Blue-Green Biodiversity Research Initiative

An Eawag-WSL collaboration focusing on Biodiversity at the interface of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

Enlarge graphic

Graphic: Blue-green habitats – hotspots of biodiversity

Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are closely interconnected and enrich each other. However, these hotspots of biodiversity are threatened by human-induced changes, such as climate change, urbanisation and intensive agriculture. The graphic illustrates how the habitats of water and land intertwine and influence each other, as well as the questions the BGB research initiative is investigating.

How is biodiversity changing?

Biodiversity is declining dramatically worldwide. BGB is investigating how species diversity is changing in space and time - both locally, for example, in the Thur catchment area in Switzerland, and also globally with the help of data archives and satellite data. The time periods studied range from a few decades to millions of years.

What influences species diversity?

Land use changes, such as intensified agriculture and urbanisation, climate change, the overexploitation of natural resources and invasive species alter habitats and threaten biodiversity. BGB investigates how these factors influence biodiversity.

How are terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems interconnected?

Ecosystems in water and on land are closely linked. For example, leaves that fall from trees into  water serve as food for microorganisms. These are eaten by predatory insect larvae that leave the water after their final larval stage. On land, these insects serve as particularly nutritious food for birds. BGB aims to study this networked biodiversity holistically.

How can we promote and protect biodiversity?

BGB aims to develop practical recommendations for praxis and policy to stop or at least reduce species loss as quickly as possible. How can habitats in residential areas be networked through blue-green infrastructure? Or, what does successful biodiversity policy look like?

News

The two prizewinners Julie Conrads (left) and Joana Santos (right) accepting their award during the Swiss Geoscience Meeting. In the centre Friedrich Jüttner, President of the Hydrobiology-Limonology Foundation for Aquatic Research (Photo: Natacha Tofield-Pasche). 300c
November 14, 2024

Joana Santos and Julie Conrads are recognised for their work

November 14, 2024Every year, the Hydrobiology Limnology Foundation for Water Research issues an award for dissertations and master theses on limnology. This year, the prize for the dissertation and master thesis went to researchers at the aquatic research institute Eawag.  

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Blue-Green Biodiversity

Biodiversity is essential to human life and welfare. The loss of biodiversity is, next to climate change, one of the biggest challenges humanity is facing. Research and action to reverse and mitigate the loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem functions and services are thus crucially needed. In order to tackle this scientifically and societally urgent topic, the ETH Board has funded a research initiative on Blue-Green Biodiversity (BGB), i.e. the biological diversity at the interface of water and on land. Its goal is to strengthen interdisciplinary biodiversity research within WSL and Eawag, but also within the whole ETH domain and beyond, to understand and respond to challenges associated to species loss and biodiversity change as quickly as possible.

Phase 2: BGB 2021–2025

In 2021, longer-term research projects have started, including new experiments, field studies and data collection. Five research- and three implementation-projects aim to further develop themes from BGB 2020, as well as to expand into new cutting-edge research and applied questions, for which data do not already exist. Target research questions will be scientifically challenging and directly relevant for application and/or outreach.

Main objectives 2021-2025

  • Train a cohort of early career researchers in BGB topics.
  • Develop and test models of biodiversity change.
  • Build capacities to design, implement, and manage measures to conserve and restore biodiversity.
  • Outreach and translation to communicate findings to practitioners and the broader public.

Funded BGB-projects for 2023 - 2025

Blue: Research and Education projects with a PhD
Grey: Implementation projects

Project 1

Inter- and transdisciplinary integration at the interface between science, policy and practice: Empirical insights from the BGB Research Initiative
Project lead: Dr. Sabine Hoffmann (Eawag), Dr. Blake Matthews (Eawag)
and PD Dr. Anita Risch (WSL)
Postdoc: Jana Thierfelder
Project 2 Gaps within and between International and National Biodiversity Policy
Project lead: PD Dr. Manuel Fischer (Eawag) and PD Dr. Catherine Graham (WSL)
Postdoc: Dechen Lham
Project 3 Integrating biodiversity standards into local planning: The case of Swiss municipalities
Project lead: Prof.h.c. Dr. Anna Hersperger (WSL), Prof. Dr. Rolf Holderegger (WSL), Dr. Marco Moretti (WSL) and Prof. Dr. Florian Altermatt (Eawag)
Scientific collaborator: Stephanie Schwab (WSL)

Funded BGB-projects for 2021 - 2024

Blue: Research and Education projects with a PhD
Grey: Implementation projects

Project 1 Blue-green stormwater infrastructure meets biodiversity in the city (Benefit)
Project lead: Dr. Lauren Cook (Eawag) and Dr. Marco Moretti (WSL)
Postdoc: Andreas Dietzel
PhD student: Kilian Perrelet
Collaboration: João P. Leitão (Eawag), Florian Altermatt (Eawag), Nicole Bauer (WSL), Anna Hersperger (WSL)
Project 2 Food-webs across aquatic-terrestrial environments in forests in the face of climate change
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Martin Gossner (WSL) and Prof. Dr. Carsten Schubert (Eawag)
Postdoc: Maja Ilic
PhD student: Bastiaan Drost
Collaboration: Marco Moretti (WSL), Marco Lehmann (WSL), Matthias Saurer (WSL), Catherine Graham (WSL), Loïc Pellissier (WSL), Florian Altermatt (Eawag), Jakob Brodersen (Eawag), Blake Matthews (Eawag), Anita Narwani (Eawag), Ole Seehausen (Eawag), Christoph Vorburger (Eawag), Andreas Bruder (SUPSI)
Project 3 Species interactions in beaver engineered habitats link land-water ecosystem processes
Project lead: PD Dr. Anita Risch (WSL) and Dr. Francesco Pomati (Eawag)
Postdoc: Leonardo Capitani
PhD student: Valentin Moser
Collaboration: Aline Frossard (WSL), Steffen Boch (WSL), Chris Robinson (Eawag), Christof Angst (Biberfachstelle CH), Thomas Kreienbühl (Ecqua), Silvan Minnig (umweltbildner.ch)
Project 4 Blue-Green Cyanobacteria: Diversity, Toxins and alpine Tourism
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Christoph Scheidegger (WSL) and Dr. Elisabeth Janssen (Eawag)
Postdoc: Francesca Pittino
PhD student: Juliana Oliveira
Collaboration: Sabine Fink (WSL)
Project 5 Assessing and designing blue-green conservation strategies for the 21st Century in Switzerland
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Niklaus Zimmerman (WSL) and Prof. Dr. Ole Seehausen (Eawag)
Postdoc: Wenna Ding
PhD student: Oluwadamilola Ogundipe
Collaboration: Florian Altermatt (Eawag), Jakob Brodersen (Eawag), Anita Narwani (Eawag), Blake Matthews (Eawag), Loïc Pellissier (WSL), Catherine Graham (WSL), Rolf Holderegger (WSL), Martin Gossner (WSL), Kurt Bollmann (WSL), Michael Nobis (WSL), Philipp Brun (WSL)
Project 6 The land-water-scape: Capacity building across the blue-green interface
Project lead: Florian Altermatt (Eawag) and Prof. Dr. Rolf Holderegger (WSL)
Postdoc: Sabine Güsewell
Collaboration: various scientists of BGB program
Project 7 Enhancing residents’ understanding of blue-green biodiversity through participatory interventions and social learning: A key for successful river restoration planning and implementation
Project lead: Dr. Matthias Buchecker (WSL) and Dr. Nadja Contzen (Eawag)
Postdoc: Marius Fankhauser
Collaboration: Janine Bolliger (WSL), Christopher Robinson (Eawag)
Project 8 BlueGreenNet - Social-ecological networks to enhance biodiversity in peri-urban regions
Project lead: PD Dr. Manuel Fischer (Eawag) and PD Dr. Janine Bolliger (WSL)
Postdoc: Giulia Donati
Collaboration: Peter Bach (Eawag), Adrienne Grêt-Regamey (ETH), Sabine Hoffmann (Eawag), Achilleas Psomas (WSL), Francine van den Brandeler (Eawag)

Phase 1: BGB 2020

BGB 2020 identified a core set of questions and comprised 13 funded research projects to support post-doctoral fellows for one year. These projects provided rapid results by focusing on the analysis of existing data to answer topical questions in basic and applied biodiversity science at the interface of aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity.

Main objectives 2020

  • Community building, horizon scanning and priority setting to establish new collaborations and address timely questions
  • Analysis of existing data and modelling to obtain greater insight into similarities and inter-connections between aquatic and terrestrial systems
  • Outreach and translation to communicate findings to practitioners and the broader public

Funded BGB-projects for 2020

Project 1 The architecture of community structure, functional traits and trophic networks across blue-green ecosystems
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Florian Altermatt (Eawag) and Prof. Dr. Loïc Pellissier (WSL)
Postdoc: Hsi-Cheng Ho
Collaboration: Jakob Brodersen (Eawag), Martin Gossner (WSL), Catherine Graham (WSL), Ole Seehausen (Eawag), Niklaus Zimmermann (WSL)
Project 2 Blue-green infrastructure for blue-green lives: modelling use and colonization credit of an ecological infrastructure to inform evidence-based amphibian conservation
Project lead: Dr. Ariel Bergamini (WSL) and Prof. Dr. Christoph Vorburger (Eawag)
Postdoc: Helen Moor
Collaboration: Simon Egger (canton of Aargau), Rolf Holderegger (WSL), Benedikt Schmidt (info fauna karch & UZH)
Project 3 Analysing recent developments in abundance, biomass and species richness of aquatic and terrestrial insects in Switzerland
Project lead: Dr. Kurt Bollmann (WSL) and Dr. Nele Schuwirth (Eawag)
Postdoc: Friederike Gebert
Collaboration: Martin K. Obrist (WSL), Florian Altermatt (Eawag)
Project 4 Contrasting patterns and processes of biological invasions in blue versus green ecosystems
Project lead: Dr. Eckehard Brockerhoff (WSL) and Dr. Marco Baity-Jesi (Eawag)
Postdoc: Agnieszka Sendek
Collaboration: Florian Altermatt (Eawag), Martin Bader (WSL), Martin Gossner (WSL), Martin Obrist (WSL), Andrew Liebhold (US Forest Service / CULS), Hanno Seebens (Senckenberg Biodiv. & Climate Res.), Piet Spaak (Eawag), Christoph Vorburger (Eawag), Thomas Wohlgemuth (WSL)
Project 5 Testing the generality of biotic homogenization by human impact in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
Project lead: Dr. Martin M. Gossner (WSL) and Prof. Dr. Florian Altermatt (Eawag)£
Postdoc: Mark Wong
Collaboration: Jakob Brodersen (Eawag), Catherine Graham (WSL), Heike Lischke (WSL), Marco Moretti (WSL), Loïc Pellissier (WSL), Ole Seehausen (Eawag), Thomas Wohlgemuth (WSL), Niklaus E. Zimmermann (WSL)
Project 6 Evaluating temporal community structure as a function of environmental variables acting at different scales
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Catherine Graham (WSL) and Dr. Blake Matthews (Eawag)
Postdoc: Shyamolina Ghosh
Collaboration: Martin Gossner (WSL), Heike Lischke (WSL), Anita Narwani (Eawag), Christian Rixen (WSL), Ole Seehausen (Eawag), Sarah R. Supp (Denison University), Thomas Wohlgemuth ( WSL), Niklaus E. Zimmermann (WSL)
Project 7 How has Swiss biodiversity policy been performing over the last 30 years?
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Felix Kienast (WSL) and Dr. Manuel Fischer (Eawag)
Postdoc: Ueli Reber
Collaboration: Rolf Grütter (WSL), Anna Hersperger (WSL), Karin Ingold (Eawag), Olga Koblet (Univ. Zürich), Ross Purves (Univ. Zürich)
Project 8 Predator coupling of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems: the importance of nutritional diversity of prey
Project lead: Dr. Blake Matthews (Eawag) and Prof. Dr. Catherine Graham (WSL)
Postdoc: Ryan Shipley
Collaboration: Jakob Brodersen (Eawag), Martin Gossner (WSL), Ryan Shipley (MPI-AB), Christine Weber (Eawag)
Project 9 Blue-green infrastructure for biodiversity enrichment in human-dominated landscapes
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Max Maurer (Eawag) and Dr. Janine Bolliger (WSL)
Postdoc: Giulia Donati
Collaboration: Peter Marcus Bach (Eawag), Achilleas Psomas (WSL)
Project 10 Warming-related community turnover in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems
Project lead: Dr. Anita Narwani (Eawag) and Dr. Christian Rixen (WSL)
Postdoc: Imran Khaliq
Collaboration: Jakob Brodersen (Eawag), Martin Gossner (WSL), Catherine Graham (WSL), Blake Matthews (Eawag), Loïc Pellissier (WSL), Francesco Pomati (Eawag), Ole Seehausen (Eawag), Florian Zellweger (WSL), Niklaus E. Zimmermann (WSL)
Project 11 Global remotely sensed phenology: A unifying Essential Biodiversity Variable for assessing the linkage between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
Project lead: Dr. Daniel Odermatt (Eawag) and Dr. Yann Vitasse (WSL)
Postdoc: Jelle Lever
Collaboration: Alexander Damm-Reiser (University of Zurich), Petra D’Odorico (WSL), Arthur Martin Gessler (WSL), Luis Gilarranz (Eawag), Christian Ginzler (WSL)
Project 12 Biodiversity assembly in blue and green ecosystems: speciation versus immigration
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Ole Seehausen (Eawag) and Prof. Dr. Niklaus E. Zimmermann (WSL)
Postdoc: Luiz Jardim de Queiroz
Collaboration: Florian Altermatt (Eawag), Jakob Brodersen (Eawag), Catherine Graham (WSL), Blake Matthews (Eawag), Loïc Pellissier (WSL), Lukas Rüber (NMBE)
Project 13

Assessing richness differences between blue and green systems by quantifying biodiversity turnover along global gradients
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Niklaus E. Zimmermann (WSL) and Prof. Dr. Ole Seehausen (Eawag)
Postdoc: Ian McFadden
Collaboration: Florian Altermatt (Eawag), Blake Matthews (Eawag), Martin Gossner (WSL), Catherine Graham (WSL), Nicolas Gruber (ETHZ), Martina Hobi (WSL), Loïc Pellissier (WSL), Meike Vogt (ETHZ), Tom Wohlgemuth (WSL)

List of BGB associated projects

Biodiversity change in a warming world
Project lead: Anita Narwani (Eawag), Co-Pl: Christian Rixen (WSL)
Postdoc: Imran Khaliq (Eawag)
Duration: 01.01.2022 - 31.05.2022
Funding body: Eawag's Academic Transition Grant

Rezente Entwicklungen in der Vielfalt und Abundanz aquatischer Insekten in der Schweiz (Recent developments in richness and abundance of aquatic insects in Switzerland)
Project lead: Kurt Bollmann (WSL) Co-Pl: Nele Schuwirth (Eawag)
Postdoc: Friederike Gebert
Duration: 01.10.2021 - 30.06.2022
Funding body: FOEN (Yael Schindler)

Global analysis of the phenology of supply and demand for n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in consumer diets and its relationship to consumer fitness
Project lead: Blake Matthews, Daniel Odermatt, and J. Ryan Shipley (Eawag)
Duration: 01.09.2021 - 30.08.2022
Collaborators:
Luis J. Gilarranz (Eawag), Cornelia Twining (Eawag), Jelle Lever (WSL), Catherine Graham (WSL) and Yann Vitasse (WSL)
Funding body: Eawag

Living Lab Bern: Establishing a pre-urbanisation baseline
Project lead: Max Maurer (Eawag)
Co-Pl: Lauren Cook, Peter M Bach, João Leitão (Eawag)
Duration: 09.2021 - 09.2022
Collaborators:
Marco Moretti, Janine Bolliger, Anna Hersperger, Matthias Buchecker (WSL), Nadja Contzen, Manuel Fischer (Eawag), Stephanos Anderski, Frank Marti, Judith Dobmann (Stadt Bern)
Funding body: Eawag

Biodiversity assembly in blue and green ecosystems: speciation versus immigration
Project lead: Ole Seehausen (Eawag)
Co-Pl: Niklaus Zimmermann (WSL)
Postdoc: Luiz Jardim de Queiroz
Duration: 01.09.2021 – 31.06.2022
Collaborators:
Carmela Dönz, Soraya Villalba, Roman Alther, Špela Borko, Ian R. McFadden, Thomas Schmitt, Florian Altermatt, Jakob Brodersen, Martin Gossner, Catherine Graham, Blake Matthews, Loïc Pellissier, Lukas Rüber
Funding body: Eawag

BIOMONDO - Towards Earth Observation supported monitoring of freshwater biodiversity
Project lead: Petra Philipson, coordinator (Brockmann Geomatics)
Postdoc: Jelle Lever
Duration: 2021-2023
Collaborators:
Daniel Odermatt (Eawag), Consortium of Brockmann Geomatics, Brockmann Consult, Eawag, PBL, and Deltares
Funding body: European Space Agency

Seasonal changes and recovery from extreme climatic events as indicators of ecosystem stability and impending regime shifts
Project lead: Jelle Lever (WSL)
Co-Pl: Yann Vitasse & Arthur Gessler (WSL)
Duration: 2021-2022
Funding body: SwissForestLab

GreenCityNet-Social-ecological networks to enhance biodiversity in urban green spaces
Project lead: Janine Bolliger (WSL)
Co-lead: Manuel Fischer (Eawag)
Duration: 2022-2025
Funding body: SNF

Publications and Awards

Stakeholder publications

Revitalisierte Bäche leisten einen Beitrag zur städtischen Pflanzenvielfalt. Les ruisseaux revitalisés favorisent la diversité spécifique de la flore urbaine

Bevor sie grösstenteils in den Untergrund verlegt wurden, prägten Bäche das Bild der Schweiz, auch in der Stadt Zürich. Im Rahmen des naturnahen Wasserbaus werden in Zürich diese Bäche seit 35 Jahren wieder an die Oberfläche gebracht. In dieser Studie untersuchten wir die Vielfalt der Gefässpflanzen an wieder geöffneten Bächen in der Stadt Zürich.

Avant d’être en majeure partie enfouis, les ruisseaux étaient des marqueurs omniprésents du paysage en Suisse, y compris dans l’espace urbain. Depuis 35 ans, les petits cours d’eau de la ville de Zurich sont progressivement remis à ciel ouvert dans le cadre d’un plan de réaménagement tendant vers l’état naturel. Une étude s’est intéressée à la diversité des plantes vasculaires présentes dans le courant et au bord des ruisseaux ainsi revitalisés.
Schnorf, H.; Bergamini, A.; Cook, L.; Moretti, M. (2022) Revitalisierte Bäche leisten einen Beitrag zur städtischen Pflanzenvielfalt. Les ruisseaux revitalisés favorisent la diversité spécifique de la flore urbaine, Nature et Paysage. Natur und Landschaft: Inside, 35-39, Institutional Repository

Weiherbau stoppt Abwärtstrend bei Amphibien

Im «Wasserschloss» Schweiz fühlten sich Amphibien wohl. In unseren heutigen trockengelegten Landschaen haben sie jedoch einen schweren Stand. Viele Arten sind gefährdet. Der Kanton Aargau hat vorgemacht, was im Amphibienschutz möglich ist. In den letzten 20 Jahren hat er grossflächig neue Weiher gebaut und das mit Erfolg: Die Anzahl der Populationen fast aller Amphibienarten hat sich stabilisiert oder in einer Trendwende sogar zugenommen.
Moor, H.; Holderegger, R.; Bergamini, A.; Schmidt, B.; Vorburger, C. (2023) Weiherbau stoppt Abwärtstrend bei Amphibien, Aqua Viva, 65(3), 8-11, Institutional Repository

Villes éponges: pour et avec la biodiversité

Une infrastructure bleue et verte composée de cours d’eau, de stations d’épuration végétales ou de toits verts peut rendre l’espace urbain, et surtout les villes, à la fois biodiverses et résistantes aux aléas climatiques. La condition préalable est la collaboration entre l’ingénierie et les sciences naturelles.
Perrelet, K.; Moretti, M.; Dietzel, A.; Maurer, M.; Cook, L. (2023) Villes éponges: pour et avec la biodiversité, Hotspot, 48, 22-23, Institutional Repository

Zeitliche Trends von Makroinvertebraten. Kantonale und nationale Monitoringdaten im Vergleich

Daten zur zeitlichen Entwicklung der Vielfalt wirbelloser Kleinlebewesen in Fliessgewässern verschiedener Kantone werden den nationalen Datensätzen BDM und NAWA gegenübergestellt. Bis auf wenige Ausnahmen zeigt sich eine auf kantonaler und nationaler Ebene einheitliche Entwicklung: Vor allem die Anzahl pestizidtoleranter Familien und wärmeliebender Arten pro Probenahmestandort nimmt in den letzten Jahrzehnten zu. Mögliche Ursachen dieses Trends sind der Klimawandel sowie eine verbesserte Gewässerqualität.
Gebert, F.; Bollmann, K.; Siber, R.; Schuwirth, N. (2022) Zeitliche Trends von Makroinvertebraten. Kantonale und nationale Monitoringdaten im Vergleich, Aqua & Gas, 102(10), 76-82, Institutional Repository

Im Schatten des politischen Fokus

Biodiversität betrifft viele verschiedene Aspekte von Politik - Energieproduktion, invasive Arten, Pestizide oder die Rückkehr des Wolfes sind nur wenige davon. Dementsprechend sollte eine effektive Biodiversitätspolitik auch in vielen verschiedenen Bereichen präsent sein. Ein Forschungsprojekt der WSL und der Eawag zeigt, dass dies kaum der Fall ist.
Fischer, M.; Reber, U. (2022) Im Schatten des politischen Fokus, Aqua Viva, 64(4), 30-31, Institutional Repository

Blau-grüne Biodiversität ist ein wichtiger Teil des Waldes

Im Wald gibt es eine Vielfalt von Lebensräumen und Arten, die von Wechselwirkungen zwischen Wasser und Land beeinflusst sind. Ein grösseres Bewusstsein für diese gegenseitige Abhängigkeit ermöglicht effektiveren Biodiversitätsschutz.
Moor, H.; Gossner, M. M.; Graham, C.; Hobi, M. L.; Logar, I.; Matthews, B.; Narwani, A.; Seehausen, O.; Holderegger, R.; Altermatt, F. (2022) Blau-grüne Biodiversität ist ein wichtiger Teil des Waldes, Wald und Holz, 103(4), 30-33, Institutional Repository

Besserer Biodiversitätsschutz in Blau-Grünen Ökosystemen. Des écosystèmes bleus-verts pour mieux protéger la biodiversité

Obwohl aquatische (blaue) und terrestrische (grüne) Ökosysteme eng miteinander verwoben sind, werden sie oft getrennt voneinander betrachtet und verwaltet. Um Biodiversität Ökosystem-übergreifend besser zu schützen, braucht es integrative Ansätze in Forschung, Praxis und Gesetzgebung.

Bien qu’ils soient interdépendants, les écosystèmes aquatiques (bleus) et terrestres (verts) sont trop souvent appréhendés isolément les uns des autres. Pour que la conservation de la biodiversité soit plus efficace, la recherche, la pratique et la législation doivent dépasser cette approche cloisonnée au profit d’une vision inter-écosystémique.
Moor, H.; Gossner, M. M.; Graham, C.; Hobi, M. L.; Logar, I.; Narwani, A.; Reber, U.; Seehausen, O.; Holdereger, R.; Altermatt, F. (2022) Besserer Biodiversitätsschutz in Blau-Grünen Ökosystemen. Des écosystèmes bleus-verts pour mieux protéger la biodiversité, Nature et Paysage. Natur und Landschaft: Inside, 25-29, Institutional Repository

Biodiversitätsschutz dank Ökosystem-übergreifendem Denken. Forschungsinitiative Blau-Grüne Biodiversität (BGB)

Aquatische und terrestrische Ökosysteme sind eng miteinander verknüpft - sowohl durch die Bewegungen von Organismen wie auch durch den Austausch von Nährstoffen oder Schadstoffen. Dennoch werden in der Regel Wasser- und Land-Ökosysteme isoliert voneinander betrachtet und verwaltet. Diese Silo-Mentalität in Forschung, Praxis und Gesetzgebung behindert integrative Ansätze für den effektiveren Schutz der Biodiversität.
Moor, H.; Gossner, M. M.; Graham, C.; Hobi, M. L.; Holderegger, R.; Reber, U.; Altermatt, F.; Logar, I.; Matthews, B.; Narwani, A.; Seehausen, O.; Shipley, R. (2021) Biodiversitätsschutz dank Ökosystem-übergreifendem Denken. Forschungsinitiative Blau-Grüne Biodiversität (BGB), Aqua & Gas, 101(12), 44-49, Institutional Repository

Zum Fressen gern: unsere Gewässer aus der Vogelperspektive

Fische, Invertebraten oder Makrophyten – im Gewässermanagement stehen traditionellerweise die aquatischen Lebewesen im Vordergrund. Im vorliegenden Artikel betrachten wir unsere Flüsse und Seen aus der Vogelperspektive – mit speziellem Fokus auf die insektenfressenden Vögel. Wir zeigen, dass aquatische Insekten eine besonders wichtige Nahrungsquelle sind aufgrund der spezifischen Fettsäuren, die sie enthalten. Für insektenfressende Vögel ist es deshalb entscheidend, dass in kritischen Lebensphasen, wie z. B. während der Aufzucht der Jungen, genügend aquatische Insekten vorhanden sind. Menschliche Eingriffe in die Umwelt, wie z. B. die Intensivierung der Landwirtschaft oder der Klimawandel, haben die Menge, Qualität und zeitliche Verfügbarkeit von Insekten verändert und damit auch die Nahrungsgrundlage für insektenfressende Vögel. Wir schliessen mit Überlegungen, wie das Gewässermanagement (z. B. Revitalisierung, Gewässerschutz, Einzugsgebietsmanagement) zum Schutz der Vogelvielfalt und zur Förderung des grün-blauen Nahrungsnetzes beitragen kann.

Poissons, invertébrés ou macrophytes – dans la gestion des cours d'eau, les organismes aquatiques sont traditionnellement au premier plan. Dans le présent article, nous considérons nos rivières et nos lacs du point de vue des oiseaux – avec un accent particulier sur les oiseaux insectivores. Nous montrons que les insectes aquatiques sont une source de nourriture particulièrement importante en raison des acides gras spécifiques qu'ils contiennent. Pour les oiseaux insectivores, il est donc crucial de disposer de suffisamment d'insectes aquatiques durant les phases critiques de leur vie, comme pendant l'élevage des jeunes. Les interventions humaines dans l'environnement, telles que l'intensification de l'agriculture ou le changement climatique, ont modifié la quantité, la qualité et la disponibilité temporelle des insectes, et donc la base alimentaire des oiseaux insectivores. Nous concluons par des réflexions sur la manière dont la gestion des cours d'eau (p. ex. revitalisation, protection des eaux, gestion des bassins versants) peut contribuer à la protection de la diversité des oiseaux et à la promotion du réseau alimentaire vert et bleu.
Twining, C. W.; Weber, C.; Kowarik, C.; Gossner, M. M.; Graham, C. H.; Matthews, B.; Shipley, J. R. (2022) Zum Fressen gern: unsere Gewässer aus der Vogelperspektive, Wasser, Energie, Luft, 114(2), 68-74, Institutional Repository

Urbane Strategien zur Hitzeminderung. Wie wirksam sind blau-grüne Infrastrukturen?

Schwammstadt, grüne Infrastruktur, WSUD, LID, SuDS – für das Konzept, den Wasserhaushalt in der Stadt naturnaher zu gestalten, gibt es viele Namen. All diese Ansätze versprechen verschiedenste naturnahe Servicefunktionen, die für die Adaptation unserer Städte an den Klimawandel eine zentrale Rolle spielen. Dieser Artikel geht der Frage nach, was wir über die Wirkung für die Hitzereduktion solcher «blau-grüner Infrastrukturen» wissen, wie wir diese quantifizieren und effektiv planen können.
Bach, P. M.; Probst, N.; Maurer, M. (2021) Urbane Strategien zur Hitzeminderung. Wie wirksam sind blau-grüne Infrastrukturen?, Aqua & Gas, 101(10), 20-25, Institutional Repository

Scientific publications

Similar temporal patterns in insect richness, abundance and biomass across major habitat types

1. While many studies on insect diversity report declines, others show stable, fluctuating or increasing trends. For a thorough understanding of insect trends and their effects on ecosystem functioning, it is important to simultaneously assess insect richness, abundance and biomass, and to report trends for multiple taxa.
2. We analysed insect richness, abundance and biomass data for all insects and for eight insect taxa (Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, Carabidae, other Coleoptera, Aculeata, other Hymenoptera, Heteroptera and Lepidoptera) from 42 sites across Switzerland from 2000 to 2007, representing three major habitat types in Switzerland (agricultural, unmanaged [open and forested] and managed forest habitats). As potential drivers of temporal patterns, we evaluated weather- and land-use-related factors. As predictors, we included temperature and precipitation as well as the vegetation index and the habitat type, respectively.
3. We found a consistent pattern of stable or increasing trends for richness, abundance and biomass of insects in total and the eight taxa over 8 years. Both overall patterns and six out of eight taxa (except for Cerambycidae and Lepidotpera) showed the highest values in agricultural habitats. However, when accounting for elevation, there was no difference in open habitats regardless of whether they were used agriculturally.
4. Habitat types were the most important predictors, followed by weather- and vegetation-related factors. Modelled responses to mean temperature were unimodal, whereas the standard deviation of temperature showed positive and precipitation negative effects. Longer time series are needed to draw robust inferences and to investigate potential negative effects of future warming.
Gebert, F.; Bollmann, K.; Schuwirth, N.; Duelli, P.; Weber, D.; Obrist, M. K. (2024) Similar temporal patterns in insect richness, abundance and biomass across major habitat types, Insect Conservation and Diversity, 17(1), 139-154, doi:10.1111/icad.12700, Institutional Repository

Warming underpins community turnover in temperate freshwater and terrestrial communities

Rising temperatures are leading to increased prevalence of warm-affinity species in ecosystems, known as thermophilisation. However, factors influencing variation in thermophilisation rates among taxa and ecosystems, particularly freshwater communities with high diversity and high population decline, remain unclear. We analysed compositional change over time in 7123 freshwater and 6201 terrestrial, mostly temperate communities from multiple taxonomic groups. Overall, temperature change was positively linked to thermophilisation in both realms. Extirpated species had lower thermal affinities in terrestrial communities but higher affinities in freshwater communities compared to those persisting over time. Temperature change’s impact on thermophilisation varied with community body size, thermal niche breadth, species richness and baseline temperature; these interactive effects were idiosyncratic in the direction and magnitude of their impacts on thermophilisation, both across realms and taxonomic groups. While our findings emphasise the challenges in predicting the consequences of temperature change across communities, conservation strategies should consider these variable responses when attempting to mitigate climate-induced biodiversity loss.
Khaliq, I.; Rixen, C.; Zellweger, F.; Graham, C. H.; Gossner, M. M.; McFadden, I. R.; Antão, L.; Brodersen, J.; Ghosh, S.; Pomati, F.; Seehausen, O.; Roth, T.; Sattler, T.; Supp, S. R.; Riaz, M.; Zimmermann, N. E.; Matthews, B.; Narwani, A. (2024) Warming underpins community turnover in temperate freshwater and terrestrial communities, Nature Communications, 15, 1921 (9 pp.), doi:10.1038/s41467-024-46282-z, Institutional Repository

Engineering blue-green infrastructure for and with biodiversity in cities

Blue-green infrastructure (BGI), combining semi-natural and engineered elements, offers multifaceted benefits like stormwater management, water purification, heat mitigation, and habitat provision. However, current BGI designs prioritize engineering goals, overlooking its ecological potential. Here we advocate for integrating engineering and ecological objectives into BGI design to enhance performance and biodiversity. Through an interdisciplinary literature review, we emphasize the importance of species diversity, abundance, and ecological processes, to improve engineering performance and resilience, and lower management costs. We emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to navigate trade-offs between engineering and ecological objectives, ultimately enabling us to engineer both for and with biodiversity.
Perrelet, K.; Moretti, M.; Dietzel, A.; Altermatt, F.; Cook, L. M. (2024) Engineering blue-green infrastructure for and with biodiversity in cities, npj Urban Sustainability, 4(1), 27 (11 pp.), doi:10.1038/s42949-024-00163-y, Institutional Repository

Shrinkage-based Bayesian variable selection for species distribution modelling in complex environments: an application to urban biodiversity

Robust, quantitative understanding of the diverse ecological needs of species is needed to inform effective biodiversity conservation, now and in the future, but is lacking for most species. The advent of "big data" in ecology presents unprecedented opportunities to fill this gap and to disentangle the diverse drivers of biodiversity. Variable and model selection in sparse (small sample sizes for most species), high-dimensional (large pool of candidate predictors) problems is, however, non-trivial. Here, we employ cross-validated Bayesian projection predictive variable selection and shrinkage priors to identify, from a list of 70 ecological and biophysical candidate predictor variables, the minimal subset that best predicts the habitat preferences and distributions of 103 species of amphibians, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and grasshoppers using the city of Zurich, Switzerland, as a case study. We contrast the predictive performance and ecological inference of models fit with the full set of predictors using shrinkage priors (exhaustive models) to models fit with a limited number of predictors obtained by compiling predictors from the full list of predictors using weakly informative priors (selective models). We show that exhaustive models excel in predictive performance, albeit at the cost of greater model complexity compared to selective models. Results from the selective models reveal the importance of access to aquatic habitat for a wide range of taxa, relative to other drivers such as urbanisation, vegetation and environmental hazards. These results are complemented by more nuanced insights from the exhaustive models into the importance of specific types of aquatic habitat (ponds, lakes, streams) and vegetation (herb, shrub, canopy cover) for the distribution of urban biodiversity, as well as the different spatial scales at which drivers are of predictive relevance. Our findings demonstrate the potential of shrinkage-based Bayesian variable selection to leverage big ecological data for species distribution modelling, and contribute to the development of concrete guidelines for urban planning and infrastructure design that account for biodiversity conservation.
Dietzel, A.; Moretti, M.; Cook, L. M. (2024) Shrinkage-based Bayesian variable selection for species distribution modelling in complex environments: an application to urban biodiversity, Ecological Informatics, 81, 102561 (9 pp.), doi:10.1016/j.ecoinf.2024.102561, Institutional Repository

Quantifying the utilisation of blue, green and brown resources by riparian predators: a combined use of amino acid isotopes and fatty acids

1. Global change drives multiple facets of biodiversity including interaction diversity, which is fundamental for ecosystem functioning. However, studying trophic interactions is challenging in meta-ecosystems, that is ecosystems connected by spatial flows of energy, materials and organisms across ecosystem boundaries. While analytical methods based on abundances of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and stable isotopes of amino acids (AAs) are being increasingly used, it has never been explored if both approaches could be: (i) combined in mixing models to enhance precision in dietary inference (ii) compared to disentangle transfers of various PUFAs and proteins in food webs in the wild.
2. We explore the utility of analytical approaches based on PUFA abundances and AA isotopes to resolve resource transfers in a natural riparian food web. We focus on spiders and their potential prey from blue, green and brown sources to address three important and persisting methodological issues in food-web ecology, namely whether (i) essential AA carbon isotopes can resolve protein origin from blue, green and brown resources, (ii) PUFA relative abundance and AA isotopes can be combined in a mixing model to provide higher precision estimates (i.e. narrower intervals) and (iii) combining the two approaches can unveil the coupling of protein and PUFA transfers in food webs. 3. Our research demonstrates the power of AA isotopes and PUFAs to distinguish blue, green, and brown sources and their transfer up to consumers. We show that combining PUFA relative abundance and AA isotopes in a mixing model provides overall estimates similar to the individual estimates but significantly increases precision. In addition, we showcase how combining approaches unveil the coupling of protein and PUFA transfers. For instance, we show that most PUFAs are less concentrated from prey to predators, relative to proteins, highlighting uncoupling of PUFAs and protein transfer along food chains.
4. We show for the first time the effectiveness of combining AA isotopes and PUFA abundances, particularly relevant for complex trophic interactions in a meta-ecosystem context. Our study illustrates the trophic uncoupling of proteins and PUFAs, highlighting the necessity in combining both approaches.
Saboret, G.; Drost, B. J. W.; Kowarik, C.; Schubert, C. J.; Gossner, M. M.; Ilić, M. (2024) Quantifying the utilisation of blue, green and brown resources by riparian predators: a combined use of amino acid isotopes and fatty acids, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 15(8), 1450-1462, doi:10.1111/2041-210X.14371, Institutional Repository

Building pondscapes for amphibian metapopulations

The success of ponds constructed to restore ecological infrastructure for pond-breeding amphibians and benefit aquatic biodiversity depends on where and how they are built. We studied effects of pond and landscape characteristics, including connectivity, on metapopulation dynamics of 12 amphibian species in Switzerland. To understand the determinants of long-term occupancy (here summarized as incidence), environmental effects on both colonization and persistence should be considered. We fitted dynamic occupancy models to 20 years of monitoring data on a pond construction program to quantify effects of pond and landscape characteristics and different connectivity metrics on colonization and persistence probabilities in constructed ponds. Connectivity to existing populations explained dynamics better than structural connectivity metrics, and simple metrics (distance to the nearest neighbor population, population density) were useful surrogates for dispersal kernel-weighted metrics commonly used in metapopulation theory. Population connectivity mediated the persistence of conservation target species in new ponds, suggesting source–sink dynamics in newly established populations. Population density captured this effect well and could be used by practitioners for site selection. Ponds created where there were 2–4 occupied ponds within a radius of ∼0.5 km had >3.5 times higher incidence of target species (median) than isolated ponds. Species had individual preferences regarding pond characteristics, but breeding sites with larger (≥100 m2) total water surface area, that temporarily dried, and that were in surroundings with maximally 50% forest benefitted multiple target species. Pond diversity will foster amphibian diversity at the landscape scale.
Moor, H.; Bergamini, A.; Vorburger, C.; Holderegger, R.; Bühler, C.; Bircher, N.; Schmidt, B. R. (2024) Building pondscapes for amphibian metapopulations, Conservation Biology, e14165 (16 pp.), doi:10.1111/cobi.14281, Institutional Repository

The role of actors' issue and sector specialization for policy integration in the parliamentary arena: an analysis of Swiss biodiversity policy using text as data

The role of the parliamentary arena and members of parliament (MPs) therein for both mainstreaming and cross-sectoral policy integration is largely unknown. Studying the case of Switzerland, this paper analyzes the integration of the biodiversity issue into policies of 20 different policy sectors over a period of 19 years to assess how two specific actor attributes - issue and sector specialization - increase the chances of MPs of engaging in both biodiversity mainstreaming and its cross-sectoral integration. The results based on a comprehensive collection of political documents from the parliamentary arena, and multilevel regression models show that an increase in MPs' sector specialization is associated with both a decrease in mainstreaming and a decrease in cross-sectoral integration activities. By contrast, an increase in issue specialization typically translates into biodiversity-related activity in a larger number of sectors. In the parliamentary arena, therefore, it is primarily a small group of "issue specialists" who take responsibility for the integration of crosscutting issues, such as biodiversity, into critical sectoral policies.
Reber, U.; Ingold, K.; Fischer, M. (2023) The role of actors' issue and sector specialization for policy integration in the parliamentary arena: an analysis of Swiss biodiversity policy using text as data, Policy Sciences, 56, 95-114, doi:10.1007/s11077-022-09490-2, Institutional Repository

Linking human impacts to community processes in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems

Human impacts such as habitat loss, climate change and biological invasions are radically altering biodiversity, with greater effects projected into the future. Evidence suggests human impacts may differ substantially between terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, but the reasons for these differences are poorly understood. We propose an integrative approach to explain these differences by linking impacts to four fundamental processes that structure communities: dispersal, speciation, species-level selection and ecological drift. Our goal is to provide process-based insights into why human impacts, and responses to impacts, may differ across ecosystem types using a mechanistic, eco-evolutionary comparative framework. To enable these insights, we review and synthesise (i) how the four processes influence diversity and dynamics in terrestrial versus freshwater communities, specifically whether the relative importance of each process differs among ecosystems, and (ii) the pathways by which human impacts can produce divergent responses across ecosystems, due to differences in the strength of processes among ecosystems we identify. Finally, we highlight research gaps and next steps, and discuss how this approach can provide new insights for conservation. By focusing on the processes that shape diversity in communities, we aim to mechanistically link human impacts to ongoing and future changes in ecosystems.
McFadden, I. R.; Sendek, A.; Brosse, M.; Bach, P. M.; Baity‐Jesi, M.; Bolliger, J.; Bollmann, K.; Brockerhoff, E. G.; Donati, G.; Gebert, F.; Ghosh, S.; Ho, H.‐C.; Khaliq, I.; Lever, J. J.; Logar, I.; Moor, H.; Odermatt, D.; Pellissier, L.; de Queiroz, L. J.; Rixen, C.; Schuwirth, N.; Shipley, J. R.; Twining, C. W.; Vitasse, Y.; Vorburger, C.; Wong, M. K. L.; Zimmermann, N. E.; Seehausen, O.; Gossner, M. M.; Matthews, B.; Graham, C. H.; Altermatt, F.; Narwani, A. (2023) Linking human impacts to community processes in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, Ecology Letters, 26(2), 203-218, doi:10.1111/ele.14153, Institutional Repository

Cyanobacteria: extreme environments and toxic metabolites

Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are photosynthetic bacteria that can colonize different habitats, including extreme ones. They are of great interest to the scientific community, especially because of their ability to produce cyanotoxins: toxic secondary metabolites potentially harmful to organisms especially when released to surface waters.
Pittino, F.; Oliveira, J.; De Almeida Torres, M.; Fink, S.; Janssen, E. M. L.; Scheidegger, C. (2022) Cyanobacteria: extreme environments and toxic metabolites, Chimia, 76(11), 967-969, doi:10.2533/chimia.2022.967, Institutional Repository

Blue and green food webs respond differently to elevation and land use

While aquatic (blue) and terrestrial (green) food webs are parts of the same landscape, it remains unclear whether they respond similarly to shared environmental gradients. We use empirical community data from hundreds of sites across Switzerland and a synthesis of interaction information in the form of a metaweb to show that inferred blue and green food webs have different structural and ecological properties along elevation and among various land-use types. Specifically, in green food webs, their modular structure increases with elevation and the overlap of consumers’ diet niche decreases, while the opposite pattern is observed in blue food webs. Such differences between blue and green food webs are particularly pronounced in farmland-dominated habitats, indicating that anthropogenic habitat modification modulates the climatic effects on food webs but differently in blue versus green systems. These findings indicate general structural differences between blue and green food webs and suggest their potential divergent future alterations through land-use or climatic changes.
Ho, H.-C.; Brodersen, J.; Gossner, M. M.; Graham, C. H.; Kaeser, S.; Reji Chacko, M.; Seehausen, O.; Zimmermann, N. E.; Pellissier, L.; Altermatt, F. (2022) Blue and green food webs respond differently to elevation and land use, Nature Communications, 13(1), 6415 (12 pp.), doi:10.1038/s41467-022-34132-9, Institutional Repository

Climate change shifts the timing of nutritional flux from aquatic insects

Climate change can decouple resource supply from consumer demand, with the potential to create phenological mismatches driving negative consequences on fitness. However, the underlying ecological mechanisms of phenological mismatches between consumers and their resources have not been fully explored. Here, we use long-term records of aquatic and terrestrial insect biomass and egg-hatching times of several co-occurring insectivorous species to investigate temporal mismatches between the availability of and demand for nutrients that are essential for offspring development. We found that insects with aquatic larvae reach peak biomass earlier in the season than those with terrestrial larvae and that the relative availability of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFAs) to consumers is almost entirely dependent on the phenology of aquatic insect emergence. This is due to the 4- to 34-fold greater n-3 LCPUFA concentration difference in insects emerging from aquatic as opposed to terrestrial habitats. From a long-sampled site (25 years) undergoing minimal land use conversion, we found that both aquatic and terrestrial insect phenologies have advanced substantially faster than those of insectivorous birds, shifting the timing of peak availability of n-3 LCPUFAs for birds during reproduction. For species that require n-3 LCPUFAs directly from diet, highly nutritious aquatic insects cannot simply be replaced by terrestrial insects, creating nutritional phenological mismatches. Our research findings reveal and highlight the increasing necessity of specifically investigating how nutritional phenology, rather than only overall resource availability, is changing for consumers in response to climate change.
Shipley, J. R.; Twining, C. W.; Mathieu-Resuge, M.; Parmar, T. P.; Kainz, M.; Martin-Creuzburg, D.; Weber, C.; Winkler, D. W.; Graham, C. H.; Matthews, B. (2022) Climate change shifts the timing of nutritional flux from aquatic insects, Current Biology, 32(6), 1342-1349, doi:10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.057, Institutional Repository

Recent trends in stream macroinvertebrates: warm-adapted and pesticide-tolerant taxa increase in richness

Recently, a plethora of studies reporting insect declines has been published. Even though the common theme is decreasing insect richness, positive trends have also been documented. Here, we analysed nationwide, systematic monitoring data on aquatic insect richness collected at 438 sites in Switzerland from 2010 to 2019. In addition to taxonomic richness, we grouped taxa in accordance with their ecological preferences and functional traits to gain a better understanding of trends and possible underlying mechanisms. We found that in general, richness of aquatic insects remained stable or increased with time. Warm-adapted taxa, common feeding guilds and pesticide-tolerant taxa showed increasing patterns while cold-adapted, rarer feeding guilds and pesticide-sensitive taxa displayed stable trends. Both climate and land-use-related factors were the most important explanatory variables for the patterns of aquatic insect richness. Although our data cover the last decade only, our results suggest that recent developments in insect richness are context-dependent and affect functional groups differently. However, longer investigations and a good understanding of the baseline are important to reveal if the increase in temperature- and pesticide-tolerant species will lead to a decrease in specialized species and a homogenization of biotic communities in the long term.
Gebert, F.; Obrist, M. K.; Siber, R.; Altermatt, F.; Bollmann, K.; Schuwirth, N. (2022) Recent trends in stream macroinvertebrates: warm-adapted and pesticide-tolerant taxa increase in richness, Biology Letters, 18(3), 20210513 (7 pp.), doi:10.1098/rsbl.2021.0513, Institutional Repository

Integrating biodiversity: a longitudinal and cross-sectoral analysis of Swiss politics

The effective conservation and promotion of biodiversity requires its integration into a wide range of sectoral policies. For this to happen, the issue must receive attention across policy sectors. Yet, we know little about how attention to the issue evolves over time and across sectors. Drawing from the literature on environmental policy integration/mainstreaming and policy process theories, we develop competing hypotheses, expecting either increasing or fluctuating attention to the biodiversity issue. We tested the hypotheses using the case of Swiss politics between 1999 and 2018. Applying a combination of computational methods, we analyze the content of a comprehensive collection of policy documents (n ≈ 440,000) attributed to 20 policy sectors. Comparing the sectors, we find that (1) a persistent increase in attention is the exception, (2) if there is an increase in attention, it is likely to be temporary, and (3) the most common pattern is that of invariant attention over time. Biodiversity integration - if it does happen at all - tends to occur in cycles rather than in steady long-term shifts. This implies that the conservation of biodiversity does not follow the cross-sectoral nature of the problem, but is subject to the dynamics of "politics," where actors, because of limited resources, engage with (aspects of) an issue only for a certain amount of time.
Reber, U.; Fischer, M.; Ingold, K.; Kienast, F.; Hersperger, A. M.; Grütter, R.; Benz, R. (2022) Integrating biodiversity: a longitudinal and cross-sectoral analysis of Swiss politics, Policy Sciences, 55, 311-335, doi:10.1007/s11077-022-09456-4, Institutional Repository

Reconciling cities with nature: Identifying local Blue-Green Infrastructure interventions for regional biodiversity enhancement

Increasing urbanization degrades quantity, quality, and the functionality of spatial cohesion of natural areas essential to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning worldwide. The uncontrolled pace of building activity and the erosion of blue (i.e., aquatic) and green (i.e., terrestrial) landscape elements threaten existing habitat ranges and movability of wildlife. Local scale measures, such as nature-inspired engineered Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) are emerging mitigation solutions. Originally planned to promote sustainable stormwater management, adaptation to climate change and improved human livability in cities, such instruments offer interesting synergies for biodiversity in support of existing ecological infrastructure. BGI are especially appealing for globally declining amphibians, a rich and diverse vertebrate assemblage sensitive to urbanization. We integrated biological and highly resolved urban-rural land-cover data, ensemble models of habitat suitability, and connectivity models based on circuit theory to improve multi-scale and multi-species protection of core habitats and ecological corridors in the Swiss lowlands. Considering a broad spectrum of amphibian biodiversity, we identified distributions of amphibian biodiversity hotspots and four landscape elements essential to amphibian movability at the regional scale, namely i) forest edges, ii) wet-forest habitats, iii) soils with variable moisture and iv) riparian zones. Our work shows that cities can make a substantial contribution (e.g., up to 15% of urban space in the study area) to wider landscape habitat connectivity. We highlight the importance of planning BGI locally in strategic locations across urban and peri-urban areas to promote the permeability and availability of ‘stepping stone’ habitats in densely populated landscapes, essential to the maintenance of regional habitat connectivity and thereby enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
Donati, G. F. A.; Bolliger, J.; Psomas, A.; Maurer, M.; Bach, P. M. (2022) Reconciling cities with nature: Identifying local Blue-Green Infrastructure interventions for regional biodiversity enhancement, Journal of Environmental Management, 316, 115254 (14 pp.), doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115254, Institutional Repository

Climate change creates nutritional phenological mismatches

Climate change is creating phenological mismatches between consumers and their resources. However, while the importance of nutritional quality in ecological interactions is widely appreciated, most studies of phenological mismatch focus on energy content alone. We argue that mismatches in terms of phenology and nutrition will increase with climate change.
Twining, C. W.; Shipley, J. R.; Matthews, B. (2022) Climate change creates nutritional phenological mismatches, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 37(9), 736-739, doi:10.1016/j.tree.2022.06.009, Institutional Repository

Climate, immigration and speciation shape terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity in the European Alps

Quaternary climate fluctuations can affect speciation in regional biodiversity assembly in two non-mutually exclusive ways: a glacial species pump, where isolation in glacial refugia accelerates allopatric speciation, and adaptive radiation in underused adaptive zones during ice-free periods. We detected biogeographic and genetic signatures associated with both mechanisms in the assembly of the biota of the European Alps. Age distributions of endemic and widespread species within aquatic and terrestrial taxa (amphipods, fishes, amphibians, butterflies and flowering plants) revealed that endemic fish evolved only in lakes, are highly sympatric, and mainly of Holocene age, consistent with adaptive radiation. Endemic amphipods are ancient, suggesting preglacial radiation with limited range expansion and local Pleistocene survival, perhaps facilitated by a groundwater-dwelling lifestyle. Terrestrial endemics are mostly of Pleistocene age and are thus more consistent with the glacial species pump. The lack of evidence for Holocene adaptive radiation in the terrestrial biome is consistent with faster recolonization through range expansion of these taxa after glacial retreats. More stable and less seasonal ecological conditions in lakes during the Holocene may also have contributed to Holocene speciation in lakes. The high proportion of young, endemic species makes the Alpine biota vulnerable to climate change, but the mechanisms and consequences of species loss will likely differ between biomes because of their distinct evolutionary histories.
Jardim de Queiroz, L.; Doenz, C. J.; Altermatt, F.; Alther, R.; Borko, Š.; Brodersen, J.; Gossner, M. M.; Graham, C.; Matthews, B.; McFadden, I. R.; Pellissier, L.; Schmitt, T.; Selz, O. M.; Villalba, S.; Rüber, L.; Zimmermann, N. E.; Seehausen, O. (2022) Climate, immigration and speciation shape terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity in the European Alps, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 289(1980), 20221020 (10 pp.), doi:10.1098/rspb.2022.1020, Institutional Repository

Bending the curve: simple but massive conservation action leads to landscape-scale recovery of amphibians

Success stories are rare in conservation science, hindered also by the research-implementation gap, where scientific insights rarely inform practice and practical implementation is rarely evaluated scientifically. Amphibian population declines, driven by multiple stressors, are emblematic of the freshwater biodiversity crisis. Habitat creation is a straightforward conservation action that has been shown to locally benefit amphibians, as well as other taxa, but does it benefit entire amphibian communities at large spatial scales? Here, we evaluate a landscape-scale pond-construction program by fitting dynamic occupancy models to 20 y of monitoring data for 12 pond-breeding amphibian species in the Swiss state Aargau, a densely populated area of the Swiss lowlands with intensive land use. After decades of population declines, the number of occupied ponds increased statewide for 10 out of 12 species, while one species remained stable and one species further declined between 1999 and 2019. Despite regional differences, in 77% of all 43 regional metapopulations, the colonization and subsequent occupation of new ponds stabilized (14%) or increased (63%) metapopulation size. Likely mechanisms include increased habitat availability, restoration of habitat dynamics, and increased connectivity between ponds. Colonization probabilities reflected species-specific preferences for characteristics of ponds and their surroundings, which provides evidence-based information for future pond construction targeting specific species. The relatively simple but landscape-scale and persistent conservation action of constructing hundreds of new ponds halted declines and stabilized or increased the state-wide population size of all but one species, despite ongoing pressures from other stressors in a human-dominated landscape.
Moor, H.; Bergamini, A.; Vorburger, C.; Holderegger, R.; Bühler, C.; Egger, S.; Schmidt, B. R. (2022) Bending the curve: simple but massive conservation action leads to landscape-scale recovery of amphibians, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America PNAS, 119(42), e2123070119 (8 pp.), doi:10.1073/pnas.2123070119, Institutional Repository

Fewer non-native insects in freshwater than in terrestrial habitats across continents

Aim: Biological invasions are a major threat to biodiversity in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Insects represent an important group of species in freshwater and terrestrial habitats, and they constitute a large proportion of non-native species. However, while many non-native insects are known from terrestrial ecosystems, they appear to be less represented in freshwater habitats. Comparisons between freshwater and terrestrial habitats of invader richness relative to native species richness are scarce, which hinders syntheses of invasion processes. Here, we used data from three regions on different continents to determine whether non-native insects are indeed under-represented in freshwater compared with terrestrial assemblages.
Location: Europe, North America, New Zealand.
Methods: We compiled a comprehensive inventory of native and non-native insect species established in freshwater and terrestrial habitats of the three study regions. We then contrasted the richness of non-native and native species among freshwater and terrestrial insects for all insect orders in each region. Using binomial regression, we analysed the proportions of non-native species in freshwater and terrestrial habitats. Marine insect species were excluded from our analysis, and insects in low-salinity brackish water were considered as freshwater insects.
Results: In most insect orders living in freshwater, non-native species were under-represented, while they were over-represented in a number of terrestrial orders. This pattern occurred in purely aquatic orders and in orders with both freshwater and terrestrial species. Overall, the proportion of non-native species was significantly lower in freshwater than in terrestrial species.
Main conclusions: Despite the numerical and ecological importance of insects among all non-native species, non-native insect species are surprisingly rare in freshwater habitats. This is consistent across the three investigated regions. We review hypotheses concerning species traits and invasion pathways that are most likely to explain these patterns. Our findings contribute to a growing appreciation of drivers and impacts of biological invasions.
Sendek, A.; Baity-Jesi, M.; Altermatt, F.; Bader, M. K. F.; Liebhold, A. M.; Turner, R. M.; Roques, A.; Seebens, H.; Spaak, P.; Vorburger, C.; Brockerhoff, E. G. (2022) Fewer non-native insects in freshwater than in terrestrial habitats across continents, Diversity and Distributions, 28(11), 2303-2315, doi:10.1111/ddi.13622, Institutional Repository

Zum Fressen gern: unsere Gewässer aus der Vogelperspektive

Fische, Invertebraten oder Makrophyten – im Gewässermanagement stehen traditionellerweise die aquatischen Lebewesen im Vordergrund. Im vorliegenden Artikel betrachten wir unsere Flüsse und Seen aus der Vogelperspektive – mit speziellem Fokus auf die insektenfressenden Vögel. Wir zeigen, dass aquatische Insekten eine besonders wichtige Nahrungsquelle sind aufgrund der spezifischen Fettsäuren, die sie enthalten. Für insektenfressende Vögel ist es deshalb entscheidend, dass in kritischen Lebensphasen, wie z. B. während der Aufzucht der Jungen, genügend aquatische Insekten vorhanden sind. Menschliche Eingriffe in die Umwelt, wie z. B. die Intensivierung der Landwirtschaft oder der Klimawandel, haben die Menge, Qualität und zeitliche Verfügbarkeit von Insekten verändert und damit auch die Nahrungsgrundlage für insektenfressende Vögel. Wir schliessen mit Überlegungen, wie das Gewässermanagement (z. B. Revitalisierung, Gewässerschutz, Einzugsgebietsmanagement) zum Schutz der Vogelvielfalt und zur Förderung des grün-blauen Nahrungsnetzes beitragen kann.

Poissons, invertébrés ou macrophytes – dans la gestion des cours d'eau, les organismes aquatiques sont traditionnellement au premier plan. Dans le présent article, nous considérons nos rivières et nos lacs du point de vue des oiseaux – avec un accent particulier sur les oiseaux insectivores. Nous montrons que les insectes aquatiques sont une source de nourriture particulièrement importante en raison des acides gras spécifiques qu'ils contiennent. Pour les oiseaux insectivores, il est donc crucial de disposer de suffisamment d'insectes aquatiques durant les phases critiques de leur vie, comme pendant l'élevage des jeunes. Les interventions humaines dans l'environnement, telles que l'intensification de l'agriculture ou le changement climatique, ont modifié la quantité, la qualité et la disponibilité temporelle des insectes, et donc la base alimentaire des oiseaux insectivores. Nous concluons par des réflexions sur la manière dont la gestion des cours d'eau (p. ex. revitalisation, protection des eaux, gestion des bassins versants) peut contribuer à la protection de la diversité des oiseaux et à la promotion du réseau alimentaire vert et bleu.
Twining, C. W.; Weber, C.; Kowarik, C.; Gossner, M. M.; Graham, C. H.; Matthews, B.; Shipley, J. R. (2022) Zum Fressen gern: unsere Gewässer aus der Vogelperspektive, Wasser, Energie, Luft, 114(2), 68-74, Institutional Repository

Urbane Strategien zur Hitzeminderung. Wie wirksam sind blau-grüne Infrastrukturen?

Schwammstadt, grüne Infrastruktur, WSUD, LID, SuDS – für das Konzept, den Wasserhaushalt in der Stadt naturnaher zu gestalten, gibt es viele Namen. All diese Ansätze versprechen verschiedenste naturnahe Servicefunktionen, die für die Adaptation unserer Städte an den Klimawandel eine zentrale Rolle spielen. Dieser Artikel geht der Frage nach, was wir über die Wirkung für die Hitzereduktion solcher «blau-grüner Infrastrukturen» wissen, wie wir diese quantifizieren und effektiv planen können.
Bach, P. M.; Probst, N.; Maurer, M. (2021) Urbane Strategien zur Hitzeminderung. Wie wirksam sind blau-grüne Infrastrukturen?, Aqua & Gas, 101(10), 20-25, Institutional Repository

Besserer Biodiversitätsschutz in Blau-Grünen Ökosystemen. Des écosystèmes bleus-verts pour mieux protéger la biodiversité

Obwohl aquatische (blaue) und terrestrische (grüne) Ökosysteme eng miteinander verwoben sind, werden sie oft getrennt voneinander betrachtet und verwaltet. Um Biodiversität Ökosystem-übergreifend besser zu schützen, braucht es integrative Ansätze in Forschung, Praxis und Gesetzgebung.

Bien qu’ils soient interdépendants, les écosystèmes aquatiques (bleus) et terrestres (verts) sont trop souvent appréhendés isolément les uns des autres. Pour que la conservation de la biodiversité soit plus efficace, la recherche, la pratique et la législation doivent dépasser cette approche cloisonnée au profit d’une vision inter-écosystémique.
Moor, H.; Gossner, M. M.; Graham, C.; Hobi, M. L.; Logar, I.; Narwani, A.; Reber, U.; Seehausen, O.; Holdereger, R.; Altermatt, F. (2022) Besserer Biodiversitätsschutz in Blau-Grünen Ökosystemen. Des écosystèmes bleus-verts pour mieux protéger la biodiversité, Nature et Paysage. Natur und Landschaft: Inside, 25-29, Institutional Repository

Blau-grüne Infrastuktur: eine Möglichkeit zur Förderung der biologischen Vielfalt in vom Menschen geprägten Landschaften? Les infrastructures bleues-vertes: une opportunité pour améliorer la biodiversité dans les paysages dominés par l'homme?

Intensiv genutzte Landschaften und Lebensraumfragmentierung sind mitverantwortlich für den Rückgang der Biodiversität, weil Lebensraumqualität und grundlegende biologische Prozesse wie z.B. die Ausbreitung gestört werden. Stetig wachsende Städte als überregionale Barrieren für die Vernetzung natürlicher Lebensräume stellen eine besondere Herausforderung dar (Abb. 1). Wir zeigen am Beispiel von Amphibien auf, wie eine gezielte Platzierung blaugrüner Infrastrukturen die Durchlässigkeit von Städten verbessern könnte und dadurch Lebensräume und Laichgebiete von regionaler Bedeutung besser vernetzt werden. Die Einrichtung blaugrüner Infrastrukturen ist eine vielversprechende Massnahme, um die Anpassung an den Klimawandel zu fördern und die Lebensqualität zu verbessern. Synergien zur Vernetzung der Biodiversität bieten sich auf lokaler und regionaler Ebene an.

L'utilisation intensive des paysages et la fragmentation des habitats sont en partie co-responsables du déclin de la biodiversité, dans la mesure où la qualité des habitats et des processus biologiques fondamentaux tels que la dispersion sont perturbés. L'urbanisation croissante constitue un défi particulier dans ce contexte, notamment en tant qu'obstacle transrégional à la connectivité des habitats naturels. En prenant l'exemple des amphibiens, nous montrons comment la planification ciblée d'infrastructures bleuesvertes pourrait améliorer la perméabilité des villes en reliant mieux les habitats naturels et les sites de reproduction d'importance régionale. L'installation d'infrastructures bleues-vertes est une mesure prometteuse qui est actuellement planifiée dans de nombreuses villes surtout pour promouvoir l'adaptation au changement climatique ainsi que pour l'amélioration de la qualité de vie. Cependant, des synergies pour la mise en réseau de la biodiversité sont aussi disponibles non seulement à niveaux local mais aussi régional.
Donati, G. F. A.; Bolliger, J.; Psomas, A.; Maurer, M.; Bach, P. M. (2021) Blau-grüne Infrastuktur: eine Möglichkeit zur Förderung der biologischen Vielfalt in vom Menschen geprägten Landschaften? Les infrastructures bleues-vertes: une opportunité pour améliorer la biodiversité dans les paysages dominés par l'homme?, Nature et Paysage. Natur und Landschaft: Inside, 41-44, Institutional Repository

Biodiversitätsschutz dank Ökosystem-übergreifendem Denken. Forschungsinitiative Blau-Grüne Biodiversität (BGB)

Aquatische und terrestrische Ökosysteme sind eng miteinander verknüpft - sowohl durch die Bewegungen von Organismen wie auch durch den Austausch von Nährstoffen oder Schadstoffen. Dennoch werden in der Regel Wasser- und Land-Ökosysteme isoliert voneinander betrachtet und verwaltet. Diese Silo-Mentalität in Forschung, Praxis und Gesetzgebung behindert integrative Ansätze für den effektiveren Schutz der Biodiversität.
Moor, H.; Gossner, M. M.; Graham, C.; Hobi, M. L.; Holderegger, R.; Reber, U.; Altermatt, F.; Logar, I.; Matthews, B.; Narwani, A.; Seehausen, O.; Shipley, R. (2021) Biodiversitätsschutz dank Ökosystem-übergreifendem Denken. Forschungsinitiative Blau-Grüne Biodiversität (BGB), Aqua & Gas, 101(12), 44-49, Institutional Repository

Reber, U., Fischer, M., Ingold, K., Kienast, F., Hersperger, A., & Grütter, R. (2021). Die vielen Gesichter der Biodiversitätspolitik. Hotspot, 44, 9.
HOTSPOT 44.2021 deutsch WEB 31.10.2021.pdf (scnat.ch)

Roth L., Bolliger J., Donati G. 2021. Auswirkungen von zukünftigen Landnutzungsszenarien auf Amphibien im Kanton Aargau. N+L Inside 3/21.

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