Université de Fribourg

Do spiders respond to global change? A study on the phenology of ballooning spiders in Switzerland

Blandenier, Gilles ; Bruggisser, Odile T. ; Bersier, Louis-Félix

In: Écoscience, 2014, vol. 21, no. 1, p. 79–95

We studied ballooning spiders captured weekly over an 11-y period using a 12.2-m- high suction trap in an agricultural landscape of western Switzerland. We analyzed population trends, changes in phenology, and species composition. Yearly trends in population size of the most abundant species were studied with nonparametric correlations. We found that these trends were markedly different for...

Université de Fribourg

Mismatch in microbial food webs: predators but not prey perform better in their local biotic and abiotic conditions

Parain, Elodie C. ; Gravel, Dominique ; Rohr, Rudolf P. ; Bersier, Louis-Félix ; Gray, Sarah M.

In: Ecology and Evolution, 2016, vol. 6, no. 14, p. 4885–4897

Understanding how trophic levels respond to changes in abiotic and biotic conditions is key for predicting how food webs will react to environmental perturbations. Different trophic levels may respond disproportionately to change, with lower levels more likely to react faster, as they typically consist of smaller-bodied species with higher reproductive rates. This response could cause a...

Université de Fribourg

Ecophylogenetics: advances and perspectives

Mouquet, Nicolas ; Devictor, Vincent ; Meynard, Christine N. ; Munoz, Francois ; Bersier, Louis-Félix ; Chave, Jérôme ; Couteron, Pierre ; Dalecky, Ambroise ; Fontaine, Colin ; Gravel, Dominique ; Hardy, Olivier J. ; Jabot, Franck ; Lavergne, Sébastien ; Leibold, Mathew ; Mouillot, David ; Münkemüller, Tamara ; Pavoine, Sandrine ; Prinzing, Andreas ; Rodrigues, Ana S. L. ; Rohr, Rudolf P. ; Thébault, Elisa ; Thuiller, Wilfried

In: Biologial Review, 2012, vol. 87, no. 4, p. 769-785

Ecophylogenetics can be viewed as an emerging fusion of ecology, biogeography and macroevolution. This new and fast-growing field is promoting the incorporation of evolution and historical contingencies into the ecological research agenda through the widespread use of phylogenetic data. Including phylogeny into ecological thinking represents an opportunity for biologists from different fields...