Dr. Stefan Widmer

Work at ZHAW

Position

Research Associate Vegetation Ecology Research Group

Focus

• Vegetation change
• Vegetation resurvey
• Conservation biology

Experience

• Research Associate Vegetation Ecology Research Group
  Zurich University of Applied Sciences
  2025 - today
• PhD Student Research Group Vegetation Ecology
  Zurich University of Applied Sciences
  2021 - 2025
• Research Assistant Vegetation Ecology Group
  Zurich University of Applied Sciences
  2016 - 2020

Education and Continuing education

Education

• PhD / Ecology
  University of Zurich
  2021 - 2025
• MSc ZFH in Environment and Natural Resources
  Zurich University of Applied Sciences
  2016 - 2019
• Quantitative Ecology Module
  University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice
  2017 - 2018
• BSc ZFH in Natural Resource Sciences
  Zurich University of Applied Sciences
  2012 - 2015

Network

Membership of networks

• International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS)
• Ecological Society (GfÖ)
• Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG)
• Swiss Botanical Society (SBG)

ORCID digital identifier

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-4920-5205

Social media

ResearchGate

Projects

• VegCHange: A toolbox to investigate anthropogenic changes in the Swiss flora and vegetation / Deputy project leader / ongoing
• Epochal changes of grassland diversity in Switzerland: The Square Foot Project / Team member / completed
• Floristic and vegetation-ecological analyses of the green roofs of the lake water plant / Team member / completed

Publications

Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed

• Widmer, Stefan, Susanne Riedel, Manuel Babbi, Felix Herzog, Thomas Wohlgemuth, Michael Kessler, and Jürgen Dengler. 2026. "A Century of Change : Many Losers vs. Few Winners among Swiss Grassland Plants." Biological Conservation 315 (111679). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111679.
• Widmer, Stefan, Susanne Riedel, Manuel Babbi, Felix Herzog, Thomas Wohlgemuth, Michael Kessler, and Jürgen Dengler. 2025. "One Century of Change : Stronger Diversity Decline in Lowland than in Mountain Grasslands in Central Europe." Global Change Biology 31 (10): e70529. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70529.
• Genucchi, Katharina, Stefan Widmer, Regula Billeter, and Jürgen Dengler. 2025. "No Negative Impact of Erigeron Annuus on Native Plant Diversity : A Case Study from Northern Switzerland." Tuexenia 45 (December): 429–44. https://doi.org/10.14471/2025.45.013.
• Riedel, Susanne, Stefan Widmer, Jürgen Dengler, Felix Herzog, Manuel K. Schneider, Thomas Wohlgemuth, and Michael Kessler. 2025. "Lasting Legacies : Relicts of Historical Plant Communities in Central European Grasslands amid a Century of Biodiversity Loss." Biological Conservation 312 (111500). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111500.
• Ostrowski, Grzegorz, Severin Aicher, Agnieszka Mankiewicz, Olha Chusova, Iwona Dembicz, Stefan Widmer, and Jürgen Dengler. 2025. "Mean Ecological Indicator Values : Use EIVE but No Cover-Weighting." Vegetation Classification and Survey 6 (March): 57–67. https://doi.org/10.3897/vcs.134800.
• Riedel, Susanne, Stefan Widmer, Orane Bringuier, and Jürgen Dengler. 2024. "Cover vs. Biomass Sampling in Grassland Vegetation Plots." Tuexenia 44 (June): 261–75. https://doi.org/10.14471/2024.44.003.
• Riedel, Susanne, Stefan Widmer, Manuel Babbi, Serge Buholzer, Andreas Grünig, Felix Herzog, Nina Richner, and Jürgen Dengler. 2023. "The Historic Square Foot Dataset : Outstanding Small‐Scale Richness in Swiss Grasslands around the Year 1900." Journal of Vegetation Science 34 (5): e13208. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.13208.
• Riesen, Matthias, Stefan Widmer, Jürgen Dengler, and Regula Billeter. 2022. "Einfluss maschinell geöffneter Lichtungen auf die Artenvielfalt in Grün-Erlen-Beständen : eine Untersuchung zu Gefäßpflanzen, Tagfaltern und Heuschrecken." Naturschutz und Landschaftsplanung 54 (8): 24–31. https://doi.org/10.1399/NuL.2022.08.02.
• Bergauer, Miro, Iwona Dembicz, Steffen Boch, Wolfgang Willner, Manuel Babbi, Jonathan Blank-Pachlatko, Chiara Catalano, et al. 2022. "Scale-Dependent Patterns and Drivers of Vascular Plant, Bryophyte and Lichen Diversity in Dry Grasslands of the Swiss Inneralpine Valleys." Alpine Botany 132 (2): 195–209. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-022-00285-y.
• Zhang, Jinhui, François Gillet, Sándor Bartha, Juha Mikael Alatalo, Idoia Biurrun, Iwona Dembicz, John‐Arvid Grytnes, et al. 2021. "Scale Dependence of Species–Area Relationships Is Widespread but Generally Weak in Palaearctic Grasslands." Journal of Vegetation Science 32 (3): e13044. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.13044.
• Biurrun, Idoia, Remigiusz Pielech, Iwona Dembicz, François Gillet, Łukasz Kozub, Corrado Marcenò, Triin Reitalu, et al. 2021. "Benchmarking Plant Diversity of Palaearctic Grasslands and Other Open Habitats." Journal of Vegetation Science 32 (4): e13050. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.13050.
• Backhaus, Lindsay, Georg Albert, Anibal Cuchietti, Luisa Maria Jaimes Nino, Nina Fahs, Aleš Lisner, Vojtěch Kolář, et al. 2021. "Shift from Trait Convergence to Divergence along Old Field Succession." Journal of Vegetation Science 32 (2): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12986.
• Charmillot, Kévin, Christian Hedinger, Manuel Babbi, Stefan Widmer, and Jürgen Dengler. 2021. "Vegetation Change in Meso-Xeric Grasslands of the Swiss Jura Mts. Over 40 Years." Tuexenia 41 (October): 441–57. https://doi.org/10.14471/2021.41.019.
• Kummli, Julia, Stefan Widmer, Markus Wilhelm, Jürgen Dengler, and Regula Billeter. 2021. "Vegetation Changes in Urban Grasslands over 25 Years in the City of Zurich, Switzerland." Tuexenia 41 (October): 423–40. https://doi.org/10.14471/2021.41.018.
• Widmer, Stefan, Matthias Riesen, Bertil Krüsi, Jürgen Dengler, and Regula Billeter. 2020. "Wenn Gämsen Schafe ersetzen : Fallstudie zu den Auswirkungen auf die Diversität von alpinen Rasen." Tuexenia 40 (November): 225–46. https://doi.org/10.14471/2020.40.013.
• Keller, Sabrina, Manuel Babbi, Stefan Widmer, Jamyra Gehler, Sonja Hausmann, Christian Berg, Flavia Landucci, Patrick Schwager, Katerina Sumberova, and Jürgen Dengler. 2020. "Determination of Habitat Requirements of the Glacial Relict Nuphar Pumila as Basis for Successful (Re-)Introductions." Tuexenia 40 (November): 309–26. https://doi.org/10.14471/2020.40.022.
• Biurrun, Idoia, Sabina Burrascano, Iwona Dembicz, Riccardo Guarino, Jutta Kapfer, Remigiusz Pielech, Manuel Babbi, Daniel Hepenstrick, Stefan Widmer, and Jürgen Dengler. 2019. "GrassPlot v. 2.00 : First Update on the Database of Multi-Scale Plant Diversity in Palaearctic Grasslands." Palaearctic Grasslands, no. 44 (December): 26–47. https://doi.org/10.21570/EDGG.PG.44.26-47.
• Frei, Eva Silvia, Stefan Widmer, Manuel Babbi, and Bertil Krüsi. 2019. "Extensive Bekämpfung des Adlerfarns an einem voralpinen Trockenstandort." Naturschutz und Landschaftsplanung 51 (8): 374–81.
• Dengler, Jürgen, Stefan Widmer, Eline Staubli, Manuel Babbi, Jamyra Gehler, Daniel Hepenstrick, Ariel Bergamini, et al. 2019. "Dry Grasslands of the Central Valleys of the Alps from a European Perspective : The Example of Ausserberg (Valais, Switzerland)." Hacquetia 18 (2): 155–77. https://doi.org/10.2478/hacq-2019-0008.
• Widmer, Stefan, Eva Silvia Frei, Manuel Babbi, and Bertil Krüsi. 2018. "Extensive Bekämpfung des Adlerfarns fördert die floristische Vielfalt." Bauhinia 2018 (27). https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-4939.
• Babbi, Manuel, Stefan Widmer, Marcel Blattner, and Bertil Krüsi. 2016. "Waldrandaufwertungen : Einfluss von Exposition und Wüchsigkeit des Standorts." Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Forstwesen 167 (5): 286–93. https://doi.org/10.3188/szf.2016.0286.

Other publications

• Billeter, Regula, Stefan Widmer, Matthias Riesen, Bertil Krüsi, Jürgen Dengler, and Dominik Thiel. 2023. "Biodiversitätsforschung im Jagdbanngebiete Graue Hörner (Kt. SG)." N+L Inside 2023 (3): 29–33. https://kbnl.ch/2023/08/31/biodiversitaetsforschung-im-jagdbanngebiet-graue-hoerner-kt-sg/.
• Dengler, Jürgen, Manuel Babbi, and Stefan Widmer. 2021. "Square Foot Project gestartet : Wandel der Grünlanddiversität in der Schweiz über ein Jahrhundert." IUNR Magazin 2021 (1): 13. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-22288.
• Babbi, Manuel, Stefan Widmer, and Eva Silvia Frei. 2020. "Erfolgreiche extensive Bekämpfung des invasiven Adlerfarns." N+L Inside 2020 (2): 28–31. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-20114.
• Babbi, Manuel, Stefan Widmer, Pascal Ochsner, and Bertil Krüsi. 2017. "Hilfe von oben : Erfassung von Adlerfarnbeständen mit Drohnen." Vierteljahrsschrift der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Zürich 162 (3/4): 10–11.

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