
Forest Entomology
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Head: Dr. Martin Gossner
Our group Forest Entomology investigates forest insects in their broadest sense: ecology of potential forest pests, natural enemies, diversity of forest insects.
Research topics
- Infestation dynamics of bark beetles, effect of natural enemies
- Interactions between host trees and bark beetles
- Recolonization of windthrow and wildfire areas by insect communities
- Dependency of dead wood (saproxylic) insects on tree and stand characteristics

FURTHER INFORMATION
News
Open Master Theses
There are three open master theses in the forest entomology group:
If interested, contact Martin Gossner.
Call to participate in a global experiment

We propose a global protocol to assess human impacts on forest ecosystems using experimental microcosms. The main question we aim to address is:
How do current and future climatic conditions, forest habitat degradation and management, influence biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in water filled microcosms worldwide?
Interested? Please contact Martin Gossner
The field season has started!

In March, the insect traps for the Lothar project were installed so that early flying insects could also be detected.
The larch tortrix is back
![The moth of the larch tortrix (Zeiraphera griseana). Photo: Beat Wermelinger, WSL [Translate to Englisch:] Bild: Beat Wermelinger, WSL](/typo3conf/ext/wsl_template/Resources/Public/Images/lazyloading-placeholder.png)
Nearly 40 year after the last major outbreak of the larch tortix (Zeiraphera griseana) in the Upper Engadine, large-scale defoliation of larches due to the larvae of the larch tortrix could be observed this year. Beat Wermelinger reported in Swiss television (in German).
Publications
Les scolytes font régulièrement parler d’eux . Leur pullulation ne se fait toutefois pas sans obstacle. Environ 300 espèces différentes d'ennemis naturels les tiennent en échec. La plupart vivent - à l'image de leur proie - de façon discrète sous l’écorce.
Borkenkäfer machen immer wieder von sich reden. Sie können sich jedoch nicht völlig ungehindert vermehren, sie werden von gegen 300 verschiedenen Arten natürlicher Feinde in Schach gehalten. Die meisten leben - wie ihre Beute - unauffällig unter der Rinde.
Wohlgemuth, T.; Moser, B.; Pötzelsberger, E.; Rigling, A.; Gossner, M.M., 2021: Über die Invasivität der Douglasie und ihre Auswirkungen auf Boden und Biodiversität. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Forstwesen, 172, 2: 118-127. doi: 10.3188/szf.2021.0118
Wohlgemuth, T.; Gossner, M.; Rigling, A., 2021: Chancen und Risiken der Douglasie im Waldbau. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Forstwesen, 172, 2: 62-65.
Valdés-Correcher, E.; Moreira, X.; Augusto, L.; Barbaro, L.; Bouget, C.; Bouriaud, O.; Branco, M.; Centenaro, G.; Csóka, G.; Damestoy, T.; Dobrosavljević, J.; Duduman, M.; Dulaurent, A.; Eötvös, C.B.; Faticov, M.; Ferrante, M.; Fürjes-Mikó, Á.; Galmán, A.; Gossner, M.M.; ... Castagneyrol, B., 2021: Search for top-down and bottom-up drivers of latitudinal trends in insect herbivory in oak trees in Europe. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 30: 651-665. doi: 10.1111/geb.13244
Seibold, S.; Hothorn, T.; Gossner, M.M.; Simons, N.K.; Blüthgen, N.; Müller, J.; Ambarli, D.; Ammer, C.; Bauhus, J.; Fischer, M.; Habel, J.C.; Penone, C.; Schall, P.; Schulze, E.; Weisser, W.W., 2021: Insights from regional and short-term biodiversity monitoring datasets are valuable: a reply to Daskalova et al. 2021. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 14, 1: 144-148. doi: 10.1111/icad.12467
Ambarlı, D.; Simons, N.K.; Wehner, K.; Kämper, W.; Gossner, M.M.; Nauss, T.; Neff, F.; Seibold, S.; Weisser, W.; Blüthgen, N., 2021: Animal-mediated ecosystem process rates in forests and grasslands are affected by climatic conditions and land-use intensity. Ecosystems, 24: 467-483. doi: 10.1007/s10021-020-00530-7
Fitzpatrick, B.R.; Baltensweiler, A.; Düggelin, C.; Fraefel, M.; Freitag, A.; Vandegehuchte, M.L.; Wermelinger, B.; Risch, A.C., 2021: The distribution of a group of keystone species is not associated with anthropogenic habitat disturbance. Diversity and Distributions, 27, 4: 572-584. doi: 10.1111/ddi.13217
Kortmann, M.; Müller, J.C.; Baier, R.; Bässler, C.; Buse, J.; Cholewińska, O.; Förschler, M.I.; Georgiev, K.B.; Hilszczański, J.; Jaroszewicz, B.; Jaworski, T.; Kaufmann, S.; Kuijper, D.; Lorz, J.; Lotz, A.; Łubek, A.; Mayer, M.; Mayerhofer, S.; Meyer, S.; ... Thorn, S., 2021: Ecology versus society: impacts of bark beetle infestations on biodiversity and restorativeness in protected areas of Central Europe. Biological Conservation, 254: 108931 (9 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108931
Wong, M.K.L.; Carmona, C.P., 2021: Including intraspecific trait variability to avoid distortion of functional diversity and ecological inference: lessons from natural assemblages. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, doi: 10.1111/2041-210X.13568
Wermelinger, B.; Rigling, A.; Schneider Mathis, D.; Kenis, M.; Gossner, M.M., 2021: Climate change effects on trophic interactions of bark beetles in inner alpine scots pine forests. Forests, 12, 2: 1-16. doi: 10.3390/f12020136
Rissanen, K.; Hölttä, T.; Bäck, J.; Rigling, A.; Wermelinger, B.; Gessler, A., 2021: Drought effects on carbon allocation to resin defences and on resin dynamics in old-grown Scots pine. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 185: 104410 (13 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2021.104410
Eisenring, M.; Unsicker, S.B.; Lindroth, R.L., 2021: Spatial, genetic and biotic factors shape within-crown leaf trait variation and herbivore performance in a foundation tree species. Functional Ecology, 35, 1: 54-66. doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.13699
Simons, N.K.; Felipe-Lucia, M.R.; Schall, P.; Ammer, C.; Bauhus, J.; Blüthgen, N.; Boch, S.; Buscot, F.; Fischer, M.; Goldmann, K.; Gossner, M.M.; Hänsel, F.; Jung, K.; Manning, P.; Nauss, T.; Oelmann, Y.; Pena, R.; Polle, A.; Renner, S.C.; ... Weisser, W.W., 2021: National forest inventories capture the multifunctionality of managed forests in Germany. Forest Ecosystems, 8: 5 (19 pp.). doi: 10.1186/s40663-021-00280-5
Bae, S.; Heidrich, L.; Levick, S.R.; Gossner, M.M.; Seibold, S.; Weisser, W.W.; Magdon, P.; Serebryanyk, A.; Bässler, C.; Schäfer, D.; Schulze, E.; Doerfler, I.; Müller, J.; Jung, K.; Heurich, M.; Fischer, M.; Roth, N.; Schall, P.; Boch, S.; ... Renner, S.C.; Müller, J., 2021: Dispersal ability, trophic position and body size mediate species turnover processes: insights from a multi-taxa and multi-scale approach. Diversity and Distributions, 27: 439-453. doi: 10.1111/ddi.13204
Haeler, E.; Bergamini, A.; Blaser, S.; Ginzler, C.; Hindenlang, K.; Keller, C.; Kiebacher, T.; Kormann, U.G.; Scheidegger, C.; Schmidt, R.; Stillhard, J.; Szallies, A.; Pellissier, L.; Lachat, T., 2021: Saproxylic species are linked to the amount and isolation of dead wood across spatial scales in a beech forest. Landscape Ecology, 36: 89-104. doi: 10.1007/s10980-020-01115-4
Wolf, S.; Barmettler, E.; Eisenring, M.; Romeis, J.; Collatz, J., 2021: Host searching and host preference of resident pupal parasitoids of Drosophila suzukii in the invaded regions. Pest Management Science, 77, 1: 243-252. doi: 10.1002/ps.6013
Peters, R.L.; Miranda, J.C.; Schönbeck, L.; Nievergelt, D.; Fonti, M.V.; Saurer, M.; Stritih, A.; Fonti, P.; Wermelinger, B.; Von Arx, G.; Lehmann, M.M., 2020: Tree physiological monitoring of the 2018 larch budmoth outbreak: preference for leaf recovery and carbon storage over stem wood formation in Larix decidua. Tree Physiology, 40: 1697-1711. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpaa087
Wong, M.K.L.; Tsang, T.P.N.; Lewis, O.T.; Guénard, B., 2020: Trait-similarity and trait-hierarchy jointly determine fine-scale spatial associations of resident and invasive ant species. Ecography, doi: 10.1111/ecog.05505
Wermelinger, B., 2020: Der Borkenkäfer - Altes, Neues, Wissenswertes. Newsletter St. Galler Wald, 2020, 3: (7 pp.).
20 from 354 publications
Staff
Forest Entomology
teamleader, senior scientist | |
guest | |
temporary employee | |
Postdoc | |
scientific staff member | |
temporary employee | |
visiting scientist | |
PhD student | |
lab technician | |
visiting scientist | |
technical staff member | |
technical staff member | |
senior scientist | |
civil service employee | |
Postdoc |