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Functional Plant Ecology

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Our research group aims to better understand the physiological and ecological responses of terrestrial ecosystems to global change, with a focus on anticipating and counteracting its effects.

Our key research themes are the impact of biodiversity loss on ecosystem functions and services, as well as the physiological processes of plant responses to climatic constraints such as drought and increasing temperatures and VPD.

We use novel techniques and approaches at scales going from the cell to the whole ecosystem in diverse environmental conditions in temperate, Mediterranean and tropical systems. We conduct research in controlled conditions (e.g., greenhouses and growth chambers), in manipulative experiments in natural ecosystems (e.g., drought and temperature manipulation) and use long-term national and international inventory platforms.

This integrative approach has both theoretical and applied aims to address the parameterization of climate-vegetation models and guide new climate-smart management practices.

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Projects

HeatFrost: Wie beeinflussen wärmere Winter die Frosthärte zukünftiger Baumarten?

Sind potenziell zukunftsfähige Arten, die hitze- und trockentolerant sind, auch genug frosttolerant? Wir untersuchen, wie sich wärmere Winter auf die Frosthärte verschiedener, aktuell als zukunftsfähig eingestufter Baumarten auswirken.

VPDrought: A novel approach to disentangle atmospheric and soil drought

By deciphering the single vs. combined VPD and soil moisture effects, we will be able to improve global predictions. We aim to apply a scale spanning approach to disentangle the processes affected by atmospheric (i.e., VPD) and soil droughts from the tissue to the tree and the ecosystem level.

Urbtrees

Our project combines high-resolution field measurements, modelling and participatory workshops in the fields of plant ecology, atmospheric chemistry and social urban science. We expect our work to lead to the elaboration of feasible nature-based solutions strategies for our cities where environmental, sociocultural, and infrastructural factors are fully co-considered.

Leaf temperature reconstruction

We critically lack leaf temperature assessments because of the difficulties associated with these measurements. The project aims at developing a novel approach that reconstructs leaf temperature over multiple time scales using plant water isotopes.

HEAT - Keeping it cool in a Hotter world: brEAking new ground into the drivers and consequences of forest Temperature regulation

We will use a hierarchical cross-scale approach that spans plant physiology, remote sensing, and community ecology to assess the physiological and ecological processes that underpin forest temperature regulation during hotter droughts. The work will take place at the Model Ecosystem Facility (MODOEK) and in Saillon (Valais).

ExtremeThaw

In this ambitious project, we study ecological effects of permafrost thaw in the Swiss Alps.

Species invasiveness in the Anthropocene

The project aims at understanding the physiological traits driving the competitive strength of the non-native windmill palm in insubric forests. The work takes place in 6 sites in Spain, France and Switzerland.

Detecting temperature thresholds for photosynthesis and understanding how they are controlled by long-term acclimation to soil drought

We evaluate the potential of thermal imaging with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to detect drought stress in Pinus sylvestris in a long-term irrigation experiment in the Pfyn forest in Valais (southern Switzerland).

Abisko Long-Term Ecological Research ALTER

Setting up the ALTER experiment in Abisko, Sweden for non-destructive in situ monitoring of belowground vegetation and microbial dynamics.

Drivers and consequences of drought-induced hydraulic dysfunctions and mortality under global warming

This project explores the specific impact of VPD and temperature increase on tree water use and mortality. It also investigates the potential damages of using X-ray MicroCT to track embolism in living trees.

Invasiveness of T. fortunei in the forests of southern Switzerland

The invasion of ecosystems by non-native species is one of the largest threats for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning worldwide. To control the spread of non-native plants, it is crucial to understand by which mechanisms they outperform native vegetation. Yet, despite the considerable applied re

Polytunnel Greenhouse Experiment

Das Projekt untersucht, wie gut zukunftsfähige Baumarten während der Verjüngungsphase in einem Klima mit wärmeren Wintern und heiss-trockenen Sommermonaten wachsen, wie sie sich gegenseitig beeinflussen und welche Auswirkungen ihre Präsenz auf den Boden und die darin lebenden Organismen hat.

Impact of tree species interactions on tree water relations under a warmer and drier climate

This research aims to gain a mechanistic understanding of the role of tree species interactions on tree plastic physiological responses to heat and drought stress. It combines an experimental climate manipulation with tree seedlings and fieldwork in a mature forest subjected yearly to hot droughts.

Acclimation and environmental memory

Which are the main mechanisms conveying adaptation on the organ and whole tree level, how fast does acclimation occur and how long is an acclimation potential sustained?

PFF2020

Our main objective is the installation of a long-term Plant Physiological Facility for online determination of gas exchange and isotope fractionations at WSL in the 2020s.

Reconnaître les dendro-microhabitats: visite virtuelle immersive d'une forêt

Les dendro-microhabitats sont importants pour la biodiversité en forêt. Ce projet élabore un nouvel outil destiné aux gestionnaires forestiers, afin de les aider à identifier les dendro-microhabitats et connaître leurs rôles écologiques.

Root endophytic fungi and their contribution to arctic and alpine climate change feedback

Arctic and Alpine vegetation dynamics under climate change can exert a lasting impact on belowground processes and ultimately on world's largest carbon stocks. This long-term field manipulation investigates the functional significance of plant interactions with species-specific endophytic fungi.

Understanding how species interactions modulate long-term heat and drought impacts

The project aims to assess the physiological processes by which trees adapt and interact with each other under a changing climate, determine how these processes affect tree physiological responses to climatic stresses, and better understand long-term shifts in tree internal carbon and water cycles.

The role of mycorrhizae in soil carbon storage of mountain ecosystems

This research project focuses on the role of mycorrhizae in the turnover of soil organic carbon in mountain ecosystems. It estimates the potential release of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere resulting from changes in above and belowground communities.

Forests under stress

In this project we will assess the physiological processes by which trees adjust and interact among each other under a changing climate, determine the consequences of these processes on forest responses to climatic stresses and improve our understanding of these effects on forests functioning at a large comprehensive scale.

MOUNTROOT

The project MOUNTROOT aims at comparing structure-function relationship in roots of two dominant herb species of pasture-woodlands in response to simulated climate change, and to integrate these below-ground insights with above-ground responses to a whole-plant framework.

Dynamics of dead wood and saproxylic insects

Dead wood is a vital prerequisite for a quarter of all organisms living in a forest. The future intensification of forest management will pose a threat to many wood inhabiting (saproxylic) insect species. In forest reserves the formation and decay process of dead wood is quantified and the importance of micro-habitats for saproxylic beetles is investigated.

Mountland

The goal of ‹Mountland› is to investigate the sensitivity of the provision of mountain ecosystem services to both climatic and land-use changes and to suggest policies and governance structures for mitigating the impact of such changes and enhancing sustainable management practices.

Irrigation Experiment Pfynwald

Drought-induced forest decline will gain in importance as the frequency and severity of drought events are expected to increase in the context of climate change. To understand how chronic drought affects tree growth, we study mature Scots pine in an irrigation experiment in an inner-Alpine dry valley since 2003.

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Publications

Bachofen, C.; Poyatos, R.; Flo, V.; Martínez‐Vilalta, J.; Mencuccini, M.; Granda, V.; Grossiord, C., 2023: Stand structure of Central European forests matters more than climate for transpiration sensitivity to VPD. Journal of Applied Ecology, 60, 5: 886-897. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.14383

Ulrich, D.E.M.; Grossiord, C., 2023: Faster drought recovery in anisohydric beech compared with isohydric spruce. Tree Physiology, 43, 4: 517-521. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpad009

Thompson, R.A.; Adams, H.D.; Breshears, D.D.; Collins, A.D.; Dickman, L.T.; Grossiord, C.; Manrique‐Alba, À.; Peltier, D.M.; Ryan, M.G.; Trowbridge, A.M.; McDowell, N.G., 2023: No carbon storage in growth-limited trees in a semi-arid woodland. Nature Communications, 14: 1959 (11 pp.). doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37577-8

Vollenweider, P.; Hildbrand, G.; De Masi, D.; Gavazov, K.; Zufferey, V.; Buttler, A.; Von Arx, G., 2023: Above‐ and belowground responses to experimental climate forcing in two forb species from montane wooded pastures in Switzerland. Functional Ecology, 37, 2: 432-446. doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.14212

Bütler, R.; Bolliger, M., 2023: Totholz alles andere als tot!. Natura Helvetica, 52, Dez-Jan: 20-25.

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Staff