Plant-plant interactions
Plant Community Ecology
Our research focuses on the mechanisms of plant interactions and on their consequences for biodiversity, with emphasis on positive (facilitative) interactions. We use observational and experimental methods and apply trait-based approaches to look into competition and facilitation processes and to investigate their consequences for species coexistence and community assembly. We are particularly interested in niche-based approaches to plant interactions and the potential evolutionary consequences of facilitation for the interacting species. We study plant interactions in alpine, semi-arid and agricultural ecosystems.
Recent Publications
- Foundation species promote local adaptation and fine-scale distribution of herbaceous plants
O'Brien, Michael J.; Carbonell, Elisa P.; Losapio, Gianalberto; Schlueter, Philipp M.; Schoeb, Christian
Journal Of Ecology DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.13461 JUL 2020 - Warming enhances growth but does not affect plant interactions in an alpine cushion species
Pugnaire, Francisco, I; Piston, Nuria; Macek, Petr; Schoeb, Christian; Estruch, Carme; et al.
Perspectives In Plant Ecology Evolution And Systematics DOI: 10.1016/j.ppees.2020.125530 JUN 2020 - Positive plant-plant interactions expand the upper distributional limits of some vascular plant species
Raath-Kruger, MJ; McGeoch, MA; Schob, C; Greve, M; Le Roux, PC
ECOSPHERE, 10 (8):10.1002/ecs2.2820 AUG 2019 - Increasing water availability and facilitation weaken biodiversity-biomass relationships in shrublands
Guo, YP; Schob, C; Ma, WH; Mohammat, A; Liu, HY; Yu, SL; Jiang, YX; Schmid, B; Tang, ZY
ECOLOGY, 100 (3):10.1002/ecy.2624 MAR 2019 - Plant interactions shape pollination networks via nonadditive effects
Losapio, G; Fortuna, MA; Bascompte, J; Schmid, B; Michalet, R; Neumeyer, R; Castro, L; Cerretti, P; Germann, C; Haenni, JP; Klopfstein, S; Ortiz-Sanchez, FJ; Pont, AC; Rousse, P; Schmid, J; Sommaggio, D; Schob, C
ECOLOGY, 100 (3):10.1002/ecy.2619 MAR 2019 - The assembly of a plant network in alpine vegetation
Losapio, G; de la Cruz, M; Escudero, A; Schmid, B; Schob, C
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE 29(6): 999-1006, DOI: 10.1111/jvs.12681, NOV 2018 - Crop presence, but not genetic diversity, impacts on the rare arable plant Valerianella rimosa
Rob W. Brooker, Alison J. Karley, Luna Morcillo, Adrian C. Newton, Robin J. Pakeman & Christian Schöb
Plant Ecology & Diversity, 10:5-6, 495-507, DOI: 10.1080/17550874.2018.1437646 2017 - A trait-based approach to understand the consequences of specific plant interactions for community structure
Schoeb, Christian; Macek, Petr; Piston, Nuria; et al.
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, 28 (4): 696-704, https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12523 JUL 2017 - Species but not genotype diversity strongly impacts the establishment of rare colonisers
Schoeb, Christian; Hortal, Sara; Karley, Alison J.; et al.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, 31 (7): 1462-1470, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12848 JUL 2017 - Resistance of plant-plant networks to biodiversity loss and secondary extinctions following simulated environmental changes
Losapio, Gianalberto; Schoeb, Christian
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, 31 (5): 1145-1152, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12839 MAY 2017 - Feedback effects between plant and flower-visiting insect communities along a primary succession gradient
Losapio, Gianalberto; Gobbi, Mauro; Marano, Giuseppe; et al.
ARTHROPOD-PLANT INTERACTIONS, 10 (6): 485-495, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-016-9444-x DEC 2016

Prof. Dr. Christian Schöb
ETH Zürich
Institute of Agricultural Sciences
8092 Zurich
Tel: +41 (0)44 632 47 53
Publications
Research topics
- Plant community ecology
- Plant species coexistence
- Plant interactions
- Functional plant ecology
- Evolutionary plant ecology
- Alpine plant ecology
Interdisciplinary
- Agriculture and food security
- Intercropping
- Climate change impact
- Plant-microbe interactions
- Biodiversity