
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
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.
Open master thesis

In this master thesis, we want to investigate how land-use intensification, which is one of the major drivers of ongoing biodiversity loss, affects the functional composition of herbivorous insect communities in forests.
Further Information (PDF)
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
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, doi: 10.1111/ddi.13217
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
Thorn, S.; Chao, A.; Georgiev, K.B.; Müller, J.; Bässler, C.; Campbell, J.L.; Castro, J.; Chen, Y.; Choi, C.; Cobb, T.P.; Donato, D.C.; Durska, E.; Macdonald, E.; Feldhaar, H.; Fontaine, J.B.; Fornwalt, P.J.; Hernández, R.M.H.; Hutto, R.L.; Koivula, M.; ... Leverkus, A.B., 2020: Estimating retention benchmarks for salvage logging to protect biodiversity. Nature Communications, 11, 1: 4762 (8 pp.). doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-18612-4
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.).
Wermelinger, B., 2020: Ökologische Bedeutung von Borkenkäfern. Newsletter St. Galler Wald, 2020, 3: (6 pp.).
Heinrichs, S.; Schall, P.; Ammer, C.; Fischer, M.; Gossner, M., 2020: Annahmen und Ergebnisse zur Biodiversität im Wirtschaftswald - neues aus der Biodiversitätsforschung. In: Bollmann, K. (eds), 2020: Biodiversität im Schweizer Wald. Forum für Wissen 2020, Birmensdorf. 15-29.
Gossner, M.M.; Müller, J., 2020: Welche Leistungen erbringen grosse Waldschutzgebiete für den Biodiversitätsschutz?. In: Bollmann, K. (eds), 2020: Biodiversität im Schweizer Wald. Forum für Wissen 2020, Birmensdorf. 45-54.
Felipe-Lucia, M.R.; Soliveres, S.; Penone, C.; Fischer, M.; Ammer, C.; Boch, S.; Boeddinghaus, R.S.; Bonkowski, M.; Buscot, F.; Fiore-Donno, A.M.; Frank, K.; Goldmann, K.; Gossner, M.M.; Hölzel, N.; Jochum, M.; Kandeler, E.; Klaus, V.H.; Kleinebecker, T.; Leimer, S.; ... Allan, E., 2020: Land-use intensity alters networks between biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and services. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America PNAS, 117, 45: 28140-28149. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2016210117
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., 2020: Dispersal ability, trophic position and body size mediate species turnover processes: insights from a multi-taxa and multi-scale approach. Diversity and Distributions, doi: 10.1111/ddi.13204
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
Eisenring, M.; Unsicker, S.B.; Lindroth, R.L., 2020: Spatial, genetic and biotic factors shape within-crown leaf trait variation and herbivore performance in a foundation tree species. Functional Ecology, doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.13699
Ambarlı, D.; Simons, N.K.; Wehner, K.; Kämper, W.; Gossner, M.M.; Nauss, T.; Neff, F.; Seibold, S.; Weisser, W.; Blüthgen, N., 2020: Animal-mediated ecosystem process rates in forests and grasslands are affected by climatic conditions and land-use intensity. Ecosystems, doi: 10.1007/s10021-020-00530-7
Gossner, M.M.; Wohlgemuth, T., 2020: Do we need squirrels everywhere? On the distinction between biodiversity and nature. In: Krumm, F.; Schuck, A.; Rigling, A. (eds), 2020: How to balance forestry and biodiversity conservation. A view across Europe. Birmensdorf, European Forest Institute (EFI); Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). 133-145.
Doerfler, I.; Cadotte, M.W.; Weisser, W.W.; Müller, J.; Gossner, M.M.; Heibl, C.; Bässler, C.; Thorn, S.; Seibold, S., 2020: Restoration-oriented forest management affects community assembly patterns of deadwood-dependent organisms. Journal of Applied Ecology, 57, 12: 2429-2440. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.13741
Büntgen, U.; Liebhold, A.; Nievergelt, D.; Wermelinger, B.; Roques, A.; Reinig, F.; Krusic, P.J.; Piermattei, A.; Egli, S.; Cherubini, P.; Esper, J., 2020: Return of the moth: rethinking the effect of climate on insect outbreaks. Oecologia, 192: 543-552. doi: 10.1007/s00442-019-04585-9
Klesse, S.; Von Arx, G.; Gossner, M.M.; Hug, C.; Rigling, A.; Queloz, V., 2020: Amplifying feedback loop between growth and wood anatomical characteristics of Fraxinus excelsior explains size-related susceptibility to ash dieback. Tree Physiology, doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpaa091
Wohlgemuth, T.; Bürgi, M.; Conedera, M.; Rigling, A.; Wermelinger, B.; Gossner, M., 2020: Die Wirkung von natürlichen Störungen auf die Waldbiodiversität. In: Bollmann, K. (eds), 2020: Biodiversität im Schweizer Wald. Forum für Wissen 2020, online. 55-63.
Vogel, S.; Gossner, M.M.; Mergner, U.; Müller, J.; Thorn, S., 2020: Optimizing enrichment of deadwood for biodiversity by varying sun exposure and tree species: an experimental approach. Journal of Applied Ecology, 57, 10: 2075-2085. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.13648
20 from 343 publications
Staff
Forest Entomology
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