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.

• 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
• Consistency of spatio-temporal patterns of avian migration across the Swiss lowlands
  Tschanz, Philippe; Pellissier, Loic; Shi, Xu; Liechti, Felix; Schmid, Baptiste
  REMOTE SENSING IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION,  DOI: 10.1002/rse2.143, DEC 2019
• A Minimal Model for the Latitudinal Diversity Gradient Suggests a Dominant Role for Ecological Limits
  Etienne, Rampal S.; Cabral, Juliano Sarmento; Hagen, Oskar; Hartig, Florian; Hurlbert, Allen H.; et al.
  American Naturalist, https://doi.org/10.1086/705243, NOV 2019
• The productivity-biodiversity relationship varies across diversity dimensions
  Brun, Philipp; Zimmermann, Niklaus E.; Graham, Catherine H.; Lavergne, Sebastien; Pellissier, Loic; Munkemuller, Tamara; Thuiller, Wilfried
  Nature Communications,  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13678-1, 2019
• Model complexity affects species distribution projections under climate change
  Brun, Philipp; Thuiller, Wilfried; Chauvier, Yohann; Pellissier, Loic; Wueest, Rafael O.; et al.
  Journal Of Biogeography,  DOI: 10.1111/jbi.13734  2019
• A Minimal Model for the Latitudinal Diversity Gradient Suggests a Dominant Role for Ecological Limits
  Etienne, Rampal S.; Cabral, Juliano Sarmento; Hagen, Oskar; Hartig, Florian; Hurlbert, Allen H.; Pellissier, Loic; Pontarp, Mikael; Storch, David
  American Naturalist,  DOI: 10.1086/705243  2019
• Plant physical and chemical traits associated with herbivory in situ and under a warming treatment
  Descombes, P; Kergunteuil, A; Glauser, GG; Rasmann, S; Pellissier, L
  JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY,  https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13286, OCT 2019
• A process-based model supports an association between dispersal and the prevalence of species traits in tropical reef fish assemblages
  Donati, GFA; Parravicini, V; Leprieur, F; Hagen, O; Gaboriau, T; Heine, C; Kulbicki, M; Rolland, J; Salamin, N; Albouy, C; Pellissier, L
  ECOGRAPHY, 10.1111/ecog.04537   2019
• Ecological constraints coupled with deep-time habitat dynamics predict the latitudinal diversity gradient in reef fishes
  Gaboriau, T; Albouy, C; Descombes, P; Mouillot, D; Pellissier, L; Leprieur, F
  PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 286 (1911):10.1098/rspb.2019.1506 SEP 18 2019
• Cross-scale effects of land use on the functional composition of herbivorous insect communities
  Neff, F; Bluthgen, N; Chiste, MN; Simons, NK; Steckel, J; Weisser, WW; Westphal, C; Pellissier, L; Gossner, MM
  LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY, 34 (8):2001-2015; 10.1007/s10980-019-00872-1 AUG 2019
• Soil nematode abundance and functional group composition at a global scale
  van den Hoogen, J; Geisen, S; Routh, D; Ferris, H; Traunspurger, W; Wardle, DA; de Goede, RGM; Adams, BJ; Ahmad, W; Andriuzzi, WS; Bardgett, RD; Bonkowski, M; Campos-Herrera, R; Cares, JE; Caruso, T; Caixeta, LD; Chen, XY; Costa, SR; Creamer, R; Castro, JMD; Dam, M; Djigal, D; Escuer, M; Griffiths, BS; Gutierrez, C; Hohberg, K; Kalinkina, D; Kardol, P; Kergunteuil, A; Korthals, G; Krashevska, V; Kudrin, AA; Li, Q; Liang, WJ; Magilton, M; Marais, M; Martin, JAR; Matveeva, E; Mayad, E; Mulder, C; Mullin, P; Neilson, R; Nguyen, TAD; Nielsen, UN; Okada, H; Rius, JEP; Pan, K; Peneva, V; Pellissier, L; da Silva, JCP; Pitteloud, C; Powers, TO; Powers, K; Quist, CW; Rasmann, S; Moreno, SS; Scheu, S; Setala, H; Sushchuk, A; Tiunov, AV; Trap, J; van der Putten, W; Vestergard, M; Villenave, C; Waeyenberge, L; Wall, DH; Wilschut, R; Wright, DG; Yang, JI; Crowther, TW
  NATURE, 572 (7768):194-+; 10.1038/s41586-019-1418-6 AUG 8 2019
• Urban bumblebees are smaller and more phenotypically diverse than their rural counterparts
  Eggenberger, H; Frey, D; Pellissier, L; Ghazoul, J; Fontana, S; Moretti, M
  JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, 10.1111/1365-2656.13051  2019
• Comparing temperature data sources for use in species distribution models: From in-situ logging to remote sensing
  Lembrechts, JJ; Lenoir, J; Roth, N; Hattab, T; Milbau, A; Haider, S; Pellissier, L; Pauchard, A; Backes, AR; Dimarco, RD; Nunez, MA; Aalto, J; Nijs, I
  GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY, 10.1111/geb.12974   2019
• Mountain building, climate cooling and the richness of cold-adapted plants in the Northern Hemisphere
  Hagen, O; Vaterlaus, L; Albouy, C; Brown, A; Leugger, F; Onstein, RE; de Santana, CN; Scotese, CR; Pellissier, L
  JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, 46 (8):1792-1807; 10.1111/jbi.13653 AUG 2019
• Correlated Induction of Phytohormones and Glucosinolates Shapes Insect Herbivore Resistance of Cardamine Species Along Elevational Gradients
  Robert, CAM; Pellissier, L; Moreira, X; Defossez, E; Pfander, M; Guyer, A; van Dam, NM; Rasmann, S
  JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY, 45 (7):638-648; 10.1007/s10886-019-01084-2 JUL 2019
• Climate and land-use changes reshuffle politically-weighted priority areas of mountain biodiversity
  Vincent, C; Fernandes, RF; Cardoso, AR; Broennimann, O; Di Cola, V; D'Amen, M; Ursenbacher, S; Schmidt, BR; Pradervand, JN; Pellissier, L; Guisan, A
  GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION, 17 10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00589 JAN 2019
• The Latitudinal Diversity Gradient: Novel Understanding through Mechanistic Eco-evolutionary
  Pontarp, M; Bunnefeld, L; Cabral, JS; Etienne, RS; Fritz, SA; Gillespie, R; Graham, CH; Hagen, O; Hartig, F; Huang, S; Jansson, R; Maliet, O; Munkemuller, T; Pellissier, L; Rangel, TF; Storch, D; Wiegand, T; Hurlbert, AH
  TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION, 34 (3):211-223; 10.1016/j.tree.2018.11.009 MAR 2019
• Disentangling the processes driving plant assemblages in mountain grasslands across spatial scales and environmental gradients
  Scherrer, D; Mod, HK; Pottier, J; Litsios-Dubuis, A; Pellissier, L; Vittoz, P; Gotzenberger, L; Zobel, M; Guisan, A
  JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, 107 (1):265-278; 10.1111/1365-2745.13037 JAN 2019
• …

• 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