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.

• 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
• Specificity of plant-plant communication for Baccharis salicifolia sexes but not genotypes
  Moreira, X; Nell, CS; Meza-Lopez, MM; Rasmann, S; Mooney, KA
  ECOLOGY, 99 (12):2731-2739; 10.1002/ecy.2534 DEC 2018
• Growing Research Networks on Mycorrinizae for Mutual Benefits
  Ferlian, O; Biere, A; Bonfante, P; Buscot, F; Eisenhauer, N; Fernandez, I; Hause, B; Herrmann, S; Krajinski-Barth, F; Meier, IC; Pozo, MJ; Rasmann, S; Rillig, MC; Tarkka, MT; van Dam, NM; Wagg, C; Martinez-Medina, A
  TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE, 23 (11):975-984; 10.1016/j.tplants.2018.08.008 NOV 2018
• Herbivore specificity and the chemical basis of plant-plant communication in Baccharis salicifolia (Asteraceae)
  Moreira, X; Nell, CS; Katsanis, A; Rasmann, S; Mooney, KA
  NEW PHYTOLOGIST, 220 (3):703-713; 10.1111/nph.14164 NOV 2018
• The functional decoupling of processes in alpine ecosystems under climate change
  Pellissier, Loic; Rasmann, Sergio
  CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE, 29 126-132; 10.1016/j.cois.2018.07.005 OCT 2018
• Assessing the influence of biogeographical region and phylogenetic history on chemical defences and herbivory in Quercus species
  Moreira, X; Abdala-Roberts, L; Galman, A; Francisco, M; de la Fuente, M; Butroon, A; Rasmann, S
  PHYTOCHEMISTRY, 153 64-73; 10.1016/j.phytochem.2018.06.002 SEP 2018
• Elevational gradients in plant defences and insect herbivory: recent advances in the field and prospects for future research
  Moreira, X; Petry, WK; Mooney, KA; Rasmann, S; Abdala-Roberts, L
  ECOGRAPHY, 41 (9):1485-1496; 10.1111/ecog.03184 NOV 2018
• Root JA Induction Modifies Glucosinolate Profiles and Increases Subsequent Aboveground Resistance to Herbivore Attack in Cardamine hirsuta
  Bakhtiari, M; Glauser, G; Rasmann, S
  FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE, 9 10.3389/fpls.2018.01230 AUG 21 2018
• Growth-competition-herbivore resistance trade-offs and the responses of alpine plant communities to climate change
  Pellissier, L; Descombes, P; Hagen, O; Chalmandrier, L; Glauser, G; Kergunteuil, A; Defossez, E; Rasmann, S
  FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, 32 (7):1693-1703; https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13075 JUL 2018
• Latitudinal variation in plant chemical defences drives latitudinal patterns of leaf herbivory
  Moreira, X; Castagneyrol, B; Abdala-Roberts, L; Teran, JCBMY; Timmermans, BGH; Bruun, HH; Covelo, F; Glauser, G; Rasmann, S; Tack, AJM
  ECOGRAPHY, 41 (7):1124-1134; 10.1111/ecog.03326 JUL 2018
• Plant physical and chemical defence variation along elevation gradients: a functional trait-based approach
  Kergunteuil, Alan; Descombes, Patrice; Glauser, Gaetan; Pellissier, Loic; Rasmann, Sergio
  OECOLOGIA, 187 (2):561-571; 10.1007/s00442-018-4162-y JUN 2018
• The unfolding of plant growth form-defence syndromes along elevation gradients
  Defossez, Emmanuel; Pellissier, Loic; Rasmann, Sergio
  ECOLOGY LETTERS, 21 (5):609-618; 10.1111/ele.12926 MAY 2018
• Pleiotropic effect of the Flowering Locus C on plant resistance and defence against insect herbivores
  Rasmann, Sergio; Vilas, Julia Sanchez; Glauser, Gaetan; Cartolano, Maria; Lempe, Janne; Tsiantis, Miltos; Pannell, John R.
  JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, 106 (3):1244-1255; 10.1111/1365-2745.12894 MAY 2018
• Lioptilodes friasi (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) Niche Breadth in the Chilean Mediterranean Matorral Biome: Trophic and Altitudinal Dimensions 
  Vargas, Hector A.; Rasmann, Sergio; Ramirez-Verdugo, Pamela; Villagra, Cristian A
  NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY, 47 (1): 62-68, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-017-0514-2 FEB 2018
• Earthworms affect plant growth and resistance against herbivores: A meta-analysis 
  Xiao, Zhenggao; Wang, Xie; Koricheva, Julia; et al. 
  FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, 32 (1): 150-160 JAN 2018
• A global analysis of elevational gradients in leaf herbivory and its underlying drivers: Effects of plant growth form, leaf habit and climatic correlates 
  Galman, Andrea; Abdala-Roberts, Luis; Zhang, Shuang; et al. 
  JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, 106 (1): 413-421 JAN 2018

• 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