Dr. Marco Moretti

Function

Senior Scientist

Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

Conservation Biology

Contact

marco.moretti(at)wslto make life hard for spam bots.ch

+41 44 739 26 74+41 44 739 26 74

Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
Zürcherstrasse 111
8903 Birmensdorf

Site

Birmensdorf Bi MG D 47

Research interests

Modeling spatio-temporal effect of environmental changes on biodiversity across taxa (plants and animals), trophic guilds, biomes, and type of stressors (natural disturbance; urbanization; management regime) seeking for relationships between biodiversity, community functional traits, and ecosystem functioning.

Education

2008	Research Associate, Numerical Ecology Lab, Montreal Univ., Quebec, CA
2004	Post-doc, School of GeoScience, University of Edinburgh, UK
2003	PhD, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
1991	Master in Biology, University of Zurich, Switzerland

Postition and professional experiences

2014-	Project leader at Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf-Zurich, Switzerland
2006-2013	Leader of the Insubric Ecosystems Research Group at the Community Ecology Unit, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Bellinzona, Switzerland
2002-2005	Research Associate, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Bellinzona, Switzerland
1993-2001	Co-director of the Ecological Consulting Office Maddalena & Moretti Sagl., Gordevio, Switzerland
1992-2001	Leader of the Bat Conservation Trust Ticino (Switzerland)

Research experience and ongoing projects

2013-2016	COST Action FP1204 "GreeUrbs". Task leader of “"Tree species composition and characteristics" and "Urban biodiversity”.
2013-2015	Project “Biodiversity in chestnut orchard in Southern Switzerland – Birds, Bats, Insects, Lichens, Vegetation. Synthesis and perspectives”, Forest Section Ct. TIcino, PI, CHF 30’000
2012-2013	Project “Animal Trait database”, WSL Project, PI, CHF 60’000
2012-2013	Project “Role of functional components of biodiversity in understanding soil processes in stressed ecosystems”, Sciex Program, PI, CHF 140’000
2011-2013	Project “BioDiVine-Biodiversity in vineyard ecosystems”, PI, Federal Office for the Environment, PI, CHF 100’000
2011-2013	Project “Biodiversity indicator of land-use processes and gradients (BIKORA)”, Federal Office for the Environment, Co-PI, CHF 180’000
2010-2012	Project “Effects of plant-herbivore functional diversity on grassland ecosystem function”, PI, CHF 140’000
2010-2011	Project “Urban Biodiversity”, Federal Office for the Environment, PI, CHF 100'000
2009-2012	Project CCES-ENHANCE, subproject “Connectivity in fragmented urban environment”, PI, CHF 180'000
2006-2010	EU project “FIRE PARADOX-An innovative and integrated approach to wildland fire management”, Subproject “Ecological effect of fire”, Co-PI, CHF 400'000
2005-2009	Project “BiodiverCity-Ecological and social value of urban nature: tools to identify, maintain and improve biodiversity and its acceptance in urban areas”, NRP 54, PI. CHF 360'000

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

Plants and People in Urban Green Space (PAPPUS)

The PAPPUS project aims to understand how decision makers influence the choice of plant assemblages and their management in different types of urban green spaces, and how their decisions in turn influence ecological and human benefits in a context of climate change and urban intensification.

FireSwitch

The projected increase in the frequency of forest fires due to climate change underlines the need for long-term studies on tree regeneration and succession after forest fires. These data serve as a basis for adaptive management and intervention plans.

INSECT - A research initiative on changes in the insect fauna in Switzerland

How are insects doing in Switzerland? What changes have there been, which are underway, what are their causes? WSL and four partner institutions are investigating these questions in the project INSECT.

Opportunities for biodiversity in sustainable cities, the Urban Living Lab in Viererfeld Bern

Urbanisation is a main driver of biodiversity and ecological change, but how the process affects biodiversity is not well understood. This project on urban ecology monitors the impact of urbanisation and establishes an Urban Living Lab (ULL) for sustainable city development.

Global change effects on food webs

Food-web structure is likely affected by global change with consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In this project we study changes in food webs and nutrient fluxes in response to global change drivers in aquatic, terrestrial and interconnected habitats.

HIATE: Testing the generality of biotic homogenization by human impact in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems

This project contributes to the Blue Green Biodiversity Research Initiative - an Eawag-WSL collaboration focusing on Biodiversity at the interface of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

Urban Trees

We assess the state of knowledge about the importance of trees in cities for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Future research needs are defined with a specific focus on the city Zurich.

Let's talk about Better Gardens

Let's talk about Better Gardens hat zum Ziel, die Ergebnisse des gleichnamigen Forschungsprojekts einer breiten Öffentlichkeit zu vermitteln und einfache und effektive Methoden zur Förderung der Biodiversität in städtischen Quartieren zu entwickeln.

Let's Talk about Better Gardens

In diesem Umsetzungsprojekt vermitteln wir die Ergebnisse eines Forschungsprojektes über den Zusammenhang von Bewirtschaftungsformen von städtischen Gärten, Biodiversität und Wohlbefinden an die Bevölkerung und entwickeln einfache Methoden, um Biodiversität in Nachbarschaften zu fördern.

Städtische Luftqualität mit Topfpflanzen messen

Einwohnerinnen und Einwohner der Stadt Zürich erhalten die Gelegenheit, Daten für die Umweltforschung zu erheben. Dies im Rahmen des internationalen Citizen Science Projekts strawbAIRies der Universität Antwerpen, an dem neben Zürich die Städte Lissabon, Paris, Poznan, Tartu und Antwerpen teilnehmen

Hanfpalme: Auswirkungen der Invasion im Wald

Die chinesische Hanfpalme, auch als Tessiner Palme bekannt, ist eine invasive Art der Schwarzen Liste, die sich in den Wäldern südlich der Alpen stark ausbreitet. Sie bildet lokal geschlossene Formationen, in denen die Ökosystemleistungen des Waldes beeinträchtigt werden könnten. Ziel des Projekts ist es, ein Bild der Situationsentwicklung zu vermitteln.

ISOWEB

Our objective is to develop a protocol to analyse food webs in deadwood using compound-specific stable isotope analyses. The applicability to track changes in foodwebs between tree species and different management types along deadwood decomposition will be tested using data from a large experiment.

Insect biomass development

We investigate the development of insect abundance trends in Switzerland during the last 30 years.

Biodiversity and multifunctionality

Multi-BEF investigates the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions, by testing the contribution of different assemblages of soil species on litter decomposition, nutrient cycling, and plant performance.

FuncNet

We study effects of land-use in grasslands and forests on functional plant-insect networks and consequences for ecosystem processes

BioVeins - Connectivity of Urban Green Infrastructure: The Living Veins of a Healthy City

As part of the European ERA Net BiodivERsA program, the project BioVEINS aims at investigating the effects of the local an landscape features of urban green spaces on seven taxonomic groups in seven European cities.

Urban forests

Urban forests fulfil important ecosystem services and are greatly appreciated by the public for their social and cultural services. The aim of the project is to get insights into people's expectations and assessments of these services. Furthermore, the project aims to link the population's perceptions and expectations with on-site forest characteristics.

BetterGardens: Biodiversität, Bodenqualität und soziale Aspekte von Stadtgärten

Ziel der Studie ist es, die Bedeutung städtischer Gärten für die Biodiversität, die Ökosystemprozesse und -dienstleistungen und die Lebensqualität der Bürger besser zu verstehen.

Wild fire and insects

In 2003 some 300 ha of forest on the hillside above Leuk burnt down. Along a horizontal gradient from within-forest to the center of the fire area and along an altitudinal gradient from 1200 to 1700 m a.s.l. we investigate the process of colonization by insects and the succession of the taxonomic and functional groups.

Biodiversität und Raumentwicklung

Das Projekt «Biodiversität und Raumentwicklung» hat Zusammenhänge zwischen Biodiversität und Raumentwicklung auf Landschaftsebene untersucht. Die Resultate sind kartographisch dargestellt und können zur Visualisierung von Szenarien der Landschaftsentwicklung eingesetzt werden.

Stadtgrün in Bellinzona

Wie nimmt die Bevölkerung der Region Bellinzona das Grün in der Stadt und ihrer Umgebung wahr und wie werden diese Grünflächen für Erholungszwecke genutzt? Eine Umfrage

BioDiVine

Vineyards are among the oldest anthropogenic environments of high cultural and natural value that shape the landscape of large areas in Central and Southern Europe. In several mountain regions of the Alps, vineyards are a valid alternative to the landscape homogenization due to post-cultural land abandonment and agriculture intensification.

BiodiverCity

The main goal of the project is to understand the relationship between urban diversity, built environment and the acceptance of the human population, in order to identify initial measures for integrating findings on how to enhance urban biodiversity and the acceptance of the residents into urban development processes.

Windthrow fauna

After the devestating windstorms in 1990 (Vivian) and 1999 (Lothar) investigations were started to monitor the development and succession of the insect fauna on cleared and uncleared windthrow areas, relative to control treatments in the intact forest. Until now, insects have been sampled during 7 (Vivian) and 4 (Lothar) years.

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Publications WSL

Scientific publication article peer reviewed

Van Mensel, A.; Wuyts, K.; Pinho, P.; Muyshondt, B.; Aleixo, C.; Alos Orti, M.; Casanelles-Abella, J.; Chiron, F.; Hallikma, T.; Laanisto, L.; Moretti, M.; Niinemets, Ü.; Tryjanowski, P.; Samson, R., 2023: The magnetic signal from trunk bark of urban trees catches the variation in particulate matter exposure within and across six European cities. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30, 22: 50883-50895. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-25397-8

DeCastro‐Arrazola, I.; Andrew, N.R.; Berg, M.P.; Curtsdotter, A.; Lumaret, J.; Menéndez, R.; Moretti, M.; Nervo, B.; Nichols, E.S.; Sánchez‐Piñero, F.; Santos, A.M.C.; Sheldon, K.S.; Slade, E.M.; Hortal, J., 2023: A trait‐based framework for dung beetle functional ecology. Journal of Animal Ecology, 92, 1: 44-65. doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.13829

Casanelles‐Abella, J.; Fontana, S.; Fournier, B.; Frey, D.; Moretti, M., 2023: Low resource availability drives feeding niche partitioning between wild bees and honeybees in a European city. Ecological Applications, 33, 1: e2727 (17 pp.). doi: 10.1002/eap.2727

Casanelles‐Abella, J.; Fontana, S.; Meier, E.; Moretti, M.; Fournier, B., 2023: Spatial mismatch between wild bee diversity hotspots and protected areas. Conservation Biology, doi: 10.1111/cobi.14082

Alós Ortí, M.; Casanelles-Abella, J.; Chiron, F.; Deguines, N.; Hallikma, T.; Jaksi, P.; Kwiatkowska, P.K.; Moretti, M.; Muyshondt, B.; Niinemets, Ü.; Pinho, P.; Pinto, M.J.; Saar, P.; Samson, R.; Tryjanowski, P.; Van Mensel, A.; Laanisto, L., 2022: Negative relationship between woody species density and size of urban green spaces in seven European cities. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 74: 127650 (9 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2022.127650

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Further scientific publications

Widmer, I.; Mühlethaler, R.; Baur, B.; Gonseth, Y.; Guntern, J.; Klaus, G.; Knop, E.; Lachat, T.; Moretti, M.; Pauli, D.; Pellissier, L.; Sattler, T.; Altermatt, F., 2021: Diversité des insectes en Suisse. Importance, tendances, actions possibles. Swiss Academies reports. 108 p. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.5144800

Widmer, I.; Mühlethaler, R.; Baur, B.; Gonseth, Y.; Guntern, J.; Klaus, G.; Knop, E.; Lachat, T.; Moretti, M.; Pauli, D.; Pellissier, L.; Sattler, T.; Altermatt, F., 2021: Insektenvielfalt in der Schweiz. Bedeutung, Trends, Handlungsoptionen. Swiss Academies reports. 108 p. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.5144739

Conedera, M.; Maringer, J.; Moretti, M.; Wohlgemuth, T., 2021: Feuerökologie von Wäldern. In: 2021: (Un-)Ordnung in der Natur - der Wandel zur Wildnis. Admont, Nationalpark Gesäuse. 112-118.

Prospero, S.; Gehring, E., 2021: Sfide passate e future: organismi nocivi e cambiamenti climatici. In: Moretti, M.; Moretti, G.; Conedera, M. (eds), 2021: Le selve castanili della Svizzera italiana. Aspetti storici, paesaggistici, ecologici e gestionali. Lugano, Società ticinese di scienze naturali; Museo cantonale di storia naturale. 193-211.

Handbook of trait-based ecology. From theory to R tools

Francesco de Bello, Carlos Carmona, André T. C Dias, Lars Götzenberger, Marco Moretti Matty Berg: The Handbook of Trait-Based Ecology is an accessible guide that offers the main concepts and tools in trait-based ecology, and their tricks, covering different trophic levels and organism types. It is designed for students and researchers who wish to get a handy synthesis in trait-based ecology, along with on-line R functions, exercises and solutions.

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Magazine article and brochures

Schnorf, H.; Bergamini, A.; Cook, L.; Moretti, M., 2022: Revitalisierte Bäche leisten einen Beitrag zur städtischen Pflanzenvielfalt. Les ruisseaux revitalisés favorisent la diversité spécifique de la flore urbaine. Nature et Paysage. Natur und Landschaft: Inside, 35-39.

Moretti, M.; Moor, H.; Obrist, M.K., 2022: Lebensraumvernetzung im Anthropozän: von der Theorie in die Praxis. Pro Natura Lokal: Baselland, 2: 3-6.

Home, R.; Moretti, M.; Frey, D.; Bauer, N., 2019: Hobbygärtnerinnen und -gärtnern ist Biodiversität wichtig. Hotspot, 39: 18-19.

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Master thesis

Open master thesis

Effects of an exotic palm species on arthropod diversity and ecosystem functioning in Ticino

Master thesis project in Invasion Biology and Invasion Ecology

Are novel ecosystems dominated by exotic plant species changing biodiversity and their effect on key ecological processes? A collaborative study between WSL Cadenazzo, WSL Birmensdorf and University of Arhus, DK.

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Effect of urban green connectivity on bird diversity and foraging activity

Master thesis project 2019 in Conservation Biology and Urban Ecology

How does the connectivity and configuration of urban green spaces influence bird community assemblages and predation success? A collaborative study across six European cities.

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