Changes in land use and climatic variation affect semi-natural meadows.
We are interested in the variability of structure and productivity
across time and the mechanisms by which plant species with different
life history traits regenerate and maintain species rich communities.
Our observations and experiments are based on measurements in the
field. Three long-term study sites are located in the Southern Alps.
We run complementary studies on soil seed banks and growth of seedlings
from different origin in a laboratory in the Botanical Garden Bern.
Automated instruments control the input of rain water
to the meadow plots
Numerous plants flower in the third year after sowing
After 16 years of resumed mowing, Brachypodium pinnatum still dominates in
this formerly abandoned meadow
Influence of drought
on regeneration and vegetation change (Swiss NSF grants 31-100612, 31-112639)
In the context of global climatic change ecologists expect that radical or irreversible
vegetation changes, involving local extinctions and invasions, are most likely
to follow extreme events.
Regeneration and long-term dynamics
in grasslands of southern Switzerland (Swiss NSF grant 31-55917.98)
Throughout Europe changes in land use have affected the plant species composition
of meadows. This has led to an increased interest in processes which allow many
species to regenerate and maintain species-rich meadows.
Vegetation dynamics in meadows and abandoned grasslands (Swiss NSF grant 31-41922.94)
During a period of 10 years, from 1988 to 1997, we monitored the species composition
in dry grasslands of high species richness at experimental sites in the ‘lower
montane zone’ of the southern Alps in Switzerland.
Smith, Melinda D; Wilkins, Kate D; Holdrege, Martin C; Wilfahrt, Peter; Collins, Scott L; Knapp, Alan K; Sala, Osvaldo E; Dukes, Jeffrey S; Phillips, Richard P; Yahdjian, Laura; Gherardi, Laureano A; Ohlert, Timothy; Beier, Claus; Fraser, Lauchlan H; Jentsch, Anke; Loik, Michael E; Maestre, Fernando T; Power, Sally A; Yu, Qiang; Felton, Andrew J; Stampfli, Andreas; Zeiter, Michaela ... (2024). Extreme drought impacts have been underestimated in grasslands and shrublands globally. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America - PNAS, 121(4), e2309881120. National Academy of Sciences 10.1073/pnas.2309881120 [pdf]
Zeiter, M; Schärrer, S; Zweifel, R; Newbery, DM; Stampfli, A. 2016. Timing of extreme drought modifies reproductive output in semi-natural grassland. Journal of Vegetation Science 27: 238–248. [pdf]
Preukschas, J; Zeiter, M; Fischer, M & Stampfli, A. 2014.Biotic resistance to plant invasion in grassland: Does seed predation increase with resident plant diversity? Basic and Applied Ecology 15 (2) 133–141. [pdf]
Zeiter M., Preukschas J. & Stampfli A. 2013. Seed availability in hay meadows: Land-use intensification promotes seed rain but not the persistent seed bank. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 171: 55-62. [pdf]
Zeiter M. & Stampfli A. 2012. Positive diversity-invasibility relationship in species-rich semi-natural grassland at the neighbourhood scale. Annals of Botany 110 (7): 1385-1393
Stampfli A. & Fuhrer J. 2010. Spatial heterogeneity confounded ozone-exposure experiment in semi-natural grassland. Oecologia 162 (2): 515-522. [pdf]
Stampfli A. & Zeiter M. 2008. Mechanisms of structural change derived from patterns of seedling emergence and mortality in a semi-natural meadow. Journal of Vegetation Science 19 (4): 563-574. [pdf]
Zeiter M., Stampfli A., Newbery DM. 2006. Recruitment limitation constrains local species richness and productivity in dry grassland. Ecology 87 (4): 942-951. [pdf]
Stampfli A. & Zeiter M. 2004. Plant regeneration directs changes in grassland composition after extreme drought: a 13-year study in southern Switzerland. Journal of Ecology, 92 (4): 568-576. [pdf]
Kupferschmid A.D., Stampfli A. & Newbery D.M. 2000. Dispersal and microsite limitation in an abandoned calcareous grassland of the southern Prealps. Folia Geobotanica 35: 125-141. [pdf]
Stampfli A. & Zeiter M. 1999. Plant-species decline due to abandonment of meadows cannot easily be reversed by mowing. A case study from the southern Alps. Journal of Vegetation Science 10: 151-164. [pdf]
Stampfli A. 1992. Year-to-year changes in unfertilized meadows of great species richness detected by point quadrat analysis. Vegetatio 103: 125-132. [pdf]
Stampfli A. 1992. Effects of mowing and removing litter on reproductive shoot modules of some plant species in abandoned meadows of Monte San Giorgio. Botanica Helvetica 102: 85-92. [pdf]
Stampfli A. 1991. Accurate determination of vegetational change in meadows by successive point quadrat analysis. Vegetatio 96 (2): 185-194. [pdf]
De Boeck, HJ; Hiltbrunner, E; Verlinden, M; Bassin, S; Zeiter, M. 2018. Legacy Effects of Climate Extremes in Alpine Grassland.
Frontiers in Plant Science 9: 1586 [pdf]
Stuart-Haëntjens, E; De Boeck, HJ; Lemoine, NP; Mänd, P; Kröel-Dulay, G; Schmidt, IK; Jentsch, A; Stampfli, A; Anderegg, WL; Bahn, M; Kreyling, J; Wohlgemuth, T; Lloret, F; Classen, AT; Gough, CM; Smith, MD. 2018.
Mean annual precipitation predicts primary production resistance and resilience to extreme drought.
Science of the Total Environment 636: 360-366 [pdf]
De Boeck, HJ; Bloor, JMG; Kreyling, J; Ransijn, JCG; Nijs, I; Jentsch, A; Zeiter, M. 2018. Patterns and drivers of biodiversity–stability relationships under climate extremes.
Journal of Ecology 106: 890-902. [pdf]
Henne, PD; Bigalke, M; Büntgen, U; Colombaroli, D; Conedera, M; Feller, U; Frank, D; Fuhrer, J; Grosjean, M; Heiri, O; Luterbacher, J; Mestrot, A; Rigling, A; Rössler, O; Rohr, C; Rutishauser, T; Schwikowski, M; Stampfli, A; Szidat, S; Theurillat, JP; Weingartner, R; Wilcke, W; Tinner, W. 2018.
An empirical perspective for understanding climate change impacts in Switzerland.
Regional Environmental Change 18: 205-221 [pdf]
Kreyling, J; Dengler, J; Walter, J; Velev, N; Ugurlu, E; Sopotlieva, D; Ransijn, J; Picon-Cochard, C; Nijs, I; Hernandez, P; Güler, B; von Gillhaussen, P; De Boeck, HJ; Bloor, JMG;
Berwaers, S; Beierkuhnlein, C; Arfin K; Mohammed AS; Apostolova, I; Altan, Y; Zeiter, M; Wellstein, C; Sternberg, M; Stampfli, A; Campetella, G; Bartha, S; Bahn, M; Jentsch, A. 2017.
Species richness effects on grassland recovery from drought depend on community productivity in a multisite experiment.
Ecology Letters 20 (11): 1405-1413 [pdf]
De Boeck, HJ; Bassin, S; Verlinden, M; Zeiter, M; Hiltbrunner, E. 2016. Simulated heat waves affected alpine grassland only in combination with drought.
New Phytologist 209 (2): 531-541 [pdf]
Stampfli A. 2001. Did recent climatic shifts affect productivity of
grass-dominated vegetation in southern Switzerland? Evidence from
time series of two semi-natural grasslands and a maize field. In: Walther
G.-R., Burga C.A. & Edwards P.J. (eds.) "FINGERPRINTS" of
CLIMATE CHANGE - Adapted behaviour and shifting species ranges, 249-261.
Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers, New York & London.
Stampfli A. & Zeiter M. 2001. Species responses to climatic variation
and land-use change in grasslands of southern Switzerland. In: Burga
C.A. & Kratochwil A. (eds.) Biomonitoring, 107-124. Kluwer, Dordrecht.
Stampfli A., Guggisberg F., Berli S. & Pestalozzi H. 1994. The abandoned
Danthonia alpina-meadows on Monte San Giorgio, evidence of floristical
changes and suggested management practices. In: Lotter A. & Ammann
B. (eds.) Festschrift Gerhard Lang. Dissertationes Botanicae 224: 59-78.
Book
Antognoli C., Guggisberg F., Häfelfinger S., Lörtscher M. & Stampfli
A. 1995. Prati magri ticinesi tra passato e futuro. Memoria 5, Società ticinese
di scienze naturali. Poncioni, Losone.
Schärer Sara 2006. Effect of seasonal droughts on reproductive output of a grassland community in Southern Switzerland.
Holzer Brigitte 2000. Untersuchungen zur Langlebigkeit von Diasporen
im Boden: Ein Aspekt bei der Beurteilung der ‘Restaurierungschancen’ artenreicher
Wiesen aus Graslandbrachen.
Graf Oliver 1999. Reproduktionsprozesse in einem Halbtrockenrasen
bei wechselnder Bewirtschaftung.
Kupferschmid Andrea D. 1999. Dispersal and microsite limitation in
an abandoned calcareous grassland on Monnte San Giorgio.
Zeiter Michaela 1997. Experimentelle Untersuchungen zur Keimung und
Etablierung von Wiesenarten in gemähten und abgebrannten Flächen
einer Graslandbrache.
Gerber Nadine 1996. Die artenreichen Wiesen von Negrentino (gemeinsam mit S. Studer).
Studer Sibylle 1996. Die artenreichen Wiesen von Negrentino (gemeinsam mit N. Gerber).
Guggisberg Fredi 1990. Verbuschende Wiesen und Weiden auf dem Monte San Giorgio / TI.