Mechanistic Community Ecology, Soil Ecology

Which biotic and abiotic factors drive variation in species interactions remains a central question in ecology. In our lab we take advantage of natural variation in species interaction generated by ecological gradients, and we use different approaches, including field common gardens, behavioral assays, chemical and phylogenetic analyses to address this question. By studying multitrophic interactions in natural settings we aim at harnessing the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms of community assembly, and ultimately, we hope to use this fundamental knowledge for targeted application related to crop production and biological control of insect pests.

• 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, https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6523/1469   DEC 2020
• Ecological convergence of secondary phytochemicals along elevational gradients
  Bakhtiari, Moe; Glauser, Gaetan; Defossez, Emmanuel; Rasmann, Sergio
  New Phytologist  DOI: 10.1111/nph.16966   OCT 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
• The effect of root-associated microbes on plant growth and chemical defence traits across two contrasted elevations
  Formenti, Ludovico; Caggia, Veronica; Puissant, Jeremy; Goodall, Tim; Glauser, Gaetan; et al.
  Journal Of Ecology  DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.13440  JUN 2020
• To bee or not to bee: The 'raison d'etre' of toxic secondary compounds in the pollen of Boraginaceae
  Trunz, Vincent; Lucchetti, Matteo A.; Benon, Dimitri; Dorchin, Achik; Desurmont, Gaylord A.; et al.
  Functional Ecology   DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13581 Published: JUL 2020
• Ontogenetic consistency in oak defence syndromes
  Moreira, Xoaquin; Abdala-Roberts, Luis; Galman, Andrea; Bartlow, Andrew W.; Berny-Mier y Teran, Jorge C.; et al.
  Journal Of Ecology  DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.13376   MAR 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
• Tritrophic interactions follow phylogenetic escalation and climatic adaptation
  Kergunteuil, Alan; Humair, Laureline; Maire, Anne-Laure; Fernanda Moreno-Aguilar, Maria; Godschalx, Adrienne; et al.
  Scientific Reports  DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59068-2  FEB 7 2020
• Variation in Below-to Aboveground Systemic Induction of Glucosinolates Mediates Plant Fitness Consequences under Herbivore Attack
  Bakhtiari, Moe; Rasmann, Sergio
  Journal Of Chemical Ecology  DOI: 10.1007/s10886-020-01159-5 FEB 2020
• Modulation of above-belowground plant-herbivore interactions by entomopathogenic nematodes
  Li, Yang; Zhen, Shiyu; Shan, Shaojie; Sun, Bingjiao; Li, Jingjing; et al.
  Applied Soil Ecology,  DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2019.103479, APR 2020
• The effect of biochar amendment on N-cycling genes in soils: A meta-analysis
  Xiao, Zhenggao; Rasmann, Sergio; Yue, Le; Lian, Fei; Zou, Hua; et al.
  Science Of The Total Environment,  DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133984, Published: DEC 15 2019
• Parallel increases in insect herbivory and defenses with increasing elevation for both saplings and adult trees of oak (Quercus) species
  Galman, Andrea; Abdala-Roberts, Luis; Covelo, Felisa; Rasmann, Sergio; Moreira, Xoaquin
  American Journal Of Botany,  DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1388, Early Access: NOV 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
• Inducibility of chemical defences in young oak trees is stronger in species with high elevational ranges
  Galman, Andrea; Petry, William K.; Abdala-Roberts, Luis; Butron, Ana; de la Fuente, Maria; et al.
  Tree Physiology,  DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpy139, Published: APR 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
• Deicing Salt Pollution Affects the Foliar Traits and Arthropods' Biodiversity of Lime Trees in Riga's Street Greeneries
  Bouraoui, D; Cekstere, G; Osvalde, A; Vollenweider, P; Rasmann, S
  FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION, 7 10.3389/fevo.2019.00282 JUL 31 2019
• Plant adaptation to different climates shapes the strengths of chemically mediated tritrophic interactions
  Kergunteuil, A; Humair, L; Munzbergova, Z; Rasmann, S
  FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, 10.1111/1365-2435.13396 
• 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
• The symbiotic bacteria Alcaligenes faecalis of the entomopathogenic nematodes Oscheius spp. exhibit potential biocontrol of plant- and entomopathogenic fungi
  Shan, SJ; Wang, WW; Song, CX; Wang, MG; Sun, BJ; Li, Y; Fu, YQ; Gu, XH; Ruan, WB; Rasmann, S
  MICROBIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY, 12 (3):459-471; 10.1111/1751-7915.13365 MAY 2019
• Contribution of different predator guilds to tritrophic interactions along ecological clines
  Godschalx, AL; Rodriguez-Castaneda, G; Rasmann, S
  CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE, 32 104-109; SI 10.1016/j.cois.2019.01.002 APR 2019
• Variable effects on growth and defense traits for plant ecotypic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity along elevation gradients
  Bakhtiari, M; Formenti, L; Caggia, V; Glauser, G; Rasmann, S
  ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION, 9 (7):3740-3755; 10.1002/ece3.4999 APR 2019
• Mycorrhizal Fungi Enhance Resistance to Herbivores in Tomato Plants with Reduced Jasmonic Acid Production
  Formenti, L; Rasmann, S
  AGRONOMY-BASEL, 9 (3):10.3390/agronomy9030131 MAR 12 2019
• Earthworms suppress thrips attack on tomato plants by concomitantly modulating soil properties and plant chemistry
  Xiao, ZG; Jiang, LH; Chen, XY; Zhang, Y; Defossez, E; Hu, F; Liu, MQ; Rasmann, S
  SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY, 130 23-32; 10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.11.023 MAR 2019
• Evolutionary dynamics of specialisation in herbivorous stick insects
  Larose, Chloe; Rasmann, Sergio; Schwander, Tanja
  ECOLOGY LETTERS, 22 (2):354-364; 10.1111/ele.13197 FEB 2019
• Environmental gradients and the evolution of tri-trophic interactions
  Kergunteuil, Alan; Roeder, Gregory; Rasmann, Sergio
  ECOLOGY LETTERS, 22 (2):292-301; 10.1111/ele.13190 FEB 2019
• …

• Plant-animal interactions
• Community ecology along ecological gradients
• Above-belowground interactions
• Plant-herbivore-microbe interaction
• Evolutionary ecology of plant defense strategies

• Chemical ecology
• Metabolomics
• Genomics
• Entomology
• Soil ecology