Niche-based models in biogeography & conservation biology: how far can we go to assess the impacts of global change

My research projects focus on the use of niche-based models in biogeography and conservation biology. I'm particularly interested in assessing and understanding global change impacts on plant diversity, from regional to global scale. I investigated these impacts looking at three components of global change:

(1) Modeling of rare and endangered plants in Switzerland. I investigated whether niche-based models could improve the sampling of rare species. I further reviewed the distribution of Rabinowitz' rarity types among the Swiss endangered flora to see how these rarity types relate to IUCN risk of extinction.

(2) Modeling of climate change impacts on biodiversity in the future. I investigated whether the geographic distribution, niche property and life form of the Southern African flora could explain plants' vulnerability to global change.

(3) Modeling of alien invasive plants. Among others, I investigated whether a shift of the climatic niche could occur in the case of biological invasions and if it does compromise the predictions of invaded areas.