Kergunteuil; Pierre-Marie Allard; Sergio Rasmann; Loïc Pellissier
  Science, 10.1126/science.abd7015,    DEC 2020
• Rapid climate change results in long-lasting spatial homogenization of phylogenetic diversity
  Saladin, Bianca; Pellissier, Loic; Graham, Catherine H.; Nobis, Michael P.; Salamin, Nicolas; et al.
  Nature Communications  DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18343-6  SEP 16 2020
• Greater topoclimatic control of above- versus below-ground communities
  Mod HK; Scherrer D; Di Cola V; Broennimann O; Blandenier Q;  Breiner, FT; Buri A; Goudet, J; Guex, N; Lara, E; Mitchell, EAD; Niculita-Hirzel, H; Pagni, M; Pellissier, L; Pinto-Figueroa, E; Sanders, IR; Schmidt, BR; Seppey, CVW; Singer, D; Ursenbacher, S; Yashiro, E; van der Meer, JR; Guisan, A
  Global Change Biology  DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15330  DEC 2020
• Marine fish diversity in Tropical America associated with both past and present environmental conditions
  Polanco, Andrea F.; Fopp, Fabian; Albouy, Camille; Brun, Philipp; Boschman, Lydian; et al.
  Journal Of Biogeography  DOI: 10.1111/jbi.13985  DEC 2020
• SoilTemp: A global database of near-surface temperature
  Lembrechts, Jonas J; Aalto, Juha; Ashcroft, Michael B; De Frenne, Pieter; Kopecky, Martin; et al.
  Global Change Biology  DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15123  NOV 2020
• Inflection point in climatic suitability of insect pest species in Europe suggests non-linear responses to climate change
  Gruenig, Marc; Calanca, Pierluigi; Mazzi, Dominique; Pellissier, Loic
  Global Change Biology  DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15313  NOV 2020
• Contrasting responses of above- and below-ground herbivore communities along elevation
  Pitteloud, Camille; Descombes, Patrice; Sanchez-Moreno, Sara; Kergunteuil, Alan; Ibanez, Sebastien; et al.
  Oecologia  DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04778-7  NOV 2020
• Saproxylic species are linked to the amount and isolation of dead wood across spatial scales in a beech forest
  Haeler, Elena; Bergamini, Ariel; Blaser, Stefan; Ginzler, Christian; Hindenlang, Karin; et al.
  Landscape Ecology  DOI: 10.1007/s10980-020-01115-4  OCT 2020
• Integrating ecosystem services within spatial biodiversity conservation prioritization in the Alps
  Ramel, Cindy; Rey, Pierre-Louis; Fernandes, Rui; Vincent, Claire; Cardoso, Ana R.; et al.
  Ecosystem Services  DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2020.101186  OCT 2020
• Reptile species richness associated to ecological and historical variables in Iran
  Kafash, Anooshe; Ashrafi, Sohrab; Yousefi, Masoud; Rastegar-Pouyani, Eskandar; Rajabizadeh, Mahdi; et al.
  Scientific Reports  DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74867-3  OCT 23 2020
• A landscape-scale assessment of the relationship between grassland functioning, community diversity, and functional traits
  van't Veen, Hanneke; Chalmandrier, Loic; Sandau, Nadine; Nobis, Michael P.; Descombes, Patrice; et al.
  Ecology And Evolution  DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6650  SEP 2020
• Forecast increase in invasive rabbit spread into ecosystems of an oceanic island (Tenerife) under climate change
  Bello-Rodriguez, Victor; Mateo, Ruben G.; Pellissier, Loic; Cubas, Jonay; Cooke, Brian; et al.
  Ecological Applications OI: 10.1002/eap.2206  SEP 2020
• Harnessing paleo-environmental modeling and genetic data to predict intraspecific genetic structure
  Yannic, Glenn; Hagen, Oskar; Leugger, Flurin; Karger, Dirk N.; Pellissier, Loic
  Evolutionary Applications  DOI: 10.1111/eva.12986  JUL 2020
• Crop and forest pest metawebs shift towards increased linkage and suitability overlap under climate change
  Grunig, Marc; Mazzi, Dominique; Calanca, Pierluigi; Karger, Dirk Nikolaus; Pellissier, Loic
  Communications Biology  DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-0962-9  MAY 11 2020
• A global database of soil nematode abundance and functional group composition
  van den Hoogen, Johan; Geisen, Stefan; Wall, Diana H.; Wardle, David A.; Traunspurger, Walter; et al.
  Scientific Data  DOI: 10.1038/s41597-020-0437-3   MAR 26 2020
• Plant physical and chemical traits associated with herbivory in situ and under a warming treatment
  Descombes, Patrice; Kergunteuil, Alan; Glauser, Gaetan; Rasmann, Sergio; Pellissier, Loic
  Journal Of Ecology  DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.13286   MAR 2020
• Global vulnerability of marine mammals to global warming (vol 10, 548, 2020)
  Albouy, Camille; Delattre, Valentine; Donati, Giulia; Frolicher, Thomas L.; Albouy-Boyer, Severine; et al.
  Scientific Reports   DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61227-4  MAR 3 2020
• Global determinants of freshwater and marine fish genetic diversity
  Manel, Stephanie; Guerin, Pierre-Edouard; Mouillot, David; Blanchet, Simon; Velez, Laure; Albouy, Camille; Pellissier, Loic
  Nature Communications 11(1) Article Number: 692 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14409-7 FEB 10 2020
• Global vulnerability of marine mammals to global warming
  Albouy, Camille; Delattre, Valentine; Donati, Giulia; Frolicher, Thomas L.; Albouy-Boyer, Severine; et al.
  Scientific Reports  DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-57280-3   JAN 17 2020
• …

• Species distribution, interaction and community assembly 
• The role of historical event in shaping current biodiversity
• Monitoring changes in ecosystems
• Climate and land-use change
• Changes along environmental gradients
• Biogeography

• Plant-insect interactions 
• Plant defense strategies 
• Community ecology 
• Phylogeography
• Ecosystem good and services