
Mountain ecosystems
Head: Dr. Peter Bebi
The Alps cover around 60% of Switzerland. Their ecosystems provide habitats for many plant and animal species. They also serve humans in many ways, for example helping to protect against natural hazards such as avalanches and rockfall, providing renewable natural resources or attracting tourists to mountain regions.
We investigate how mountain forests and treeline ecotones are changing over time, and how this affects their protective function against natural hazards and the provision of other ecosystem services and ecological aspects. Our findings are used as a basis for decision support in mountain forest management and natural hazard simulations. In addition, we explore habitats above the treeline. We investigate how plant communities, their diversity and interactions with other organisms such as microbes, herbivores or pollinators are altered by climate or land use change. Improving our understanding of the response of mountain ecosystems to global change is important to better predict and manage global change impacts.
Brief insight into our research activities
Protective forests
Mountain forests protect humans and infrastructure cost-effectively against natural hazards, such as avalanches and rockfalls. We investigate which properties of a forest determine the level of protection and how this may be altered by climate change, natural disturbances and forest management. Together with implementation partners we help to ensure that the protective function of mountain forests continues to be fulfilled in the best possible way.
Treeline ecotones
Treeline ecotones, i.e., the transition zones between mountain forests and alpine tundra ecosystems, are among the characteristic habitats in mountain regions. Treelines are however shifting in many places as a result of land-use and climate change. We investigate the dynamics of mountain forests and treeline ecotones under global change.
Mountain forest ecology and management
Mountain forests provide essential goods and services to society, yet they are highly vulnerable to climate change. Our research focuses on understanding the impacts of climate change on these ecosystems. By adopting different approaches and methods, and crucially, collaborating with stakeholders and forest practitioners, we strive to develop ecologically-guided strategies for the management of mountain forests in the face of global change.
Plant ecology and biodiversity
Mountain ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots, providing habitats for numerous specialised plant and animal species that occur nowhere else. They also perform important ecosystem functions and services. We investigate why and how plant communities in the mountains are changing – not least as a result of climate change.
Biotic interactions in a warmer world

Being the ultimate source of energy in terrestrial ecosystems, plants interact with a variety of organisms such as mutualistic or pathogenic fungi, decomposers, herbivores or pollinators. Climate change is likely to alter such interactions with potentially strong influences on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. We study biotic interactions along elevational gradients to document changes and improve predictions on climate change impacts.
Soil and slope stability
Opportunities for students
If you are interested in an internship or writing a bachelor or master thesis with the Mountain Ecology Davos team, please contact the team members.
Staff
Mountain Ecosystems
Groupleader |
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Visiting scientist |
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PhD student guest |
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Master student |
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Scientific staff member |
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Scientific staff member |
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Visiting scientist |
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IT specialist |
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Master student |
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Scientific staff member |
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Master student |
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Civil service employee |
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Senior Scientist |
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Scientific staff member |
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Scientific staff member |
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Civil service employee |
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PhD student guest |
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Visiting scientist |
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PhD student |