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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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Publications

Didion‐Gency, M.; Bachofen, C.; Buchmann, N.; Gessler, A.; Morin, X.; Vicente, E.; Vollenweider, P.; Grossiord, C., 2021: Interactive effects of tree species mixture and climate on foliar and woody trait variation in a widely distributed deciduous tree. Functional Ecology, doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.13898

Pivovaroff, A.L.; McDowell, N.G.; Rodrigues, T.B.; Brodribb, T.; Cernusak, L.A.; Choat, B.; Grossiord, C.; Ishida, Y.; Jardine, K.J.; Laurance, S.; Leff, R.; Li, W.; Liddell, M.; Mackay, D.S.; Pacheco, H.; Peters, J.; Sampaio Filho, I.d.J.; Souza, D.C.; Wang, W.; ... Chambers, J., 2021: Stability of tropical forest tree carbon-water relations in a rainfall exclusion treatment through shifts in effective water uptake depth. Global Change Biology, doi: 10.1111/gcb.15869

Walde, M.; Allan, E.; Cappelli, S.L.; Didion-Gency, M.; Gessler, A.; Lehmann, M.M.; Pichon, N.A.; Grossiord, C., 2021: Both diversity and functional composition affect productivity and water use efficiency in experimental temperate grasslands. Journal of Ecology, doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.13765

Trotsiuk, V.; Babst, F.; Grossiord, C.; Gessler, A.; Forrester, D.I.; Buchmann, N.; Schaub, M.; Eugster, W., 2021: Tree growth in Switzerland is increasingly constrained by rising evaporative demand. Journal of Ecology, 109, 8: 2981-2990. doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.13712

Pivovaroff, A.L.; Wolfe, B.T.; McDowell, N.; Christoffersen, B.; Davies, S.; Dickman, L.T.; Grossiord, C.; Leff, R.T.; Rogers, A.; Serbin, S.P.; Wright, S.J.; Wu, J.; Xu, C.; Chambers, J.Q., 2021: Hydraulic architecture explains species moisture dependency but not mortality rates across a tropical rainfall gradient. Biotropica, 53, 4: 1213-1225. doi: 10.1111/btp.12964

Conedera, M.; Risch, A.; Grossiord, C.; Bebi, P., 2021: Research Unit Community Ecology. In: Ferretti, M.; Fischer, C.; Gessler, A. (eds), 2021: Towards an advanced inventorying and monitoring system for the Swiss forest. Towards an advanced inventorying and monitoring system for the Swiss forest, Birmensdorf. 43-44.

Bütler, R.; Rosset, C.; Larrieu, L., 2021: Reconnaître les arbres-habitats grâce à l'application habitat.sylvotheque.ch. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Forstwesen, 172, 4: 242-245. doi: 10.3188/szf.2021.0242

Fang, Y.; Leung, L.R.; Wolfe, B.T.; Detto, M.; Knox, R.G.; McDowell, N.G.; Grossiord, C.; Xu, C.; Christoffersen, B.O.; Gentine, P.; Koven, C.D.; Chambers, J.Q., 2021: Disentangling the effects of vapor pressure deficit and soil water availability on canopy conductance in a seasonal tropical forest during the 2015 El Niño drought. Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres, 126, 10: e2021JD035004 (20 pp.). doi: 10.1029/2021JD035004

Wang, W.; English, N.B.; Grossiord, C.; Gessler, A.; Das, A.J.; Stephenson, N.L.; Baisan, C.H.; Allen, C.D.; McDowell, N.G., 2021: Mortality predispositions of conifers across western USA. New Phytologist, 229, 2: 831-844. doi: 10.1111/nph.16864

Bütler, R.; Rosset, C.; Larrieu, L., 2021: Baummikrohabitate entdecken. Wald und Holz, 102, 5: 15-16.

Bütler, R.; Rosset, C.; Larrieu, L., 2021: Découverte ludique et utile des dendromicrohabitats. Forêt, 74, 5: 10-11.

Vust, M.; Mola Djebarri, M.; Clerc, P.; Bütler, R., 2021: Diversité des lichens et enjeux de gestion dans les forêts de Montricher. Mémoires de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles, 29: 95-122.

Silva, M.; Drollinger, F.; Morard, E.; Bütler, R., 2021: Évolution du bois mort dans les forêts de Montricher. Mémoires de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles, 29: 47-61.

Diefendorf, A.F.; Bickford, C.P.; Schlanser, K.M.; Freimuth, E.J.; Hannon, J.S.; Grossiord, C.; McDowell, N.G., 2021: Plant wax and carbon isotope response to heat and drought in the conifer Juniperus monosperma. Organic Geochemistry, 153: 104197 (12 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.orggeochem.2021.104197

Know, protect and promote habitat trees

Habitat trees are a key component of forest biodiversity. Experts from Europe have developed a typology of tree-related microhabitats, small life-sites borne by some trees, which are indispensable for thousands of specialised organisms.

WSL fact sheet 64

2021

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Dendro-microhábitats guía de campo. Descripción, identificación y clasificación para su inventario

Un árbol-hábitat se define como un árbol que tiene al menos un dendro-microhábitat (Fig. 1). Un dendro-microhábitat es una característica morfológica presente en un árbol, utilizada por determinadas especies durante al menos una parte de su ciclo de vida.

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Field guide to tree-related microhabitats. Descriptions and size limits for their inventory

This field guide describes 47 different tree-related microhabitats and classifies them into 15 groups and seven types. The guidebook is originally published as an annex to the WSL Fact Sheet 64 «Know, protect and promote habitat trees».

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Taschenführer der Baummikrohabitate. Beschreibung und Schwellenwerte für Feldaufnahmen

Dieser Taschenführer beschreibt die 47 Typen von Baummikrohabitaten, die in 15 Gruppen und 7 Formen unterteilt sind. Der Taschenführer ist eine Beilage zum Merkblatt für die Praxis 64 «Habitatbäume kennen, schützen und fördern».

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Guide de poche des dendromicrohabitats. Description et seuils de grandeur pour leur inventaire

Ce guide décrit les 47 types de dendromicrohabitats, organisés en 15 groupes et 7 formes. Il est une annexe à la Notice pour le praticien 64 «Connaître, conserver et promouvoir les arbres-habitats».

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Sevanto, S.; Grossiord, C.; Klein, T.; Reed, S., 2020: Editorial: Plant-soil interactions under changing climate. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11: 621235 (2 pp.). doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.621235

20 from 80 publications

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