
Land Change Science
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Head: PD Dr. Matthias Bürgi
Landscapes change over time, shaped by natural processes, such as erosion and succession, and anthropogenic influences, such as agricultural or forestry activity, construction activity - in short: land use. Our research unit investigates this interplay of ecological and anthropogenic influences and its impact on landscape development.
The landscape level shows how sustainably society deals with natural resources - we use this for comprehensive analyses.
Our research and development activities are aimed at the national and international research community. It is equally important to us to carry out relevant research for the general public and to support public administration in fulfilling its tasks.
Research groups
FURTHER INFORMATION
Publications
Focus WSL magazine Diagonal, 2/17: Whatever we do, we change the landscape. Our landscape researchers take a closer look so that we can shape these transformations together.
Selecteded Publications
Csilléry, K.; Buchmann, N.; Fady, B., 2020: Adaptation to drought is coupled with slow growth, but independent from phenology in marginal silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) populations. Evolutionary Applications, 13, 9: 2357-2376. doi: 10.1111/eva.13029
Li, L.; Hu, R.; Huang, J.; Bürgi, M.; Zhu, Z.; Zhong, J.; Lü, Z., 2020: A farmland biodiversity strategy is needed for China. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 4: 772-774. doi: 10.1038/s41559-020-1161-2
Ginzler, C.; Price, B.; Bösch, R.; Fischer, C.; Hobi, M.L.; Psomas, A.; Rehush, N.; Wang, Z.; Waser, L.T., 2019: Area-wide products. In: Fischer, C.; Traub, B. (eds), 2019: Swiss National Forest Inventory – Methods and models of the fourth assessment. Cham, Springer. 125-142. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-19293-8_7
Wang, Z.; Ginzler, C.; Waser, L.T., 2020: Assessing structural changes at the forest edge using kernel density estimation. Forest Ecology and Management, 456: 117639 (13 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2019.117639
Bolliger, J.; Silbernagel, J., 2020: Contribution of connectivity assessments to green infrastructure (GI). ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 9, 4: 212 (17 pp.). doi: 10.3390/ijgi9040212
Scherrer, D.; Vitasse, Y.; Guisan, A.; Wohlgemuth, T.; Lischke, H., 2020: Competition and demography rather than dispersal limitation slow down upward shifts of trees' upper elevation limits in the Alps. Journal of Ecology, 108, 6: 2416-2430. doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.13451
Grünig, M.; Mazzi, D.; Calanca, P.; Karger, D.N.; Pellissier, L., 2020: Crop and forest pest metawebs shift towards increased linkage and suitability overlap under climate change. Communications Biology, 3, 1: 233 (10 pp.). doi: 10.1038/s42003-020-0962-9
Kienast, F.; Martius, G.; Gosteli, S., 2020: Erster weltweit zugänglicher Onlinekurs für Landschaftsökologie. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Forstwesen, 171, 2: 104.
Speich, M.J.R.; Zappa, M.; Scherstjanoi, M.; Lischke, H., 2020: FORests and HYdrology under Climate Change in Switzerland v1.0: a spatially distributed model combining hydrology and forest dynamics. Geoscientific Model Development, 13, 2: 537-564. doi: 10.5194/gmd-13-537-2020
Manel, S.; Guerin, P.E.; Mouillot, D.; Blanchet, S.; Velez, L.; Albouy, C.; Pellissier, L., 2020: Global determinants of freshwater and marine fish genetic diversity. Nature Communications, 11: 692 (9 pp.). doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-14409-7
Descombes, P.; Kergunteuil, A.; Glauser, G.; Rasmann, S.; Pellissier, L., 2020: Plant physical and chemical traits associated with herbivory in situ and under a warming treatment. Journal of Ecology, 108, 2: 733-749. doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.13286
Price, B.; Waser, L.T.; Wang, Z.; Marty, M.; Ginzler, C.; Zellweger, F., 2020: Predicting biomass dynamics at the national extent from digital aerial photogrammetry. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 90: 102116 (10 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.jag.2020.102116
Bacău, S.; Grădinaru, S.R.; Hersperger, A.M., 2020: Spatial plans as relational data: using social network analysis to assess consistency among Bucharest's planning instruments. Land Use Policy, 92: 104484 (14 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104484
Brun, P.; Zimmermann, N.E.; Graham, C.H.; Lavergne, S.; Pellissier, L.; Münkemüller, T.; Thuiller, W., 2019: The productivity-biodiversity relationship varies across diversity dimensions. Nature Communications, 10: 5691 (11 pp.). doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-13678-1
Complete lists within the groups
Staff
Land Change Science
head of research unit | |
visiting scientist | |
master student | |
visiting scientist | |
temporary employee | |
PhD student guest |
Dynamic macroecology
teamleader, senior scientist | |
civil service employee | |
temporary employee | |
Wissenschatlicher Mitarbeiter | |
PhD student | |
scientific staff member | |
Guest ESKAS | |
temporary employee | |
visiting scientist | |
scientific staff member | |
PhD student guest | |
PhD student guest | |
Postdoc | |
visiting scientist | |
scientific staff member | |
visiting scientist | |
PhD student guest | |
scientific staff member | |
visiting scientist | |
PhD student | |
scientific staff member | |
senior scientist | |
scientific staff member |
Remote Sensing
teamleader, senior scientist | |
scientific staff member | |
technical staff member | |
temporary employee | |
temporary employee | |
visiting scientist | |
Postdoc | |
PhD student | |
scientific staff member | |
Postdoc | |
technical staff member | |
master student | |
visiting scientist | |
technical staff member | |
technical staff member | |
scientific staff member | |
technical staff member | |
technical staff member | |
technical staff member | |
IT specialist | |
technical staff member | |
visiting scientist | |
technical staff member | |
scientific staff member | |
scientific staff member | |
technical staff member | |
scientific staff member |
Land-use systems
teamleader, member of directors board | |
PhD student | |
PhD student | |
scientific staff member | |
master student | |
visiting scientist | |
Postdoc | |
Postdoc | |
visiting scientist | |
Postdoc | |
visiting scientist | |
PhD student guest | |
master student | |
scientific assistant | |
senior scientist | |
PhD student | |
master student | |
visiting scientist | |
Postdoc | |
Postdoc | |
PhD student guest | |
Postdoc | |
Postdoc | |
scientific staff member | |
master student | |
PhD student | |
Head of WSL Landscape Centre | |
senior scientist | |
temporary employee | |
Postdoc |
Landscape ecology
teamleader | |
PhD student | |
PhD student | |
PhD student | |
PhD student guest | |
visiting scientist | |
scientific staff member | |
PhD student | |
PhD student | |
PhD student guest | |
PhD student guest | |
PhD student guest | |
master student | |
PhD student guest | |
PhD student guest | |
Postdoc | |
visiting scientist | |
visiting scientist | |
scientific assistant | |
PhD student guest | |
PhD student guest |
Master thesis
Open Master thesis
Effect of climate change on the distribution of the sweet chestnut and two invasive pathogens
Master thesis project in Modeling and Phytopathology
Ink disease caused by the two invasive oomycete species Phytophthora cinnamomi and P. cambivora is a serious threat for sweet chestnut stands in Southern Switzerland. These soilborne pathogens infect the roots and can rapidly kill a tree. In the last years an emergence of ink disease has been observed in Europe, including southern Switzerland. The proposed master thesis investigates the current and potential future distribution in Switzerland of the sweet chestnut (host species) and both pathogens.
More information (PDF)