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(1) Conservation
biology and biogeography
Our
main study organisms are threatened aquatic and
wetland plants of several taxonomic groups: (1) Baldellia sp.,
(Alismataceae, Monocotyledonae); (2) Nuphar sp.
(Nymphaeaceae,
Dicotyledonae); and (3) Dryopteris sp. (Dryopteridaceae,
Pteridophyta).
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| Baldellia
ranunculoides (Alismataceae,
Monocotyledonae): |
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| Main
subjects: Conservation biogeography, habitat differentiation, threats
assessment, Linnean and Wallacean shortfalls, conservation methods of Baldellia ranunculoides in Europe and North Africa. Collaboration with the
Universities of
Zürich, Marburg (D) and the Countryside Council for Wales (UK). |
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Nuphar pumila (Nymphaeaceae,
Dicotyledonae):
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| Main
subjects: Umbrella species concept, threats assessment, distribution,
historical biogeography, hybridization and conservation methods of Nuphar pumila in Central Europe
(collaboration with the ETH and WSL Lausanne). |
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| Dryopteris
cristata (Dryopteridaceae, Pteridophyta): |
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Main
subjects: Genetic diversity, historical bottlenecks, historical
biogeography,
distribution, threats assessment and conservation methods of
Pteridophytes in Central
Europe with special reference to Dryopteris
cristata (collaboration with the University of Zürich).
Further applied
project:
Main subjects: Threats
assessment, distribution and conservation methods of the most
endangered plant
species in Western Switzerland: e.g. Inula helvetica, Carex chordorrhiza, Liparis
loeselii, Veronica triphyllos, Dracocephalum
ruyschiana, Valeriana saliunca,
Lythrum portula, etc. (collaboration with the cantonal
administration of
FR, VD, NE, GE and BAFU).
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| (2) Global
change, urbanization and weedy
plant species
Second
main field of research covers several topics related to global change,
especially to land use and urbanization, and to a broad spectrum of
biological
aspects of weedy and ruderal plant species (biogeography, genetic
diversity,
habitat adaptations, gene flow between crop plants and their wild
ruderal and
weedy relatives, etc).
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| Historical biogeography and
expansion of Lactuca serriola: |
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| Main subjects:
Analysis of geneflow from crop to wild forms in lettuce (Lactuca
serriola) and chicory (Cichorium
intybus) and its population-ecological consequences in the context
of
GM-crop biosafety. Biogeographical analysis, addresses the background
of L. serriola’s recent invasiveness into
Northwestern Europe by an analysis of the distribution shift and
genetic
variation on a transect from south to north and from east to west
through
Europe using microsatellites (SSR) (collaboration with the University of Neuchâtel
and EU). |
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| Bridge species - transgene
flow to the wild
flora: |
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Main subjects:
Global
change and the shifts in distribution and ecology of plant species;
Climate
change and the range of plant species (main interest: Brassicaceae
plant family); Variation
along a habitat type gradient of the expanding species Capsella
rubella Reut. in comparison with Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) MED; Morphological
and ecological differentiation between
the expanding Capsella rubella Reut.
and Capsella bursa-pastoris Med.
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| Urban ecology and biodiversity: |
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| Main
subjects: Urban biodiversity, pavement vegetation assessment,
historical
biogeography of endangered ruderal plant species, long-time
conservation
methods (collaboration with HES Fribourg).
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