Community Ecology ¶
Head: PD Dr. Anita Risch a.i.
Contents ¶
The Research Unit focuses on functional interactions between communities of plants (producers), herbivores (primary consumers), predators (secondary consumers), and soil biota (decomposers) with regard to critical ecosystem services such as productivity, protection, nutrient cycling and storage. Environmental factors considered include direct and indirect anthropogenic impacts with global relevance such as land-use change (e.g. land abandonment, fragmentation, urban sprawl, eutrophication, trivialization of herbivore communities), natural disturbances (e.g. avalanches, landslides, fire) or climatic changes. Particular emphasis is given to sensitive natural, semi-natural and urban ecosystems, among many others wetlands, treeline ecotones and insubric ecosystems. Comparing history and modeling functional processes in and between these systems provides clues for predicting biodiversity changes, the evolution of ecosystems, and consequences for ecosystem services in the context of future global change.
The Unit has partners both within WSL and the wider scientific community. Stakeholders are mainly the forest and agricultural services, nature conservation, forest owners, regional and federal agencies.
Topics ¶
Projects ¶
Research Groups and Staff ¶
Community Ecology
Member of Directors Board, Senior Scientist, Groupleader |
Functional Plant Ecology
Scientific staff member |
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PhD student guest |
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Visiting scientist |
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Administrative staff member |
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Visiting scientist |
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PhD student guest |
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Visiting scientist |
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Guest technician |
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Joint Professorship |
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PhD student guest |
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Visiting scientist |
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Administrative staff member |
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PhD student guest |
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PhD student guest |
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Visiting scientist |
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Visiting scientist |
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Visiting scientist |
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Postdoc |
Insubric Ecosystems
Group leader |
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Visiting scientist |
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Master student |
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Bachelor student |
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Senior Scientist |
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PostDoc, Tel. 091 821 52 41 |
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Visiting scientist |
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Administrative staff member |
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Scientific staff member |
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Visiting scientist |
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Temporary employee |
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Temporary employee |
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Scientific staff member |
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Software developer |
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Temporary employee |
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Trainee |
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Civilian service employees |
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Visiting scientist |
Plant-Animal Interactions
Visiting scientist |
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Postdoc |
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Scientific staff member |
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Postdoc |
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PhD student guest |
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PhD student guest |
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PhD student guest |
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Technical staff member |
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PhD student guest |
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Bachelor student |
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PhD student guest |
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PhD student guest |
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Master student |
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PhD student guest |
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Visiting scientist |
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PhD student |
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Member of Directors Board, Senior Scientist, Groupleader |
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Master student |
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PhD student guest |
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Visiting scientist |
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Visiting scientist |
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Visiting scientist |
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Visiting scientist |