species coexistence; niche theory; population biology; facilitation; natural selection; competition; plant ecology; community ecology; biodiversity; functional traits; ecological networks
Pistón Nuria, Michalet Richard, Schöb Christian, Macek Petr, Armas Cristina, Pugnaire Francisco I. (2018), The balance of canopy and soil effects determines intraspecific differences in foundation species’ effects on associated plants, in
Functional Ecology.
Losapio Gianalberto, Pugnaire Francisco I., O'Brien Michael J., Schöb Christian (2018), Plant life history stage and nurse age change the development of ecological networks in an arid ecosystem, in
Oikos.
Brooker Rob W., Karley Alison J., Morcillo Luna, Newton Adrian C., Pakeman Robin J., Schöb Christian (2018), Crop presence, but not genetic diversity, impacts on the rare arable plant Valerianella rimosa, in
Plant Ecology & Diversity, 10(5-6), 495-507.
Li Y., Shipley B., Price J.N., Dantas V. de L., Tamme R., Westoby M., Siefert A., Schamp B.S., Spasojevic M.J., Jung V., Laughlin D.C., Richardson S.J., Le Bagousse-Pinguet Y., Schöb C., Gazol A., Prentice H.C., Gross N., Overton J., Cianciaruso M.V., Louault F., Kamiyama C., Nakashizuka T., Hikosaka K., Sasaki T., Katabuchi M. (2018), Habitat filtering determines the functional niche occupancy of plant communities worldwide, in
Journal of Ecology, 106, 1001-1009.
Macek Petr, Schöb Christian, Núñez-Ávila M., Hernández Gentina I.R., Pugnaire F.I., Armesto J.J. (2018), Shrub facilitation drives tree establishment in a semiarid fog-dependent ecosystem, in
Applied Vegetation Science, 21, 113-120.
GOBBI MAURO, BALLARIN FRANCESCO, BRAMBILLA MATTIA, COMPOSTELLA CHIARA, ISAIA MARCO, LOSAPIO GIANALBERTO, MAFFIOLETTI CHIARA, SEPPI ROBERTO, TAMPUCCI DUCCIO, CACCIANIGA MARCO (2017), Life in harsh environments: carabid and spider trait types and functional diversity on a debris-covered glacier and along its forelandFunctional traits in harsh environments, in
Ecological Entomology, 42(6), 838-848.
Tian Di, Jiang Lai, Ma Suhui, Fang Wenjing, Schmid Bernhard, Xu Longchao, Zhu Jianxiao, Li Peng, Losapio Gianalberto, Jing Xin, Zheng Chengyang, Shen Haihua, Xu Xiaoniu, Zhu Biao, Fang Jingyun (2017), Effects of nitrogen deposition on soil microbial communities in temperate and subtropical forests in China, in
Science of The Total Environment, 607-608, 1367-1375.
Guo Yanpei, Yang Xian, Schöb Christian, Jiang Youxu, Tang Zhiyao (2017), Legume Shrubs Are More Nitrogen-Homeostatic than Non-legume Shrubs, in
Frontiers in Plant Science, 8, 1662.
Schöb Christian, Macek Petr, Pistón Nuria, Kikvidze Zaal, Pugnaire Francisco I. (2017), A trait-based approach to understand the consequences of specific plant interactions for community structure, in
Journal of Vegetation Science, 28, 696-704.
Losapio Gianalberto, Schöb Christian (2017), Resistance of plant–plant networks to biodiversity loss and secondary extinctions following simulated environmental changes, in
Functional Ecology, 31, 1145-1152.
Yang Y., Chen J.-G., Schöb C., Sun H. (2017), Size-mediated interaction between a cushion species and other non-cushion species at high elevations of the Hengduan Mountains, SW China, in
Frontiers in Plant Science, 8, 465.
Schöb Christian, Hortal Sara, Morcillo Luna, Newton Adrian C., Pakeman Robin J., Powell Jeff R., Anderson Ian C., Brooker Rob W., Karley Alison J. (2017), Species but not genotype diversity strongly impacts the establishment of rare colonisers, in
Functional Ecology, 31, 1462-1470.
O'Brien M.J., Pugnaire F.I., Armas C., Rodríguez-Echeverría S., Schöb C. (2017), The shift from plant–plant facilitation to competition under severe water deficit is spatially explicit, in
Ecology & Evolution, 7(7), 2441-2448.
Michalet R., Schöb C., Xiao S., Zhao L., Chen T., An L.-z., Callaway R.M. (2016), Beneficiary feedback effects on alpine cushion benefactors become more negative with increasing cover of graminoids and in dry conditions, in
Functional Ecology, 30, 79-87.
Pistón Nuria, Schöb Christian, Armas Cristina, Prieto Iván, Pugnaire Francisco I. (2016), Contribution of co-occurring shrub species to community richness and phylogenetic diversity along an environmental gradient, in
Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 19, 30-39.
Brooker Rob W., Karley Alison J., Newton Adrian C., Pakeman Robin J., Schöb Christian (2016), Facilitation and sustainable agriculture: a mechanistic approach to reconciling crop production and conservation, in
Functional Ecology, 30, 98-107.
Losapio Gianalberto, Gobbi Mauro, Marano Giuseppe, Avesani Daniele, Boracchi Patrizia, Compostella Chiara, Pavesi Maurizio, Schöb Christian, Seppi Roberto, Sommaggio Daniele, Zanetti Adriano, Caccianiga Marco (2016), Feedback effects between plant and flower-visiting insect communities along a primary succession gradient, in
Arthropod-Plant Interactions, 10, 485-495.
Newton Adrian C., Karley Alison J., Schöb Christian, Brooker Rob W., Pakeman Robin J., Iannetta Pete, Guy Dave C., Black K. (2016), How diverse can crop mixtures be in an integrated pest management context?, in
Proceedings Crop Protection in Northern Britain 2016, DundeePage Bros Ltd, Norwich.
Siefert A., Violle C., Chalmandrier L., Albert C.H., Taudiere A., Fajardo A., Aarssen L.W., Baraloto C., Carlucci M.B., Cianciaruso M.V., Dantas V. de L., de Bello F., Duarte L.D.S., Fonseca C.R., Freschet G.T., Gaucherand S., Gross N., Hikosaka K., Jackson B., Jung V., Kamiyama C., Katabuchi M., Kembel S.W., Kichenin E., Schöb C. (2015), A global meta-analysis oft he relative extent of intraspecific trait variation in plant communities, in
Ecology Letters, 18, 1406-1419.
Pakeman Robin J., Karley Alison J., Newton Adrian C., Morcillo Luna, Brooker Rob W., Schöb Christian (2015), A trait-based approach to crop–weed interactions, in
European Journal of Agronomy, 70, 22-32.
Kammer Peter M., Steiner Jonathan S., Schöb Christian (2015), Arabis alpina and Arabidopsis thaliana have different stomatal development strategies in response to high altitude pressure conditions, in
Alpine Botany, 125, 101-112.
Chen J.G., Schöb C., Zhou Z., Gong Q.B., Li X.H., Yang Y., Li Z.M., Sun H. (2015), Cushion plants can have a positive effect on diversity at high elevations in the Himalayan Hengduan Mountains, in
Journal of Vegetation Science, 26, 768-777.
Brooker Rob W., Bennet Alison E., Cong Weng-Feng, Daniell Tim J., George Timothy S., Hallett Paul D., Hawes Cathy, Iannetta Pietro P.M., Jones Hamlyn G., Karley Alison J., Li Long, McKenzie Blair M., Pakeman Robin J., Paterson Eric, Schöb Christian, Shen Jianbo, Squire Geoff, Watson Christine A., Zhang Chaochun, Zhang Fusuo, Zhang Junling, White Philip J. (2015), Improving intercropping: a synthesis of research in agronomy, plant physiology and ecology, in
New Phytologist, 206(1), 107-117.
Schöb Christian, Kerle Sarah, Karley Alison J., Morcillo Luna, Pakeman Robin J., Newton Adrian C., Brooker Rob W. (2015), Intraspecific genetic diversity and composition modify species-level diversity–productivity relationships, in
New Phytologist, 205(2), 720-730.
Pistón Nuria, Armas Cristina, Schöb Christian, Macek Petr, Pugnaire Francisco I. (2015), Phylogenetic distance among beneficiary species in a cushion plant species explain interaction outcome, in
Oikos, 124, 1354-1359.
Kikvidze Zaal, Brooker Rob W., Butterfield Bradley J., Callaway Ragan M., Cavieres Lohengrin A., Cook Bradley J., Lortie Christopher J., Michalet Richard, Pugnaire Francisco I., Xiao Sa, Anthelme Fabien, Björk Robert G., Cranston Brittany H., Gavilán Rosario G., Kanka Robert, Lingua Emanuele, Maalouf Jean-Paul, Noroozi Jalil, Parajuli Rabindra, Phoenix Gareth K., Reid Anya, Ridenour Wendy M., Rixen Christian, Schöb Christian (2015), The effects of foundation species on community assembly: a global study on alpine cushion plant communities, in
Ecology, 96, 2064-2069.
Michalet Richard, Maalouf Jean-Paul, Choler Philippe, Clément Bernard, Rosebery David, Royer Jean-Marie, Schöb Christian, Lortie Christopher J. (2014), Competition, facilitation and environmental severity shape the relationship between local and regional species richness in plant communities, in
Ecography, 38(4), 335-345.
Schöb Christian, Callaway Ragan M., Anthelme Fabien, Brooker Rob W., Cavieres Lohengrin A., Kikvidze Zaal, Lortie Christopher J., Michalet Richard, Pugnaire Francisco I., Xiao Sa, Cranston Brittany H., García Mary-Carolina, Hupp Nicole R., Llambí Luis D., Lingua Emanuele, Reid Anya M., Zhao Liang, Butterfield Bradley J. (2014), The context dependence of beneficiary feedback effects on benefactors in plant facilitation, in
New Phytologist, 204(2), 386-396.
There is general consensus concerning the importance of biodiversity and its ecosystem services for humanity, and considerable research effort has been focussed on the biodiversity concept. Nevertheless, our understanding of the regulation and maintenance of biodiversity remains limited. This is despite the fact that detailed knowledge of the mechanisms of species coexistence is crucial to understanding and predicting the sensitivity of biodiversity to environmental change, and taking the appropriate measures for biodiversity conservation. Niche theory is a fundamental concept within biodiversity research, relevant to explaining both the coexistence of species and the functioning of ecosystems. In niche theory, each species has specific requirements and impacts on its environment that define its niche. Species requirements and their negative competitive impacts on other species are acknowledged and integrated into coexistence theory. However, the positive impacts of species through the creation of new environmental conditions are understood far less well, and are barely recognised in key theories. This is despite the potential for construction of new niche space to facilitate other species, and hence contribute significantly to biodiversity. Facilitative effects through niche space construction are well known from harsh environments, but an on-going greenhouse experiment with arable crops indicates facilitation for specialised weed species through niche space construction in a very competitive system. However, studies on niche space construction and facilitation in productive and favourable environments are scarce and knowledge about their role for diversity in these systems is poor. Ultimately, since niche space construction may be as widespread as niche space consumption and associated competition it is probable that niche space construction influences the evolutionary trajectories of associated species. However, there are hardly any empirical studies addressing the evolutionary consequences of niche space construction and facilitation for species that make use of the environment created by other species. Here I propose a project that is aimed to fill these gaps of knowledge and to increase our understanding of niche space construction and facilitation, their evolutionary consequences, and their role in regulating biodiversity in a wide range of environments. The project is planned to encompass two climatic zones and to contrast natural with anthropogenic ecosystems since they are known to differ both in the factors limiting diversity of an ecosystem but also in the relevance of particular evolutionary process such as adaptations to particular factors of stress or disturbance. Furthermore, both climate and land use are major drivers of biodiversity. Within this framework I will undertake two sets of studies to explore niche space construction and the mechanisms of facilitation for selected effect species, and to study their evolutionary consequences for selected response species. In a first set of combined experimental and observational studies I will assess the effect of niche space construction and consumption of effect species on response species diversity using network-based approaches. This study will therefore test recent findings on niche space construction and facilitation - undertaken in a greenhouse environment - in real-world systems, and in a wide variety of environments, including productive favourable environments where the role of niche space construction and facilitation has so far been widely overlooked. In a second set of experimental studies I will address the evolutionary consequences of niche space construction. In common gardens in each study region I will grow seeds of selected response species that have been collected from individuals growing under different environmental conditions and both with and without the effect species creating the new niche space. Statistical tests will include the assessment of trait conservatism and the relative fitness of response species when grown without effect species or with different ecotypes of the effect species. Furthermore, I will use population genetic methods to assess genetic differences among individuals from the same response species, but originating from different environments and grown with or without effect species. Empirical evidence of the hypothesised co-evolutionary process between effect and response species would be among the first of its kind in plant ecology, and would contribute substantially to our understanding of evolutionary consequences of facilitation. When combined, these studies will provide powerful tests of the impact of plant-plant interactions on species coexistence and adaptation at very local scales, and they will deliver novel insight into the regulation and maintenance of biodiversity.