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The negative effects of habitat loss on biodiversity are undisputed, while the effect of habitat configuration, i.e., the spatial arrangement of habitat area, has been debated for decades. To develop a more comprehensive understanding, it is important to know when and how configuration matters. In this study, we tested whether forest configuration influences the richness of species in groups characterized by varying shade tolerance in different ways and how such effects are related to habitat amount (i.e., the percentage of forest cover) at the landscape scale. Based on 104 survey plots (each measuring 1 km2) of vascular plants on the Swiss Plateau, and using two statistical approaches (i.e., multiple regression and path analysis), we modeled the effects of habitat amount and configuration (measured as number of forest patches, total edge length, and proximity index) across all the plots and separately for three habitat amount classes: <10%, 10%–30%, and >30% forest cover. When we modeled all plots together, we found that, after controlling for habitat amount, the forest configuration significantly affected species richness. When we considered the different habitat amount classes separately, most of the significant effects of habitat configuration on species richness occurred only for habitat amounts of <10% forest cover. Additionally, the response to forest configuration differed among species with different shade tolerances. When forest area was <10%, the effects of the number of patches and the total edge length on the species richness of light-demanding forest species were greater than the effect of habitat amount, whereas neither configuration metric affected the richness of shade-tolerant species. In conclusion, our findings highlight the importance of configuration in landscapes with a small amount of habitat. At the same time, they demonstrate that considering the confounding factors (e.g. species traits) is important for understanding the effects of forest configuration on biodiversity and that generalizations remain a challenge for landscape ecology.
Pan, Y., Hersperger, A. M., Ge, G., & Nobis, M. P. (2024). Effects of habitat configuration on biodiversity along gradients of forest cover on the Swiss Plateau. Forest Ecosystems, 11, 100223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100223
Concerns about intensification of land use and land abandonment threatening plant diversity called for the establishment of national monitoring and agri-environmental payment schemes in Switzerland. Yet, little is known about recent biodiversity changes in Swiss grasslands. The analyses in this study were based on the presence / absence records of 455 permanent 10 m2 plots in grasslands systematically spread across elevational bands in Switzerland, collected by the Swiss Biodiversity Monitoring BDM. We assessed changes in vascular plant species richness, mean ecological indicator values and species composition at the local scale in Swiss grasslands over two decades (2001–2023) and for three elevational sets (all, below, and above 1200 m a.s.l.). Further, we identified winners and losers at the species level. Throughout all three elevational sets, we found that the mean species richness increased in the study period. Likewise, the mean ecological indicator values for temperature increased throughout. While the mean ecological indicator values of nutrient, soil moisture and reaction remained constant for the set of all plots, at lower elevations there was a trend towards a decreased nutrient value whereas soil moisture decreased at higher elevations. Overall, more species showed positive rather than negative trends over time. Especially at lower elevations, short-lived, ruderal species and C4 grasses are on the increase. We suggest that these trends are linked to the increased harvesting frequency and the recent trend towards longer dry spells in Swiss summer. By contrast, at higher elevations, stress tolerance of grasslands decreased while competitiveness increased. These diverging patterns point to different drivers of biodiversity change dependent on elevation and call for context-dependent conservation measures.
Häberlin, K. E. R., & Dengler, J. (2025). Recent biodiversity changes in grasslands across elevational bands in Switzerland. Basic and Applied Ecology, 87, 29–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2025.05.003
Die Studie dokumentiert gegenläufige Trends der alpha- und beta-Diversität in zehn aquatischen und terrestrischen Artengruppen der Schweiz. Während die alpha-Diversität in den aquatischen und terrestrischen Gruppen zunimmt, nimmt die beta-Diversität mehrheitlich ab. Diese Entwicklungen deuten darauf hin, dass sich häufige Arten eher ausbreiten, während seltene Arten meist nicht von dieser Zunahme profitieren.
Martinez, N., Steiner, E., Roth, T., Ilg, C., & Schuwirth, N. (2025). Zeitliche Veränderung der blau-grünen Biodiversität. Artenzunahmen bei gleichzeitiger Homogenisierung. Aqua & Gas, 7+8.
Accelerated global biodiversity loss critically threatens forest ecosystem multifunctionality and service provision. Understanding environmental drivers across taxonomic (TD), functional (FD), and phylogenetic (PD) biodiversity facets is essential for effective conservation. However, the multi-dimensional nature of biodiversity is difficult to assess, and many studies overlook the interplay between functional traits and evolutionary history within a community. Here, we use Hill numbers to integrate TD, FD, and PD across five ecologically distinct taxa (birds, butterflies, snails, vascular plants, and mosses) to better understand environmental factors driving forest biodiversity in Switzerland. We included micro- and macroclimatic conditions, soil properties, topography, and vegetation structure and diversity. Our results highlight the intricate, taxon-specific nature of environmental effects on biodiversity. Across taxa, vegetation structure and diversity, and climatic factors emerged as key drivers of biodiversity facets, while soil characteristics mostly influenced less-mobile taxa. Vegetation structure and diversity acted as strong ecological filters shaping species richness and traits, reflecting responsiveness to short-term dynamics like disturbance or management, but were weak predictors of PD. Conversely, more temporally stable abiotic factors such as climate and soil conditions were consistent drivers across all facets, highlighting their broad impact on biodiversity. We show that FD and PD metrics complement TD by revealing additional insights into ecosystem functionality and evolutionary history. Given the differential responses of biodiversity indicators to environmental drivers, especially climate, maintaining ecosystem functionality and resilience under climate change requires assessments that go beyond taxonomic diversity and include the functional and phylogenetic dimensions.
Vigués Jorba, J., Scherrer, D., Duchenne, F., Zellweger, F., Gossner, M. M., & Bollmann, K. (2025). Differential responses of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic multi-taxa diversity to environmental factors in temperate forest ecosystems. Ecological Indicators, 178, 113855. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113855
99 Schweizer Bäche wurden anhand der beiden Bioindikatoren Fische und Makrozoobenthos untersucht. Die Mehrzahl der Bäche zeigt wesentliche Defizite beim ökologischen Zustand. So fehlen beispielsweise in über 70% der Gewässer ein Teil der pestizidempfindlichen Insektenlarven und andere Kleinlebewesen. Statistische Auswertungen deuten darauf hin, dass sich eine beeinträchtigte Ökomorphologie sowie ein grosser Anteil Ackerland, Obstkulturen und Reben im Einzugsgebiet besonders negativ auf das Vorkommen dieser empfindlichen Kleinlebewesen auswirken.
Ilg, C. & Alther, R. (2024). Ökologischer Zustand von Schweizer Bächen. Die meisten der untersuchten Bäche erfüllen ihre Rolle als Lebensraum für Tiere nur eingeschränkt, Aqua & Gas, 104(4), 46-52.
- Advancing forest inventorying and monitoring
- Warming underpins community turnover in temperate freshwater and terrestrial communities
- Distinct spatial patterns of genetic structure and diversity in the butterfly Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) inhabiting fragmented grasslands
- Geochemischer Bodenatlas der Schweiz
Sonderheft Hotspot
Das Hotspot Sonderheft zu 20 Jahren BDM zeigt, wer hinter den Daten steckt und beleuchtet aktuelle Entwicklungen der Biodiversität.
Publikationen
Sammlung aller veröffentlichten wissenschaftlichen Publikationen mit Daten des BDM: