School of Life Sciences
and Facility Management

Research Vegetation Ecology Research Group

Research foci

Evidence-based nature conservation

Measures against the dramatic loss of biodiversity often are less efficient than they could be, also because scientific findings are insufficiently taken into account or are lacking. The research group therefore develops nature conservation measures at the level of individual species, plant communities and habitat types and establishes monitoring schemes. Examples of projects are the ecological upgrading of forest edges, the control of invasive plants and the conservation biology of the flora of erratic boulders.

Plant diversity and its change

The understanding of species-rich and species-poor habitats is crucial for biodiversity conservation. The research group addresses this topic with field observations, experiments and the use of existing databases. In addition, the influence of global change (climate change, land use change, eutrophication, etc.) and the driving factors for change are of interest. One possibility is the resurvey of localizable historical vegetation plots.

 

Ecoinformatics and vegetation databases

Large vegetation databases such as the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) offer significant opportunities for research in ecology and nature conservation. In this way, new classifications of vegetation types can be created or the conditions under which species become invasive can be explored. One of the aims of the research group is to establish a Swiss national vegetation database as an EVA partner and at the same time to develop a Europe-wide, optimised system of ecological indicator values.

Publications

  • Wang, Zheng; Zhang, Jing Hui; Li, Zhiyong; Liu, Huamin; Wang, Lixin; Wang, Wen; Wang, Yang; Liang, Cunzhu,

    2021.

    Single grazing is more detrimental to grasslands than mixed grazing : evidence from the response of functional traits of dominant plants to grazing systems.

    Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

    9(682289).

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-22804

  • Laughlin, Daniel C.; Mommer, Liesje; Sabatini, Francesco Maria; Bruelheide, Helge; Kuyper, Thom W.; McCormack, M. Luke; Bergmann, Joana; Freschet, Grégoire T.; Guerrero-Ramírez, Nathaly R.; Iversen, Colleen M.; Kattge, Jens; Meier, Ina C.; Poorter, Hendrik; Roumet, Catherine; Semchenko, Marina; Sweeney, Christopher J.; Valverde-Barrantes, Oscar J.; van der Plas, Fons; van Ruijven, Jasper; York, Larry M.; Aubin, Isabelle; Burge, Olivia R.; Byun, Chaeho; Ćušterevska, Renata; ; Forey, Estelle; Guerin, Greg R.; Hérault, Bruno; Jackson, Robert B.; Karger, Dirk Nikolaus; Lenoir, Jonathan; Lysenko, Tatiana; Meir, Patrick; Niinemets, Ülo; Ozinga, Wim A.; Peñuelas, Josep; Reich, Peter B.; Schmidt, Marco; Schrodt, Franziska; Velázquez, Eduardo; Weigelt, Alexandra,

    2021.

    Root traits explain plant species distributions along climatic gradients yet challenge the nature of ecological trade-offs.

    Nature Ecology & Evolution.

    5(8), pp. 1123-1134.

  • Fristoe, Trevor S.; Chytrý, Milan; Dawson, Wayne; Essl, Franz; Heleno, Ruben; Kreft, Holger; Maurel, Noëlie; Pergl, Jan; Pyšek, Petr; Seebens, Hanno; Weigelt, Patrick; Vargas, Pablo; Yang, Qiang; Attorre, Fabio; Bergmeier, Erwin; Bernhardt-Römermann, Markus; Biurrun, Idoia; Boch, Steffen; Bonari, Gianmaria; Botta-Dukát, Zoltán; Bruun, Hans Henrik; Byun, Chaeho; Čarni, Andraž; Carranza, Maria Laura; Catford, Jane A.; Cerabolini, Bruno E. L.; Chacón-Madrigal, Eduardo; Ciccarelli, Daniela; Ćušterevska, Renata; de Ronde, Iris; ; Golub, Valentin; Haveman, Rense; Hough-Snee, Nate; Jandt, Ute; Jansen, Florian; Kuzemko, Anna; Küzmič, Filip; Lenoir, Jonathan; Macanović, Armin; Marcenò, Corrado; Martin, Adam R.; Michaletz, Sean T.; Mori, Akira S.; Niinemets, Ülo; Peterka, Tomáš; Pielech, Remigiusz; Rašomavičius, Valerijus; Rūsiņa, Solvita; Dias, Arildo S.; Šibíková, Mária; Šilc, Urban; Stanisci, Angela; Jansen, Steven; Svenning, Jens-Christian; Swacha, Grzegorz; van der Plas, Fons; Vassilev, Kiril; van Kleunen, Mark,

    2021.

    Dimensions of invasiveness : links between local abundance, geographic range size, and habitat breadth in Europe’s alien and native floras.

    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

    118(22).

  • Dembicz, Iwona; ; Steinbauer, Manuel J.; Matthews, Thomas J.; Bartha, Sándor; Burrascano, Sabina; Chiarucci, Alessandro; Filibeck, Goffredo; Gillet, François; Janišová, Monika; Palpurina, Salza; Storch, David; Ulrich, Werner; Aćić, Svetlana; Boch, Steffen; Campos, Juan Antonio; Cancellieri, Laura; Carboni, Marta; Ciaschetti, Giampiero; Conradi, Timo; De Frenne, Pieter; Dolezal, Jiri; Dolnik, Christian; Essl, Franz; Fantinato, Edy; García‐Mijangos, Itziar; Giusso del Galdo, Gian Pietro; Grytnes, John‐Arvid; Guarino, Riccardo; Güler, Behlül; Kapfer, Jutta; Klichowska, Ewelina; Kozub, Łukasz; Kuzemko, Anna; Löbel, Swantje; Manthey, Michael; Marcenò, Corrado; Mimet, Anne; Naqinezhad, Alireza; Noroozi, Jalil; Nowak, Arkadiusz; Pauli, Harald; Peet, Robert K.; Pellissier, Vincent; Pielech, Remigiusz; Terzi, Massimo; Uğurlu, Emin; Valkó, Orsolya; Vasheniak, Iuliia; Vassilev, Kiril; Vynokurov, Denys; White, Hannah J.; Willner, Wolfgang; Winkler, Manuela; Wolfrum, Sebastian; Zhang, Jing Hui; Biurrun, Idoia,

    2021.

    Fine‐grain beta diversity of Palaearctic grassland vegetation.

    Journal of Vegetation Science.

    32(3), pp. e13045.

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-22735

  • Večeřa, Martin; Axmanová, Irena; Padullés Cubino, Josep; Lososová, Zdeňka; Divíšek, Jan; Knollová, Ilona; Aćić, Svetlana; Biurrun, Idoia; Boch, Steffen; Bonari, Gianmaria; Campos, Juan Antonio; Čarni, Andraž; Carranza, Maria Laura; Casella, Laura; Chiarucci, Alessandro; Ćušterevska, Renata; Delbosc, Pauline; ; Fernández‐González, Federico; Gégout, Jean‐Claude; Jandt, Ute; Jansen, Florian; Jašková, Anni; Jiménez‐Alfaro, Borja; Kuzemko, Anna; Lebedeva, Maria; Lenoir, Jonathan; Lysenko, Tatiana; Moeslund, Jesper Erenskjold; Pielech, Remigiusz; Ruprecht, Eszter; Šibík, Jozef; Šilc, Urban; Škvorc, Željko; Swacha, Grzegorz; Tatarenko, Irina; Vassilev, Kiril; Wohlgemuth, Thomas; Yamalov, Sergey; Chytrý, Milan,

    2021.

    Mapping species richness of plant families in European vegetation.

    Journal of Vegetation Science.

    32(3), pp. e13035.

  • Boonman, Coline C.F.; Santini, Luca; Robroek, Bjorn J.M.; Hoeks, Selwyn; Kelderman, Steven; ; Bergamini, Ariel; Biurrun, Idoia; Carranza, Maria Laura; Cerabolini, Bruno E.L.; Chytrý, Milan; Jandt, Ute; Lysenko, Tatiana; Stanisci, Angela; Tatarenko, Irina; Rūsiņa, Solvita; Huijbregts, Mark A.J.,

    2021.

    Plant functional and taxonomic diversity in European grasslands along climatic gradients.

    Journal of Vegetation Science.

    32(3), pp. e13027.

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-22449

  • ; Biurrun, Idoia; Dembicz, Iwona,

    2021.

    Standardised EDGG methodology for sampling grassland diversity : second amendment.

    Palaearctic Grasslands.

    (49), pp. 22-26.

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-22637

  • Sporbert, Maria; Welk, Erik; Seidler, Gunnar; Jandt, Ute; Aćić, Svetlana; Biurrun, Idoia; Campos, Juan Antonio; Čarni, Andraž; Cerabolini, Bruno E. L.; Chytrý, Milan; Ćušterevska, Renata; ; De Sanctis, Michele; Dziuba, Tetiana; Fagúndez, Jaime; Field, Richard; Golub, Valentin; He, Tianhua; Jansen, Florian; Lenoir, Jonathan; Marcenò, Corrado; Martín‐Forés, Irene; Moeslund, Jesper Erenskjold; Moretti, Marco; Niinemets, Ülo; Penuelas, Josep; Pérez‐Haase, Aaron; Vandvik, Vigdis; Vassilev, Kiril; Vynokurov, Denys; Bruelheide, Helge,

    2021.

    Different sets of traits explain abundance and distribution patterns of European plants at different spatial scales.

    Journal of Vegetation Science.

    32(2), pp. e13016.

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-22401

  • Büchler, Marc-Olivier; ,

    2021.

    Optimale Standortbedingungen für Trockenrasen : Bachelorarbeit in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Kanton Zürich.

    IUNR Magazin.

    2021(1), pp. 12.

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-22289

  • ; ; ,

    2021.

    Square Foot Project gestartet : Wandel der Grünlanddiversität in der Schweiz über ein Jahrhundert.

    IUNR Magazin.

    2021(1), pp. 13.

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-22288

  • Axmanová, Irena; Kalusová, Veronika; Danihelka, Jiří; ; Pergl, Jan; Pyšek, Petr; Večeřa, Martin; Attorre, Fabio; Biurrun, Idoia; Boch, Steffen; Conradi, Timo; Gavilán, Rosario G.; Jiménez‐Alfaro, Borja; Knollová, Ilona; Kuzemko, Anna; Lenoir, Jonathan; Leostrin, Artem; Medvecká, Jana; Moeslund, Jesper Erenskjold; Obratov‐Petkovic, Dragica; Svenning, Jens‐Christian; Tsiripidis, Ioannis; Vassilev, Kiril; Chytrý, Milan,

    2021.

    Neophyte invasions in European grasslands.

    Journal of Vegetation Science.

    32(2), pp. e12994.

  • Scherrer, Daniel; Hiltebrand, Fabien; ; Wohlgemuth, Thomas,

    2021.

    Mind the gaps : comparison of representative vs opportunistic assessment of tree regeneration in Central European beech forests.

    Forest Ecology and Management.

    491(119179).

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-22241

  • Cai, Qiong; Welk, Erik; Ji, Chengjun; Fang, Wenjing; Sabatini, Francesco M.; Zhu, Jianxiao; Zhu, Jiangling; Tang, Zhiyao; Attorre, Fabio; Campos, Juan A.; Čarni, Andraž; Chytrý, Milan; Çoban, Süleyman; ; Dolezal, Jiri; Field, Richard; Frink, József P.; Gholizadeh, Hamid; Indreica, Adrian; Jandt, Ute; Karger, Dirk N.; Lenoir, Jonathan; Peet, Robert K.; Pielech, Remigiusz; De Sanctis, Michele; Schrodt, Franziska; Svenning, Jens‐Christian; Tang, Cindy Q.; Tsiripidis, Ioannis; Willner, Wolfgang; Yasuhiro, Kubota; Fang, Jingyun; Bruelheide, Helge,

    2021.

    The relationship between niche breadth and range size of beech (Fagus) species worldwide.

    Journal of Biogeography.

    48(5), pp. 1240-1253.

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-22380

  • Talebi, Amir; Attar, Farideh; Naqinezhad, Alireza; Dembicz, Iwona; ,

    2021.

    Scale‐dependent patterns and drivers of plant diversity in steppe grasslands of the Central Alborz Mts., Iran.

    Journal of Vegetation Science.

    32(2), pp. e13005.

  • ,

    2021.

    Book review : Illustrated flora of Tajikistan and adjacent areas

    .

    Palaearctic Grasslands.

    (48), pp. 33.

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-21912

  • ; Aleksanyan, Alla; Ambarli, Didem; Biurrun, Idoia; Dembicz, Iwona; Kuzemko, Anna; Török, Péter; Venn, Stephen,

    2021.

    The Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) in 2019–2020.

    Hacquetia.

    20(1), pp. 171-176.

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-21914

  • Dengler, Jürgen; Gehler, Jamyra, eds.,

    2021.

    Report from the Master summer school “Biodiversity Monitoring”, Preda, Parc Ela, Switzerland, 10–20 August 2020.

    Wädenswil:

    ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften.

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-21917

  • Willner, Wolfgang; Biurrun, Idoia; ; Jansen, Florian,

    2021.

    Vegetation Classification and Survey : the first year.

    Vegetation Classification and Survey.

    2, pp. 1-4.

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-21913

  • Bergamini, Ariel; Boch, Steffen; Hepenstrick, Daniel; Kiebacher, Thomas; Lüth, Michael; Moser, Tobias; Müller, Niklaus; Schnyder, Norbert,

    2021.

    Beiträge zur bryofloristischen Erforschung der Schweiz – Folge 16.

    Meylania.

    67, pp. 8-21.

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-23419

  • Biurrun, Idoia; Pielech, Remigiusz; Dembicz, Iwona; Gillet, François; Kozub, Łukasz; Marcenò, Corrado; Reitalu, Triin; Van Meerbeek, Koenraad; Guarino, Riccardo; Chytrý, Milan; Pakeman, Robin J.; Herrera, Mercedes; Hüllbusch, Elisabeth M.; Ingerpuu, Nele; Jägerbrand, Annika K.; Jandt, Ute; Janišová, Monika; Jeanneret, Philippe; Jeltsch, Florian; Jensen, Kai; Jentsch, Anke; Preislerová, Zdenka; Kącki, Zygmunt; Kakinuma, Kaoru; Kapfer, Jutta; Kargar, Mansoureh; Kelemen, András; Kiehl, Kathrin; Kirschner, Philipp; Koyama, Asuka; Langer, Nancy; Lazzaro, Lorenzo; Axmanová, Irena; Lepš, Jan; Li, Ching‐Feng; Li, Frank Yonghong; Liendo, Diego; Lindborg, Regina; Löbel, Swantje; Lomba, Angela; Lososová, Zdeňka; Lustyk, Pavel; Luzuriaga, Arantzazu L.; Burrascano, Sabina; Ma, Wenhong; Maccherini, Simona; Magnes, Martin; Malicki, Marek; Manthey, Michael; Mardari, Constantin; May, Felix; Mayrhofer, Helmut; Meier, Eliane Seraina; Memariani, Farshid; Bartha, Sándor; Merunková, Kristina; Michelsen, Ottar; Molero Mesa, Joaquín; Moradi, Halime; Moysiyenko, Ivan; Mugnai, Michele; Naqinezhad, Alireza; Natcheva, Rayna; Ninot, Josep M.; Nobis, Marcin; Boch, Steffen; Noroozi, Jalil; Nowak, Arkadiusz; Onipchenko, Vladimir; Palpurina, Salza; Pauli, Harald; Pedashenko, Hristo; Pedersen, Christian; Peet, Robert K.; Pérez‐Haase, Aaron; Peters, Jan; Bruun, Hans Henrik; Pipenbaher, Nataša; Pirini, Chrisoula; Pladevall‐Izard, Eulàlia; Plesková, Zuzana; Potenza, Giovanna; Rahmanian, Soroor; Rodríguez‐Rojo, Maria Pilar; Ronkin, Vladimir; Rosati, Leonardo; Ruprecht, Eszter; Conradi, Timo; Rusina, Solvita; Sabovljević, Marko; Sanaei, Anvar; Sánchez, Ana M.; Santi, Francesco; Savchenko, Galina; Sebastià, Maria Teresa; Shyriaieva, Dariia; Silva, Vasco; Škornik, Sonja; De Frenne, Pieter; Šmerdová, Eva; Sonkoly, Judit; Sperandii, Marta Gaia; Staniaszek‐Kik, Monika; Stevens, Carly; Stifter, Simon; Suchrow, Sigrid; Swacha, Grzegorz; Świerszcz, Sebastian; Talebi, Amir; Essl, Franz; Teleki, Balázs; Tichý, Lubomír; Tölgyesi, Csaba; Torca, Marta; Török, Péter; Tsarevskaya, Nadezda; Tsiripidis, Ioannis; Turisová, Ingrid; Ushimaru, Atushi; Valkó, Orsolya; Filibeck, Goffredo; Van Mechelen, Carmen; Vanneste, Thomas; Vasheniak, Iuliia; Vassilev, Kiril; Viciani, Daniele; Villar, Luis; Virtanen, Risto; Vitasović‐Kosić, Ivana; Vojtkó, András; Vynokurov, Denys; Hájek, Michal; Waldén, Emelie; Wang, Yun; Weiser, Frank; Wen, Lu; Wesche, Karsten; White, Hannah; ; Wolfrum, Sebastian; Wróbel, Anna; Yuan, Zuoqiang; Jiménez‐Alfaro, Borja; Zelený, David; Zhao, Liqing; ; Kuzemko, Anna; Molnár, Zsolt; Pärtel, Meelis; Pätsch, Ricarda; Prentice, Honor C.; Roleček, Jan; Sutcliffe, Laura M. E.; Terzi, Massimo; Winkler, Manuela; Wu, Jianshuang; Aćić, Svetlana; Acosta, Alicia T. R.; Afif, Elias; Akasaka, Munemitsu; Alatalo, Juha M.; Aleffi, Michele; Aleksanyan, Alla; Ali, Arshad; Apostolova, Iva; Ashouri, Parvaneh; Bátori, Zoltán; Baumann, Esther; Becker, Thomas; Bello, Francesco; Belonovskaya, Elena; Benito Alonso, José Luis; Berastegi, Asun; Bergamini, Ariel; Bhatta, Kuber Prasad; Bonini, Ilaria; Büchler, Marc‐Olivier; Budzhak, Vasyl; Bueno, Álvaro; Buldrini, Fabrizio; Campos, Juan Antonio; Cancellieri, Laura; Carboni, Marta; Ceulemans, Tobias; Chiarucci, Alessandro; Chocarro, Cristina; Conti, Luisa; Csergő, Anna Mária; Cykowska‐Marzencka, Beata; Czarniecka‐Wiera, Marta; Czarnocka‐Cieciura, Marta; Czortek, Patryk; Danihelka, Jiří; Deák, Balázs; Demeter, László; Deng, Lei; Diekmann, Martin; Dolezal, Jiri; Dolnik, Christian; Dřevojan, Pavel; Dupré, Cecilia; Ecker, Klaus; Ejtehadi, Hamid; Erschbamer, Brigitta; Etayo, Javier; Etzold, Jonathan; Farkas, Tünde; Farzam, Mohammad; Fayvush, George; Fernández Calzado, María Rosa; Finckh, Manfred; Fjellstad, Wendy; Fotiadis, Georgios; García‐Magro, Daniel; García‐Mijangos, Itziar; Gavilán, Rosario G.; Germany, Markus; Ghafari, Sahar; Giusso del Galdo, Gian Pietro; Grytnes, John‐Arvid; Güler, Behlül; Gutiérrez‐Girón, Alba; Helm, Aveliina,

    2021.

    Benchmarking plant diversity of Palaearctic grasslands and other open habitats.

    Journal of Vegetation Science.

    32(4), pp. e13050.

    Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-22943