Mission

See the web page of the lab ECOS: http://ecos.epfl.ch/


This short film below, realised by two students of the University of Art and Design Lausanne, presents in few minutes the daily work at ECOS laboratory:
>>> https://youtu.be/Bskwo__niPc
And here, you can fly with us above the EPFL campus and the laboratory ECOS: an overview from the sky…
>>> https://youtu.be/a5o3hp2JtEs

Some interviews at RTS:

>>> http://avisdexperts.ch/experts/alexandre_buttler



Tasks and responsibilities:

Honorary professor at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale, Lausanne –(EPFL) (since 2019)
Invited professor at University Adam Mickiewicz, Poznan

Formerly:
Joint Professor EPFL, Lausanne, and Swiss Federal Research Institute (WSL), Switzerland (up to 2019)
•Director of the Laboratory of Ecological Systems (ECOS) (up to 2019)
Head of the WSL Site Lausanne (up to 2019)
Professor at the University of Franche-Comté, Besançon , France (up to 2019)
• Delegate professor at CNRS, France
Member of the WSL directorate
•

Teaching activities (see: http://ecos.epfl.ch/enseignement/index.enseignement.html):

•Essentials of ecology and biodiversity (Bachelor)
•Numerical ecology/Multivariate statistics (Master)
•Ecosystem restoration and management (Master)
•Transdisciplinary ENAC courses for architects, civil and environmental engineers
•Directing and supporting undergraduate, graduate students and PhD students in ecology

Keywords to summarize the research profile:

•Above (plant) - below ground (soil) interactions
Ecological diversity
Soil biogeochemistry (carbon and nitrogen cycles)
•Impact of climate change on ecosystems
•Impact of land-use change on ecosystems
Wetland ecology
•Pasture woodland ecology
Management and restoration

The research of the former laboratory ECOS, which I was leading up to my retirement in 2019, was centred on the organisation, functioning and dynamics of terrestrial plant, animal and microbial communities in relation to ecosystem processes. We studied spatial and temporal dynamics of natural ecosystems, impact of management and direct and indirect human impacts (e.g. climate change, land-use change, invasion by alien species, atmospheric depositions, etc.), and ecological resilience and restoration. One of our strength was the functional link between above and belowground communities in the production of critical ecosystem services and as indicators of a changing environment. We combined descriptive field studies, manipulative experiments in the field and in the lab, and ecological modelling (correlative and predictive). Model ecosystems were natural and semi-natural man-used sensitive and altered terrestrial ecosystems (peatlands, sylvopastoral and grasslands systems, floodplains). We also worked on sustainable agriculture in the tropics (shifting cultivation in Madagascar, oil palm crops in Colombia and Cameroun).

Current work

I have obtained my PhD in 1987 working on the ecology of wetlands of the South shore of Lake Neuchâtel and thereafter I led an important environmental impact study for the Swiss government body of Environment (OFEV-BAFU): "Effect on vegetation and on the environment of regulating the level of the sub-Jura lakes". Following two postdoctoral fellowships at the Queen Mary College of the University of London (Prof. R.S. Clymo) and at the Land Resource Centre of Agriculture Canada, Ottawa (Dr. M. Lévesque and Dr. H. Dinel), I led two successive Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) projects on peatland ecology. Later I led the Swiss participation in four European EC RTD projects (projects "Impact of nitrogen deposition on the carbon balance in peatland ecosystems - EV5V-CT02-0099", "European River Margins Systems - ERMASII, ENV4-CT95-0061", "Bog Ecosystem Research Initiative - BERI", ENV4-CT95-0028), and "Reconciling commercial exploitation of peat with biodiversity in peatland ecosystems - RECIPE ", EVK2-CT-2002-00269). Several other projects concerned sylvopastoral ecosystems, supported either by SNF, Universities or other research institution grants (WSL, CNRS) or private foundations. I was also involved in biodiversity related projects such as SNF NCCR Plant Survival project SUBFUNC (« Evolution and spread of potential invasive plants »). Other recent projects in which I was involved are the French ANR project PEATWARM ("OTC warming in peatlands"), CCES project of the ETH-Domain MOUNTLAND ("Transplantation of pasture woodlands soil cores along an altitudinal gradient), SNF project SUBFUNC ("Role of subordinate plant species in pastures") and Poland-Swiss Research Programme CLIMPEAT ("Influence of global warming and drought on carbon sequestration and biodiversity of Sphagnum peatlands - present, past and future perspectives"). More recently, I was involved in the SNF project GRASSALT (“Interactive effects of altitude and management on resistance and resilience of permanent grasslands to drought »), SNF r4d AGRIFEU (« Experimental assessment of innovative slash-and-burn cultivation practices for sustainable land use and deforestation prevention in Central Menabe, Madagascar ») and SNF r4d OPAL (« Improving the management of oil palm landscapes across Asia, Africa and Latin America »).

Biography

I am a honorary professor at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale, Lausanne - EPFL. 
Up to 2019, I was a joint-professor between EPFL (Head of the laboratory of Ecological Systems - ECOS) and the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL for Forest, Snow and Landscape (Head of the research group Pasture Woodlands and Wetlands) and head of the Site WSL-Lausanne. I was also professor at the laboratory of Chrono-Environnement (UMR CNRS 6249) of the University of Franche-Comté, Besançon (France). I am author or co-author of over 170 papers in international ISI cited peer-reviewed journals.

Publications

1. Fan, L., Cheng, J., Xie, Y., Xu, L., Buttler, A., Wu, Y., Fan, H., Wu, Y., 2024. Spatio-temporal patterns and factors controlling CH4 and CO2 fluxes from rivers and lakes in highly urbanized areas. Science of the Total Environment 918, (2024) 170689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170689
2. Karlen, C.B., Turberg, P., Buttler, A., Martin, O., ??Schweingruber, F., Vassilopoulos, A.P. 2024. Combining X-ray micro-CT and microscopy-based images of two lianas species to derive structural, mechanical and functional relationships. Plant Systematics and Evolution, 310(10). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-024-01889-z
3. Buttler, A., Bragazza, L., Laggoun- Défarge, F., Gogo, S., Toussaint, M.-L., Lamentowicz, M., Chojnicki, B. H., S?owi?ski, M., S?owi?ska, S., Zieli?ska, M., Reczuga, M., Barabach, J., Marcisz, K., Lamentowicz, ?., Harenda, K., Lapshina, E., Gilbert, D., Schlaepfer, R., & Jassey, V. E. J. (2023). Ericoid shrub encroachment shifts aboveground– belowground linkages in three peatlands across Europe and Western Siberia. Global Change Biology, 00, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16904
4. Jassey, V.E.J., Petchey, O.L., Binet, P., Buttler, A., Chiapusio, G., Delarue, F., Laggoun-Défarge, F., Gilbert, D., Mitchell, E.A.D., Barel, J.M. 2023. Food web structure and energy flux dynamics, but not taxonomic richness influence microbial ecosystem functions in a Sphagnum-dominated peatland. Europen Journal of Soil Biology 118, 103532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejsobi.2023.103532
5. Buttler, A., Teuscher, R., Deschamps, N., Gavazov, K., Bragazza, L., Mariotte, P., Schlaepfer, R., Jassey, V.E.J., Freund, L., Cuartero, J., Quezada, J-C., Frey, B. 2023. Impacts of snow-farming on alpine soil and vegetation: a case study from the Swiss Alps. Science of the Total Environment, 903, 166225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166225
6. Essono, D.M., Nkoue, B.B., Voundi, E., Kono, L., Verrecchia, E., Ghazoul, J., Mala, A.W., Buttler, A., Guillaume, T., 2023. Nutrient availability challenges the sustainability of low-input oil palm farming systems. Farming System 1, 100006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.farsys.2023.100006
7. Vollenweider, P., Hildbrand, G., De Masi, D., Gavazov, K., Zufferey, V., Buttler, A., & von Arx, G. (2022). Above-  and below- ground responses to experimental climate forcing in two forb species from montane wooded pastures in Switzerland. Functional Ecology, 00, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14212
8. Quezada, J. C., Guillaume, T., Poeplau, C., Ghazoul, J., & Buttler, A. (2022). Deforestation- free land- use change and organic matter- centered management improve the C footprint of oil palm expansion. Global Change Biology, 00, 1– 15. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16069
9. Walker, T.W.N., Gavazov, K., Guillaume, T., Lambert, T., Mariotte, P., Routh, D., Signarbieux, C., Block, S., Münkemüller, T., Nomoto, H., Crowther, T.W., Richter, A., Buttler, A & Alexander, J.M. (2022) Lowland plant arrival in alpine ecosystems facilitates a decrease in soil carbon content under experimental climate warming. eLife doi: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.78555. 
10.  Fontana, M., Guillaume, T., Bragazza, L., Elfouki, S., Santonja, M., Buttler, A., Gerdol, R., Brancaleoni, L., Sinaj, S. Legacy effect of green manure crops fertilized with calcium phosphite on maize production and soil properties. Journal of Environmental Management 295 (2021) 113092
11. Fontana, M., Bragazza, L., Guillaume, T., Santonja, M., Buttler, A., Elfouki, S., Sinaj, S., 2021. Valorization of calcium phosphite waste as phosphorus fertilizer: effects on green manure productivity and soil properties. Journal of Environmental Management 285 (2021) 112061
12. Freund, L., Mariotte, P., Santonja, M., Buttler, A., Jeangros, B. (2020) Species identity, rather than species mixtures, drives cover crop effects on nutrient partitioning in unfertilized agricultural soils. Plant and Soil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04782-z
13. Findlay, A. Greener pastures for oil. Nat. Clim. Chang. 10, 11 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0671-x (Research highlight on paper by Quezada et al. Sc. Adv. 5 eaaw4418.
14. Feng, W., Santonja, M., Bragazza, L., Buttler, A. 2020. Shift in plant-soil interactions along a lakeshore hydrological gradient. Science of the Total Environment 742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140254
15. Feng, W., Mariotte, P., Xu, L., Buttler, A., Bragazza, L., Jiang, J. & Santonja, M., (2019) Seasonal variability of groundwater level effects on the growth of Carex cinerascens in lake wetlands. Ecol Evol. 00:1–10. https ://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5926.
16. Quezada, J., Etter, A., Ghazoul, J., Buttler, A.  and Guillaume, T., (2019) Carbon neutral expansion of oil palm plantations in the Neotropics. Sci. Adv. 5: eaaw4418
17. Vitra, A., Deléglise, C., Meisser, M., Risch, A.C., Signarbieux, C., Lamacque, L., Delzon, S., Buttler, A., Mariotte, P. 2019. Responses of plant leaf economic and hydraulic traits mediate the effects of early- and late-season drought on grassland productivity, AoB PLANTS, Volume 11, Issue 3, June 2019, plz023, https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plz023
18. Ruegg, J; Quezada, JC ; Santonja, M ; Ghazoul, J ; Kuzyakov, Y; Buttler, A ; Guillaume, T. 2019. Drivers of soil carbon stabilization in oil palm plantations. Land degradation and development. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.3380
19. P?tru-Stupariu, I., Calot?, AM., Santonja, M., Anastasiu, P., Stoicescu. I., Biri?, IA., Stupariu, MS., Buttler, A. 2019. Do wind turbines impact plant community properties in mountain region? Biologia Short communication, Spinger 74:1613–1619 https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-019-00333-9 
20. Hamard S, Robroek BJM, Allard P-M, Signarbieux C, Zhou S, Saesong T, de Baaker F, Buttler A, Chiapusio G, Wolfender J-L, Bragazza L and Jassey VEJ (2019) Effects of Sphagnum Leachate on Competitive Sphagnum Microbiome Depend on Species and Time. Front. Microbiol. 10:2042. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02042
21. Meisser, M., Vitra, A., Deléglise, C., Duboise, S., Proboa, M., Mosimann, E., Buttler, A., Mariotte, P. (2019). Nutrient limitations induced by drought affect forage N and P differently in two permanent grasslands. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 280 (2019) 85–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2019.04.027
22. Buttler, A., Mariotte, P., Meisser, M., Guillaume, T., Signarbieux, C., Vitra, A., Preux, S., Mercier, G., Quezada, J., Bragazza, L., Gavazov, K., (2019). Drought-induced decline of productivity in the dominant grassland species Lolium perenne L. depends on soil type and prevailing climatic conditions. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 132 (2019) 47–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.01.026
23. Chiapusio, G., Jassey, V.E.J., Bellvert, F., Comte, G., Weston, L.A., Delarue, F., Buttler, A., Toussaint, M.L., Binet, P.,  2018. Sphagnum species modulate their phenolic profiles and mycorrhizal colonization of surrounding Andromeda polifolia along peatland microhabitats. Journal of Chemical Ecology 44:1146–1157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-018-1023-4
24. Gavazov, K., Albrecht, R., Buttler, A., Dorrepaal, E., Garnett, M.H., Gogo, S., Hagedorn, F., Mills, R.T.E., Robroek, B.J.M. and Bragazza, L. (2018) Vascular plant-mediated controls on atmospheric carbon assimilation and peat carbon decomposition under climate change. Global Change Biol. 2018;24:3911–3921. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14140
25. Puissant, J., Jassey, V.E.J., Mills, R.T.E., Robroek, B.J.M., Gavazov, K., De Danieli, S., Spiegelberger, T., Griffiths, R., Buttler, A., Brun, J.-J., Cécillon, L. 2018. Seasonality alters drivers of soil enzyme activity in subalpine grassland soil undergoing climate change Soil Biol and Biochemistry https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.06.023
26. Reczuga, M.K., Lamentowicz, M., Mulot, M., Mitchell, E.A.D., Buttler, A., Chojnicki, B., S?owi?ski, M., Binet, P., Chiapusio, G., Gilbert, D., S?owi?ska , S. &  Jassey, V.E.J. 2018. Predator–prey mass ratio drives microbial activity under dry conditions in Sphagnum peatlands. Ecology and Evolution:1–13.   https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4114
27. Fang, J., Peringer, A., Stupariu, M. S., P?tru-Stupariu, I., Buttler, A., Golay, F. & Porté-Agel, F. 2018. Shifts in wind energy potential following land-use driven vegetation dynamics in complex terrain. Science of the Total Environment 639: 374–384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.083
28. Meisser, M., Vitra, A., Stevenin, L., Mosimann, E., Mariotte, P. & Buttler, A. 2018. Impacts de la sécheresse sur le fonctionnement des systèmes herbagers - Auswirkungen von Trockenperioden auf die Futterproduktion von Graslandsystemen. Recherche Agronomique Suisse 9 (3): 82–91. https://www.agrarforschungschweiz.ch/archiv_11fr.php?id_artikel=2372
29. Leroy, F., Gogo, S., Buttler, A., Bragazza, L. & Laggoun-Défarge, F. 2018. Litter decomposition in peatlands is promoted by mixed plants. J Soils Sediments (2018) 18:739–749. DOI 10.1007/s11368-017-1820-3
30. Jassey VEJ, Reczuga MK, Zieli?ska M, S?owi?ska S, Robroek BJM, Mariotte P, Seppey CVW, Lara E., Barabach J, Slowi?sky M, Bragazza L, Chojnicki BH, Lamentowicz M, Mitchell EAD, Buttler A 2018. Tipping point effect in plant–fungal interactions under severe drought causes abrupt rise in peatland ecosystem respiration. Glob Change Biol. 24:972–986. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13928
31. Arif, M. S., Riaz, M., Shahzad S.M., Yasmeen, T., Ashraf, M., Siddique, M., Mubarik, M.S., Bragazza, L., Buttler, A. 2018. Fresh and composted industrial sludge restore soil functions in surface soil of degraded agricultural land. Science of the Total Environment 619–620 (2018) 517–527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.143
32. Sanginés de Cárcer, P., Vitasse, Y., Peñuelas, J., Jassey, V.E.J., Buttler, A., Signarbieux, C. 2018. Vapor-pressure deficit and extreme climatic variables limit tree growth. Glob Change Biol. 24: 1108-1122. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13973
33. Robroek, Bjorn J. M., Vincent E. J. Jassey, Richard J. Payne, Magalí Martí, Luca Bragazza, Albert Bleeker, Alexandre Buttler, Simon J. M. Caporn, Nancy B. Dise, Jens Kattge, Katarzyna Zaj?c, Bo H. Svensson, Jasper van Ruijven, Jos T. A. Verhoeven. 2017. Taxonomic and functional turnover are decoupled in European peat bogs. Nature Communications 8: 1161. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-01350-5
34. Peringer, A., Buttler, A., Gillet, F., P?tru-Stupariu, I., Schulze, K.A., Stupariu, M.S., Rosenthal. G. 2017. Disturbance-grazer-vegetation interactions maintain habitat diversity in mountain pasture-woodlands. Ecological Modelling 359 (2017) 301–310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.06.012
35. Patru-Stupariu I., Stupariu M.-S., Stoicescu I., Peringer A., Buttler A., Fuerst C., Integrating geo-biodiversity features in the analysis of landscape patterns, in Ecological Indicators, vol. 80, p.363-375 , 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.05.010 
36. Samson, M., S?owi?ska, S., S?owi?ski, M., Lamentowicz, M., Barabach, J., Harenda, K., Zieli?ska, M., Robroek, B.J.M., Jassey, V.E.J.,  Buttler, A.,  Chojnicki, B.H. 2017. The impact of experimental temperature and water level manipulation on carbon dioxide release in a poor fen in northern Poland. Wetlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-018-0999-4
37. Arif, MS, Shahzad, SM., Riaz, M., Yasmeen, T., Shahzad, T., Akhtar, MJ., Bragazza, L. & Buttler, A. 2017. Nitrogen-enriched compost application combined with plant growthpromoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) improves seed quality and nutrient use efficiency of sunflower. J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.201600615
38. Shahzad, SM., Arif, MS., Riaz, M., Ashraf, M., Yasmeen, T., Zaheer, A., Bragazza, L., Buttler, A., Robroek, BJM. 2017. Interaction of compost additives with phosphate solubilizing rhizobacteria improved maize production and soil biochemical properties under dryland agriculture. Soil & Tillage Research 174 : 70–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2017.06.004
39. Signarbieux, C., Toledano, E., Sangines de Carcer, P., Fu, Y.H., Schlaepfer, R., Buttler, A., Vitasse, Y. 2017. Asymmetric effects of cooler and warmer winters on beech phenology last beyond spring. Glob Change Biol. 23: 4569–4580.  https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13740
40. Sanginés de Cárcer, P., Signarbieux, C., Schlaepfer, R., Buttler, A., Vollenweider, P.  Responses of antinomic foliar traits to warming in beech and spruce saplings. Environmental and Experimental Botany 140 (2017) 128–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2017.05.013
41. Gay-des-Combes, JM., Carrillo, CS., Robroek, BJM., Jassey, VEJ., Mills, RTE., Arif, MS., Falquet, L., Frossard, E., Buttler, A. 2017. Tropical soils degraded by slash-and-burn cultivation can be recultivated when amended with ashes and compost. Ecology and Evolution: 7: 5378–5388. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3104
42. Küttim, M., Hofsommer, ML., Robroek, BJM., Signarbieux, C., Jassey, VEJ., Laine, AM., Lamentowicz, M., Buttler, A., Ilomets, M. and Mills, RTE. 2017. Freeze-thaw cycles simultaneously decrease peatland photosynthetic carbon uptake and ecosystem respiration. Boreal Environement Research 22: ISSN 1797-2469 (online).
43. Braggaza, L., Buttler, A., Robroek, B., Albrecht, R., Zaccone, C., Jassey, V. & Signarbieux, C. 2017. Response to the Editor to the comment by Delarue (2016) to our paper entitlre “Persistent high temperature and low precipitation reduce peat carbon accumulation”. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13559
44. Gavazov, K., Ingrisch, J., Hasibeder, R., Mills, RTE, Buttler, A., Gleixner, G., Pumpanen, J. & Bahn, M. 2017 Winter ecology of a subalpine grassland: effects of snow removal on soil respiration, microbial structure and function. Science of the Total Environment 590: 316-324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.010
45. Peringer, A., Gillet, F., Rosenthal, G., Stoicescu, I., Patru-Stupariu, I., Stupariu, M.S. & Buttler, A. 2017. Landscape-scale simulation experiments test Romanian and Swiss management guidelines for mountain pasture-woodland habitat diversity. Ecological modelling 330 : 41-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2016.03.013
46. Puissant, J., Mills, RTE., Robroek, BJE., Gavazov, K., Perrette, Y.,  De Danieli, S., Spiegelberger, T., Buttler. A., Brun, J-J., Lauric Cécillon, L. 2017. Climate change effects on the stability and chemistry of soil organic carbon pools in a subalpine grassland. Biogeochemistry 132: 123-139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-016-0291-8 
47. Gay-des-Combes, J.M., Robroek, B.J.M., Hervé, D., Guillaume, T., Pistocchi, C., Mills, R.T.E., Buttler, A. 2017. Slash-and-burn agriculture and tropical cyclone activity in Madagascar: implication for soil fertility dynamics and corn performance. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 239 (2017) 207–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2017.01.010
48. Arif, M.S., Riaz, M., Shahzad, S.M., Yasmeen, T., Akhtar, M.J., Riaz, M.A., Jassey, V.E.J, Bragazza, L. Buttler, A. 2016. Associative interplay of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa QS40) with nitrogen fertilizers improves sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) productivity and fertility of aridisol. Applied Soil Ecology 108: 238-247. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2016.08.016
49. Fia?kiewicz-Kozie?, B., Smieja-Król, B., Frontasyeva, M., S?owi?ski, M., Marcisz, K., Lapshina, E., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A., Jassey, V.E.J, Kaliszan, K., Laggoun-Défarge, F., Ko?aczek, P.  & Lamentowicz, M. 2016. Anthropogenic- and natural sources of dust in peatland during the Anthropocene. Sci Rep 6: 38731 ; doi: 10.1038/srep38731. https://www.nature.com/articles/srep38731.pdf
50. Lamentowicz M., S?owi?ska S., S?owi?ski M., Jassey, V.E.J., Chojnicki, B.H., Reczuga, M.K, Zieli?ska, M., Marcisz, K., Lamentowicz, L., Barabach, J., Samson, M., Ko?aczek, P., Buttler, A. 2016. Combining short-term manipulative experiments with long-term palaeoecological investigations at high resolution to assess the response of Sphagnum peatlands to drought, fire and warming. Mires and Peat 18, 1-17. DOI: 10.19189/MaP.2016.OMB.244 
51. Lens, F., Picon-Cochard, C., Delmas, C.E.L., Signarbieux, C., Buttler, A., Cochard, H., Jansen, S., Chauvin, T., Doria, L.C., del Arco, M., Delzon, S. 2016. Herbaceous angiosperms are not more vulnerable to drought-induced embolism than angiosperm trees. Plant Physiology Vol. 172, pp. 661–667. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.16.00829
52. Braggaza, L., Buttler, A., Robroek, B., Albrecht, R., Zaccone, C., Jassey, V. & Signarbieux, C. 2016. Persistent high temperature and low precipitation reduce peat carbon accumulation. Global Change Biology 22 : 4114–4123.  https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13319
53. Jassey, VEJ., Lamentowicz, M., Bragazza, L., Hofsommer, M., Mills, RTE., Buttler, A., Signarbieux, C., Robroek, BJM. 2016. Loss of testate amoeba functional diversity with increasing frost intensity across a continental gradient reduces microbial activity in peatlands. European Journal of Protistology 55 (B): 190-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejop.2016.04.007
54. Mariotte, P., LeBayon, R.C., Eisenhauer, N., Guenat, C. & Buttler, A. 2016. Subordinate plant species moderate drought effects on earthworm communities in grasslands. Biology and Biogeochemistry 96 : 119-127. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.01.020
55. Robroek, B.J.M., Albrecht, R.J.H., Hamard, S., Pulgarin, A., Bragazza, L., Buttler, A. & Jassey, V.E.J. 2016. Peatland vascular plant functional types affect dissolved organic matter chemistry. Plant and Soil. 407 (1-2): 135-143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2710-3.
56. Arif, M.S, Riaz, M., Shahzad, S.M., Yasmeen, T., Buttler, A., Garcıa-Gil, J.C., Roohi, M. & Rasool, A. 2016. Contrasting effects of untreated textile wastewater onto the soil available nitrogen-phosphorus and enzymatic activities in aridisol. Environ Monit Assess 188(2): article 102. https://dx.doi.org/ 10.1007/s10661-016-5112-y
57. Peringer, A., Schulze, K.A., Stupariu, I., Stupariu, M.S., Rosenthal, G., Buttler, A. & Gillet, F. 2016.  Multi-scale feedbacks between tree regeneration traits and herbivore behavior explain the structure of pasture-woodland mosaics. Landscape Ecology 31(4), 913-927. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-015-0308-z.
58. Gavazov, K., Hagedorn, F., Buttler, A., Siegwolf, R. & Bragazza, L. 2016. Environmental drivers of carbon and nitrogen isotopic signature in peatland vascular plants along an altitude gradient. Oecologia 180 : 257-264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-015-3458-4
59. Randrianarison, A., Schlaepfer, R., Mills, R.E., Hervé, D., Razanaka, S., Rakotoarimanana, V., Carrière, S.M.  & Buttler, A. 2016. Linking historical land use to present vegetation and soil characteristics under slash-and-burn cultivation in Madagascar. Applied vegetation science 19(1): 40-52. https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12202
60. P?tru-Stupariu, I., Tudor, C.A., Stupariu, M.S, Buttler, A., Peringer, A. 2016. Landscape persistence and stakeholder perspectives : The case of Romania's Carpathians. Applied Geography, 69, 87-98 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2015.07.015.
61. Jassey, V.,  Signarbieux, C., Hättenschwiler, S., Bragazza, L., Buttler, A., Delarue, F., Fournier, B., Gilbert, D., Laggoun-Défarge, F., Lara, E., Mills, R., Mitchell, E., Payne, R. & Robroek, B. 2015. An unexpected role for mixotrophs in the response of peatland carbon cycling to climate warming. Scientific Reports Nature 5:1693. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep16931
62. Lamentowicz, L., S?owi?ski, M., Marcisz, K., Zieli?ska, M., Kaliszan, K., Lapshina, E., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A., Fia?kiewicz-Kozie?, B., Jassey, V.E.J., Laggoun-Defarge, F., Ko?aczek, P. 2015. Hydrological dynamics and fire history of the last 1300 years in western Siberia reconstructed from a high-resolution, ombrotrophic peat archive. Quaternary Research 84: 312-325. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2015.09.002 
63. Cioaca, T., Dumitrescu, B., Stupariu, M.S. ; Patru-Stupariu, I., Naparus, M., Stoicescu, I., Peringer, A., Buttler, A. & Golay, F. 2015. Heuristic-driven Graph Wavelet Modeling of Complex Terrain. Sixth international conference on graphic and image processing (ICGIP 2014), 9443. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2179132
64. Deléglise, C., Meisser, M.,  Spiegelberger, T.,  Mosimann, E., Jeangros, B.,  Buttler, A. 2015. Drought-induced shifts in plants traits, yields and nutritive value under realistic grazing and mowing managements in a mountain grassland. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 213 (2015) 94–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2015.07.020
65. Mariotte, P., Robroek, B.J.M., Jassey, V.E.J., Buttler, A. 2015. Subordinate plants mitigate drought effects on soil ecosystem processes by stimulating fungi. Functional Ecology 29: 1578-1586.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12467
66. Gorla, L., Signarbieux, C., Turberg, P., Buttler, A. & Perona, P. 2015. Transient response of Salix cuttings to changing water level regimes. Water Resour. Res., 51. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014WR015543
67. Buttler, A., Robroek, BJM., Laggoun-Défarge, F., Jassey, VEJ., Pochelon, C., Bernard, G., Delarue, F., Gogo, S., Mariotte, P., Mitchell, EAD & Bragazza, L. 2015. Experimental warming interacts with soil moisture to discriminate plant responses in an ombrotrophic peatland. Journal of Vegetation Science 26(5): 964-974. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12296
68. Pohl, C., G. Wuelser, P. Bebi, H. Bugmann, A. Buttler, C. Elkin, A., Grêt-Regamey, C. Hirschi, Q. Le, A. Peringer, A. Rigling, R. Seidl and R. Huber. 2015. How to successfully publish interdisciplinary research: learning from an Ecology and Society Special Feature. Ecology and Society 20 (2): 23. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol20/iss2/art23/
69. Gorla, L., Signarbieux, C., Turberg, P., Buttler, A., Perona, P. 2015. Effects of hydropeaking waves offsets on growth performances of juvenile Salix species. Ecological Engineering 77 : 297-306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2015.01.019
70. Delarue, F., Buttler, A., Bragazza, L., Grasset, L., Jassey, V.E.J., Gogo, S. & Laggoun, F. 2015. Experimental warming differentially affects microbial structure and activity in two contrasted moisture sites in a Sphagnum-dominated peatland. Science of the Total Environment 511 : 576–583. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.12.095
71. Niita, A. Butter, A. Stupariu, I.  2015. Perception and use of landscape concepts in the procedure of Environmental Impact Assessment; case study Switzerland and Romania. Land Use Policy 44 : 145-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2014.12.006
72. Puissant, J., Cécillon, L., Mills, R.T.E., Robroek, B.J.M. Gavazov, K., De Danieli, S., Spiegelberger, T., Buttler, A., Brun, J.J. 2015. Seasonal influence of climate manipulation on microbial community structure and function in mountain soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 80:296–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.10.013
73. Bragazza L, Bardgett RD, Mitchell EAD & Buttler A (2014) Linking soil microbial communities to vascular plant abundance along a climate gradient. New Phytologist 205: 1175–1182.  https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.13116
74. Delarue, F., Gogo, S., Buttler, A., Bragazza, L., Jassey, V., Bernard, G. and Laggoun-Défarge, F. 2014. Indirect effects of experimental warming on dissolved organic carbon content in subsurface peat. J. Soils Sediments 14(11) : 1800-1805. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-014-0945-x
75. Turberg, P., Zeimetz, F., Grondin, Y., Elandoy, C. and Buttler, A. 2014. Characterization of structural disturbances in peats by X-ray CT based density determinations. European Journal of Sol Science. European Journal of Soil Science, 65, 613–624. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12148
76. Gavazov, K., Mills, R., Spiegelberger, T., Lenglet, J., Buttler, A. 2014. Biotic and abiotic constraints on the decomposition of Fagus sylvatica leaf litter along an altitudinal gradient in contrasting land-use types. Ecosystems?17 : 1326-1337. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-014-9798-9
77. Mills, R., K. Gavazov, T. Spiegelberger, D. Johnson and A. Buttler 2014. Diminished soil functions occur under simulated climate change in a sup-alpine pasture, but heterotrophic temperature sensitivity indicates microbial resilience. Science of the Total Environment, vol. 473–474(0), p. 465-472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.12.071
78. Thébault, A., Clément, JC., Ibanez, S., Roy, J., Geremia, RA., Pérez, CA., Buttler, A., Estienne, Y. and Lavorel, S. 2014 Nitrogen limitation and microbial diversity at the treeline. Oikos 123: 729–740. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2013.00860.x
79. Gavazov, K., Spiegelberger, T. and Buttler, A. 2014. Transplantation of subalpine wood-pasture turfs along a natural climatic gradient reveals lower resistance of unwooded pastures to climate change compared to wooded ones. Oecologia (174) : 1425-1435. DOI 10.1007/s00442-013-2839-9.
80. Meisser, M., Deléglise, C., Mosimann, E., Signarbieux, C., Mills, R., Schlegel, P., Buttler, A., Jeangros, B. 2013. Effets d’une sécheresse estivale sévère sur une prairie permanente de montagne du Jura. Recherche Agronomique Suisse 4 (11-12): 476-483. https://www.agrarforschungschweiz.ch/artikel/2013_1112_f_1931.pdf
81. Huber, R., H. Bugmann, A. Buttler and A. Rigling. 2013. Sustainable Land-use Practices in European Mountain Regions under Global Change: an Integrated Research Approach. Ecology and Society 18 (3): 37. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol18/iss3/art37/
82. Huber, R., A. Rigling, P. Bebi, F. Simon Brand, S. Briner, A. Buttler, C. Elkin, F. Gillet, A. Grêt-Regamey, C. Hirschi, H. Lischke, R. Werner Scholz, R. Seidl, T. Spiegelberger, A. Walz, W. Zimmermann and H. Bugmann. 2013. Sustainable Land Use in Mountain Regions Under Global Change: Synthesis Across Scales and Disciplines. Ecology and Society 18 (3): 36. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol18/iss3/art36/
83. Lamentowicz, M., Bragazza, L., Buttler, A., Jassey, V.E.J., Mitchell, E.A.E. 2013. Seasonal patterns of testate amoeba diversity, community structure and species environment relationships in four Sphagnum-dominated peatlands along a 1300 m altitudinal gradient in Switzerland. Soil Biology and Biochemistry (67) : 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.08.002
84. Ezzat, L., Merle, P.-L., Furla, P., Buttler, A., Ferrier-Pagès, C. 2013. The response of the Mediterranean gorgonian Eunicella singularis to thermal stress is independent of its nutritional regime. PLOS ONE (5) e64370. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0064370
85. Peringer A., Siehoff S., Chételat J., Spiegelberger T., Buttler A. & Gillet F. 2013. Past and future landscape dynamics in pasture-woodlands of the Swiss Jura Mountains under climate change. Ecology and Society, 18, 3: 11. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol18/iss3/art11/
86. Mariotte, P., Buttler, A., Kohler, F., Gilgen, A., Spiegelberger, T. 2013. How do subordinate and dominant species in semi-natural mountain grasslands relate to productivity and land-use change. Basic and Applied Ecology 14 (3): 217-224. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2013.02.003.
87. Huber R., Briner S., Peringer A., Lauber S., Seidl R., Widmer A., Gillet F., Buttler A., Bao Le Q. & Hirschi C. 2013. Modeling social-ecological feedback effects in the implementation of payments for environmental services in pasture-woodlands. Ecology and Society, 18, 2: 41. DOI:10.5751/ES-05487-180241. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol18/iss2/art41/
88. Mariotte, P., Vandenberghe, Ch., Kardol. P., Hagedorn, F., Buttler, A. 2013. Subordinate plant species enhance community resistance against drought in semi-natural grasslands. Journal of Ecology 101 (3), 763–773.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12064
89. Mariotte, P., Vandenberghe, C., Meugnier, C., Rossi, P, Bardgett R.D. Buttler, A. 2013 Subordinate plant species impact on soil microbial communities and ecosystem functioning in grasslands: findings from a removal experiment. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 15 : 77-85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2012.12.003
90. Robroek, B.J.M., Heijboer, A., Jassey, V.E.J., Hefting, M.M., Rouwenhorst, T.G., Buttler, A., Bragazza, L. 2013 Snow cover manipulation effects on microbial community structure and soil chemistry in a mountain bog. Plant Soil     (369) 1-2 : 151-164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1547-2
91. Bragazza, L., Parisod, J., Buttler, A., Bardgett, R.D. 2013. Biogeochemical plant-soil microbe feedback in response to climate warming. Nature Climate Change 3 : 273-277. https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate1781
92. Gavazov, K. S., A. Peringer, A. Buttler, F. Gillet and T. Spiegelberger. 2013. Dynamics of Forage Production in Pasture-woodlands of the Swiss Jura Mountains under Projected Climate Change Scenarios. Ecology and Society 18 (1): 38. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol18/iss1/art38/
93. Chételat, J., M. Kalbermatten, K. S.M. Lannas, T. Spiegelberger, J.-B. Wettstein, F. Gillet, A. Peringer and A. Buttler. 2013. A Contextual Analysis of Land-Use and Vegetation Changes in Two Wooded Pastures in the Swiss Jura Mountains. Ecology and Society 18 (1): 39. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol18/iss1/art39/
94. Jassey, V.E.J., Chiapusio, G., Binet. P., Buttler, A., Laggoun-Défarge, F., Delarue, F., Bernard, N., Mitchell, E.A.D., Toussaint, A.-L., Francez, A.-J., Gilbert, D., 2013. Above- and belowground linkages in Sphagnum peatland : climate warming affects plant-microbial interactions. Global Change Biology, 19(3), 811–823.  https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12075
95. Mariotte P., Meugnier C., Johnson D., Thébault A., Spiegelberger T. and Buttler A. 2012. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi reduce the differences in competitiveness between dominant and subordinate plant species. Mycorrhiza (2013) 23:267–277. DOI 10.1007/s00572-012-0465-8
96. Siegenthaler, A., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, P., Gobat, J.-M., Nilsson, MB, Mitchell, EAD. 2012 Factors modulating cottongrass seedling growth stimulation to enhanced nitrogen and carbon dioxyde : compensatory tradeoffs in leaf-dynamics and allocation to meet potassium-limited growth. Oecologia 171(2): 557-570. doi: 10.1007/s00442-012-2415-8
97. Buttler A., Gavazov K., Peringer A., Siehoff S., Mariotte P., Wettstein J.-B., Chételat J., Huber R., Gillet F. & Spiegelberger T., 2012. Conservation des pâturages boisés du Jura: défis climatiques et agro-politiques. Recherche Agronomique Suisse 3 (7-8): 346-353. In German : Buttler A., Gavazov K., Peringer A., Siehoff S., Mariotte P., Wettstein J.-B., Chételat J., Huber R., Gillet F. & Spiegelberger T., 2012. Erhaltung der Wytweiden im Jura: Klimatische und agrarpolitische Herausforderungen. Agrarforschung 3 (7-8): 346-353. https://www.agrarforschungschweiz.ch/artikel/2012_0708_f_1789.pdf
98. Huber R., Bebi P., Briner S., Bugmann H., Buttler A., Grêt-Regamey A., Hirschi C., Scholz R.W., Zimmermann W. & Rigling A., 2012. MOUNTLAND: Changements climatiques et utilisation durable du sol en montagne. Recherche Agronomique Suisse 3 (7-8): 340-345, 2012. In German : Huber R., Bebi P., Briner S., Bugmann H., Buttler A., Grêt-Regamey A., Hirschi C., Scholz R.W., Zimmermann W. & Rigling A., 2012. MOUNTLAND: Klimawandel und nachhaltige Landnutzung im Berggebiet. Agrarforschung 3 (7-8): 340-345. https://www.agrarforschungschweiz.ch/artikel/2012_0708_f_1788.pdf
99. Luyet, V., Schlaepfer, R., Parlange, M.B., Buttler, A. 2012. A framework to implement stakeholder participation in environmental projects. Journal of Environmental Management 111 : 213-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.06.026
100. Thébault A., Stoll P. and Buttler A. 2012 Complex interactions between spatial pattern of resident species and invasiveness of newly arriving species affect invasibility. Oecologia 170(4) : 1133-1142. DOI 10.1007/s00442-012-2376-y . https://www.jstor.org/stable/41686365
101. Limpens, J., G. Granath, R. Aerts, M.M.P.D. Heijmans, L.J. Sheppard, L. Bragazza, B. L. Williams, H. Rydin, J. Bubier, T. Moore, L. Rochefort, E.A.D. Mitchell, A. Buttler, L.J.L. van den Berg, U. Gunnarsson,  A-J. Francez, R. Gerdol, M. Thormann, P. Grosvernier, M.M. Wiedermann, M.B. Nilsson, M.R. Hoosbeek, S. Bayley, J-F. Nordbakken, M.P.C.P. Paulissen, S. Hotes, A. Breeuwer, M. Ilomets, H.B.M. Tomassen, I. Leith, B. Xu 2012. Glasshouse versus field experiments: do they yield ecologically similar results for assessing N impacts on peat mosses? New Phytologist 195(2) : 408-418. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04157.x
102. Raharimalala, O., Buttler, A., Schlaepfer, R., Gobat, J.-M. 2012. Quantifying biomass of secondary forest after slash-and-burn cultivation in Central Menabe, Madagascar. Journal of Tropical Forest Science 24(4) : 474-489. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23617094
103. Mariotte P. , Buttler A., Jonhson D., Thébault A. and Vandenberghe, C. 2012. Exclusion of root competition increases competitive abilities of subordinate plant species through root-shoot interactions. Journal of Vegetation Science 23(6) : 1148-1158. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2012.01432.x
104. Spiegelberger T., Gillet F., Amiaud B., Thébault A., Mariotte P. and Buttler A. 2012 How do plant community ecologists consider the complementarity of observational, experimental and theoretical modelling approaches. Plant Ecology and Evolution 145(1) : 4-12.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.2012.699
105. Gillet F., Buttler A. & Spiegelberger T. 2012. New insights in plant community ecology. Plant Ecology and Evolution, 145, 1: 3-3. https://doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.2012.726
106. Bragazza, L., Buttler, A., Habermarcher, J., Brancaleoni, L, Gerdol, R, Fritze, H, Hanajík, P, Laiho, R, and Johnson, D. 2012 High nitrogen deposition alters the decomposition of bog plant litter and reduces carbon accumulation. Global Change Biology  18(3) : 1163-1172. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02585.x
107. Pohl, M., Graf, F., Buttler, A., Rixen, C. 2012 The relationship between plant species richness and soil aggregate stability can depend on disturbance. Plant Soil 355: 87-102. DOI 10.1007/s11104-011-1083-5 
108. Sekulova, L., Hajek, M., Hajkova, P., Mikulaskova, E., Buttler, A., Syrovatka, V., Rozbrojova, Z. 2012 Patterns of bryophyte and vascular plant richness in European subalpine springs. Plant Ecol. 213 (2): 237-249. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41412375
109. Delarue, F., Laggoun-Défarge, F., Buttler, A., Gogo, S., Jassey, V., Disnar, J.-R. 2011 Effect of short-term ecosystem experimental warming on water-extractable organic matter in an ombotrophic Sphagnum peatland (Le Forbonnet, France). Organic Geochemistry 42(9): 1016-1024.  doi:10.1016/j.orggeochem.2011.07.005. https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00615432 
110. Pohl, M., Stroude, R., Buttler, A., Rixen, C.  2011 Functional traits and root morphology of alpine plants. Annals of Botany 108(3): 537-545. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcr169
111. Jassey, V.E.J., Chiapusio, G., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A. Toussaint, M-L., Binet, P., 2011Experimental climate effect on seasonal variability of polyphenols/phenoloxidase interplay along a narrow fen-bog ecological gradient in Sphagnum fallax. Global Change Biology 17(9): 2945-2957.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02437.x
112. Limpens, J., Granath, G., Gunnarsson, U., Aerts, R., Bayley, S,  Bragazza, L., Bubier, J., Buttler, A., van den Berg, L., Francez, A.-J., Gerdol, R.,  Grosvernier, P., Heijmans, M.M.P.D, Hoosbeek, M.R., Hotes, S., Ilomets, M., Leith, I., Mitchell, E.A.D., Moore, T., Nilsson, M.B., Nordbakken, J-F., Rochefort, L., Rydin, H., Sheppard, L.J., Thormann, M., Wiedermann, M.M., Williams, B., Xu, B. 2011 Temperature and N saturation can exacerbate negative production response to increasing N deposition: a meta-analysis for Sphagnum mosses. New Phytologist 191(2) : 496-507. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03680.x
113. Ponel, P., Court-Picon, M., Badura, M., Guiter, F., De Beaulieu, J.-L., Andrieu-Ponel, V., Djamali, M., Leydet, M., Gandouin, E., Buttler, A. 2011 Holocene history of Lac des Lauzons (2180 m a.s.l.), reconstructed from multiproxy analyses of Coleoptera, plant macro-remains and pollen(Hautes-Alpes, France. Holocene. Holocene 21(4): 565-582.https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683610385725
114. Vuilleumier, S., Buttler, A., Perrin, N., Yearsley, J.-M. 2011 Invasion and eradication of a competitively superior species in heterogeneous landscapes. Ecological Modelling 222 : 398-406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2010.09.037
115. Thébault, , A., Gillet, F., Mueller-Schärer, H. and Buttler, A. 2010 Polyploidy and invasion success : trait trade-offs in native and introduced cytotypes of two Asteraceae species. Plant Ecology 163 : 1011-1020. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11258-010-9824-8
116. Raharimalala, O., Buttler, A., Razanaka, S., Sorg, J.-P. and Gobat, J.-M. 2010 Soil-vegetation patterns in secondary slash and burn successions in Central Menabe, Madagascar. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ 139 (2010) 150–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2010.07.013
117. Siegenthaler, A, Buttler, A., Bragazza, L, Van der Heijden, E., Grosvernier P, Gobat JM, Mitchell EAD 2010 Litter- and ecosystem-driven decomposition under elevated CO2 and enhanced N deposition in a Sphagnum peatland. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 42 : 968-977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2010.02.016
118. Thébault, A., Frey, B., Mitchell, E.A.D., Buttler. A. 2010 Species-specific effects of polyploidisation and plant traits of Centaurea maculosa and Senecio inaequidens on rhizosphere microorganisms. Oecologia 163 : 1011-1020. 
119. Samaritani, E., Siegenthaler, A., Yli-Petäys, M., Buttler, A., Christin, P.-A. & Mitchell, E. A.D. 2011 Seasonal Net Ecosystem Carbon Exchange of a Regenerating Cutaway Bog: How Long Does it Take to Restore the C-Sequestration Function? Restauration Ecology 19 (4) : 480-489. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-100X.2010.00662.x
120. Gillet , F., Kohler, F., Vandenberghe, C., Buttler, A. 2010 Effect of dung deposition on small-scale patch structure and seasonal vegetation dynamics in mountain pastures. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ., 135 :34-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2009.08.006
121. Vandenberghe, Ch., Smit, Ch., Pohl, M., Buttler, A. and Freléchoux, F. 2009 Does the  strength of facilitation by nurse shrubs depend on grazing resistance of tree saplings? Basic and Applied Ecology, 10 (5) : 427-436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2008.08.009
122. Mazier, F., Galop D., Gaillard M.-J., Rendu C., Cugny C., Legaz A., Peyron O., Buttler A.. 2009. Multidisciplinary approach to reconstructing local pastoral activities- An example from the Pyrenean Mountains (Pays Basque). The Holocene 19(2) :171-188. DOI: 10.1177/0959683608098956. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683608098956
123. Artz, R.R.E, Chapman, S. J. , Siegenthaler, A., Mitchell, E.A.D., Buttler, A., Bortoluzzi, E., Gilbert, D., Yli-Petays, M., Vasander, H. and Francez, A.-J. 2008. Functional microbial diversity in cutover peatlands responds to vegetation succession and is partly directed by labile plant carbon. J. Applied Ecology 45 : 1799-1809. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01573.x
124. Mazier F., Brostöm A., Gaillard M.-J., Sugita S., Vittoz P., Buttler A. 2008. Pollen productivity estimates and Relevant Source Area for major taxa in a pasture woodland (Jura mountains, Switzerland). Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 17 : 479-495. DOI 10.1007/s00334-008-0143-0
125. Laggoun-Defarge, F., Mitchell, E., Gilbert, D., Disnar, J.-R., Comont, L., Warner, B., Buttler, A. 2007 Cutover peatland regeneration assessment using organic matter an microbial properties (bacteria and testate amoebae). J. Applied Ecology 45 : 716-727. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20144022
126. Vandenberghe, C., Freléchoux, F., Buttler, A. 2007 The influence of shade and competition from herbaceous vegetation on simulated browsing tolerance of coniferous and deciduous saplings. Oïkos 117:  415-423. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2007.0030-1299.16264.x
127. Vandenberghe, C., Freléchoux, F. , Moravie, M-A., Gadallah, F. and Buttler, A. 2007 Short-term effects of cattle browsing on tree sapling growth in mountain wooded pastures. Plant Ecology  188 :253-264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-006-9160-1
128. Bortoluzzi, E., Epron, D., Siegenthaler, A., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A. 2006 Carbon balance of a european mountain bog at constrasting stages of regeneration. New Phytologist 172 : 708-718. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01859.x
129. Dufour, A., Gadallah, Z., Wagner, H., Guisan, A., Buttler, A. 2006 Plant species richness and environmental heterogeneity in a mountain landscape : effects of variability and spatial configuration. Ecography 29 :573-584. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0906-7590.2006.04605.x
130. Vandenberghe, Ch., Freléchoux, F., Gadallah, F., Buttler, A. 2006 Competitive effects of herbaceous vegetation on tree seedling emergence, growth and survival: does gap size matter? J. Veg. Sc. 17 : 481-488. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4096658
131. Court-Picon, M., Buttler, A., & Beaulieu (de), J-L. 2006. Anthropogenic signals in pollen diagrams from mountain environments: use of modern pollen/vegetation/land-use relationships in the French Alps. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 15 : 151-168. DOI: 10.1007/s00334-005-0008-8
132. Mazier, F., Galop, D., Brun, C., Buttler, A. 2006. Modern pollen assemblages from grazed vegetation in the western Pyrenees, France : a numerical tool for more precise reconstruction of past cultural landscapes. The Holocene 16,1: 91-103. https://doi.org/10.1191/0959683606hl908rp
133. Kohler F., Gillet F., Reust S., Wagner H. H., Gadallah F., Gobat J.-M. & Buttler A. 2006. Spatial and seasonal patterns of cattle habitat use in a mountain wooded pasture. Landscape Ecol 21: 281-295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-005-0144-7
134. Kohler, F., Gillet, F., Gobat, J.M. & Buttler A. 2005 Effect of cattle activities on gap colonisation in mountain pastures. Folia Geobotanica  41: 289–304.DOI : 10.1007/BF02904943. 
135. Kohler, F., Hamelin, J., Gillet, F., Gobat, J.M. & Buttler A. 2005. Soil microbial community changes in mountain wooded pastures due to simulated effects of cattle grazing. Plant and soil 278 (1-2) : 327-340. DOI : 10.1007/s11104-005-8809-1
136. Court-Picon, M., Buttler, A., & Beaulieu (de), J-L. 2005. Numerical approach of the modern pollen rain in the Champsaur valley (French Alps) and relation to vegetation and land-use. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 135 (1-2): 13-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2005.02.003
137. Smit, C., Béguin, D., Buttler, A. & Müller-Schärer, H. 2005. Safe sites for tree regeneration: a case of associational resistance? Journal of Vegetation Science 16 : 209-214. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2005.tb02357.x
138. Kohler, F., Gillet, F., Progin, M.-A., Gobat, J.-M. & Buttler, A. 2004. Seasonal dynamics of plant species at fine scale in wooded pastures. Community Ecology 5: 7-17. https://doi.org/10.1556/ComEc.5.2004.1.2
139. Kaufmann, K., Christophersen, M., Buttler, A., Harms, H., Hoehener, P. 2004 Microbial community response to petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in the unsaturated zone at the experimental field site Værløse, Denmark. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 48(3): 387-399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.femsec.2004.02.011
140. Kohler, F., Gillet, F., Gobat, J.-M. and Buttler A. 2004 Seasonal vegetation changes in mountain pastures due to simulated effects of cattle grazing. Journal of vegetation science 15: 143-150. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2004.tb02249.x
141. Freléchoux, F., Buttler, A. , Schweingruber, F.  & Gobat, J.-M. 2004: Spatio-temporal pattern of bog pine (Pinus uncinata var. rotundata) at the interface with the Norway spruce (Picea abies) belt on the edge of a raised bog in the Jura Mountains, Switzerland. Ann. For. Sci. 61: 309-318. DOI: 10.1051/forest:2004024. https://doi.org/10.1051/forest:2004024
142. Chapman, S., Buttler, A., Francez, A-J., Laggoun-Défarge, F., Vasander, H., Schloter, M., Combe, J., Grosvernier, P., Harms, H., Epron, D., Gilbert, D. and Mitchell E. 2003 Exploitation of northern peatlands and biodiversité maintenance: a conflict between economy and ecology. Front Ecol Environ 10 (1): 525-532. https://doi.org/10.1890/1540-9295(2003)001[0525:EONPAB]2.0.CO;2
143. Mitchell, E.A.D., Gilbert,  D., Buttler, A., Amblard, C., Grosvernier, P., Gobat, J.-M. 2003 Structure of microbial communities in Sphagnum peatlands and effect of atmospheric carbon dioxide enrichment. Microbial Ecology 46: 187-199. DOI: 10.10071s00248-002-0008-5
144. Freléchoux, F., Buttler, A., Gillet, F.,  Gobat, J.-M. and Schweingruber, F. H. 2003 Succession from bog pine (Pinus uncinata var. rotundata) to Norway spruce (Picea abies) stands in relation to anthropic factors in Les Saignolis bog, Jura mountains, Switzerland. Ann. For. Sci. 60: 347-357. https://doi.org/10.1051/forest:2003025
145. Hoosbeek, M., van Breemen, N., Vasander, H., Buttler, A., Berendse, F. 2002 Potassium limits potential growth of bog vegetation under elevated atmospheric CO2 and N deposition. Global Change Biology 8: 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2486.2002.00535.x
146. Mitchell, E. A. D., Grosvernier, P., Buttler, A., Rydin, H., Siegenthaler, A., Gobat, J.-M. 2002 Contrasted effects of increased N and CO2 supply on two keystone species in peatland restoration and implications for global change. Journal of Ecology 90: 529-533. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2745.2002.00679.x
147. Berendse, F.,  van Breemen, N., Rydin, H., Buttler, A., Heijmans, M., Hoosbeek, M., Lee, J., Mitchell, E, Saarinen, T, Vasander, H., Wallén, B., 2001  Raised atmospheric CO2 levels and increased N deposition cause shifts in plant species composition and production in Sphagnum bogs. Global Change Biology 7: 591-598. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2486.2001.00433.x
148. Mitchell, E. A. D., van der Knaap, W.O., van Leeuwen, J. F. N., Buttler, A., Warner, B. G., 2001 The postglacial palaeoecological history of the Praz-Rodet bog (Swiss Jura) based on testate amoebae (Protozoa), pollen and macrofossils, and its significance in relation to the landscape vegetation history. The Holocene 11 (1): 65-80. https://doi.org/10.1191/095968301671777798
149. Siegenthaler, A., Mitchell, E., van der Heijden, E., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, P. & Gobat, J.-M., 2001. Effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 and mineral nitrogen deposition on litter quality, bioleaching and decomposition in a Sphagnum peat bog. In: Visconti et al. (Eds.) Global Change and Protected Areas, Kluwer Academic Publishers: 311-321.
150. Mitchell, E., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, P., Albinsson, C., Rydin, H., Heijmans, M., Hoosbeek, M., Greenup, A., Foot, J., Saarinen, T., Vasander, H. & Gobat, J.-M., 2001. Can testate amoebae (Protozoa) and other microorganisms help to overcome biogeographic bias in large scale global change research? In: Visconti et al. (Eds.) Global Change and Protected Areas, Kluwer Academic Publishers: 301-310.
151. Grosvernier, P., Mitchell, E., Buttler, A. & Gobat, J-M., 2001. Effects of elevated CO2 and nitrogen deposition on natural regeneration processes of cut-over ombrotrophic peat bogs in the Swiss Jura Mountains. In: Visconti et al. (Eds.) Global Change and Protected Areas, Kluwer Academic Publishers: 347-356.
152. Freléchoux, F., Buttler, A. , Schweingruber, F.  & Gobat, J.-M., 2000 Stands structure, invasion and growth dynamics of bog pine (Pinus uncinata var. rotundata) in relation to peat cutting and drainage in the Jura mountains, Switzerland. Can. J. Forest Res. 30(7): 1114-1126. DOI: 10.1139/cjfr-30-7-1114
153. Freléchoux, F., Buttler, A. & Gillet, F., 2000 Dynamics of bog-pine-dominated mires in the Jura Mountains, Switzerland: a tentative scheme based on synusial phytosociology. Folia Geobotanica 35: 273-288. DOI: 10.1007/BF02803119
154. Mitchell, E.A.D., Borcard, D., Buttler, A.J., Grosvernier, Ph, Gilbert, D. & Gobat, J.-M. 2000 Horizontal distribution patterns of testate amoebae (Protozoa) in a Sphagnum magellanicum carpet. Microbial Ecology 39(4): 290-300. DOI: 10.1007/s002489900187 
155. Mitchell,  E.A.D., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, Ph., Rydin, H., Hoosbeek, M.R, Greenup A. & Saarinen T., 2000 Relationships among testate amoebae (Protozoa), vegetation and water chemistry in five Sphagnum-dominated peatlands in Europe. The New Phytol. 145: 95-106. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-8137.2000.00550.x
156. Gillet, F., Murisier, B., Buttler, A., Gallandat, J.-D. & Gobat, J.-M., 1999 Influence of tree cover on diversity of herbaceous communities in subalpine wooded pastures. Applied Vegetation Science 2: 47-54. https://doi.org/10.2307/1478880
157. Mitchell, EAD, Warner BG, Buttler A, Gobat J-M, 1999 Ecological patterns of testate amoebae (Protozoa) on peatlands in the Jura mountains, Switzerland and France. Ecoscience 6: 565-576. https://doi.org/10.1080/11956860.1999.11682555
158. Williams, B.L., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, Ph., Francez, A-J., Gilbert, D., Ilomets, M., Jauhiainen, J., Matthey, Y., Silcock, D. J., Vasander, H., 1999 The fate of NH4NO3 added to Sphagnum magellanicum carpets at five European mire sites. Biogeochemistry 45: 73-93. DOI: 10.1023/A:1006133828518
159. Buttler, A., Grosvernier, P. & Matthey, Y., 1998 A new sampler for extracting undisturbed surface peat cores for growth pot experiment. The New Phytologist 140: 355-360. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-8137.1998.00274.x
160. Güsewell, S. , Buttler, A. & Klötzli, F., 1998 Short-term and long-term effects of mowing on the vegetation of two calcareous fens.  J. Vegetation Science 9: 861-872. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3237051
161. Buttler, A., Grosvernier, Ph. & Matthey, Y., 1998 Development of Sphagnum fallax diaspores on bare peat with implications for the restoration of cut-over bogs. J. Applied Ecology 35: 800-810. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2664.1998.355351.x
162. Toriola, D., Chareyre, P. & Buttler, A., 1998 Distribution of primary forest species in an 19 years old secondary forest in French Guiana. J. Tropical Ecology 14: 323-340. DOI: 10.1017/S026646749800025X
163. Grosvernier, Ph., Matthey, Y. & Buttler, A., 1997 Growth potential of three Sphagnum species in relation to water table level and peat properties with implications for their restoration in cut-over bogs. Journal of Applied Ecology 34: 471-483. DOI: 10.2307/2404891. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2404891
164. Werffeli, B., Roulier, C. & Buttler, A., 1997 The methodology of the integrated synusial phytosociology applied to a floodplain sector of the Sarine River (Switzerland). Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters 6: 237-245. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2997737
165. Buttler, A., Warner, B. G., Grosvernier, Ph. & Matthey, Y., 1996 Vertical patterns of testate amoebae (Protozoa:Rhizopoda) and peat-forming vegetation on cutover bogs in the Jura, Switzerland. The New Phytol. 134: 371-382. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2558777
166. Felbert-Girard, M., Felber, F. & Buttler, A., 1996 Habitat differentiation in a narrow hybrid zone between diploïd and tetraploïd Anthoxanthum alpinum (Poaceae). The New Phytologist 133: 531-540.
167. Mitchell, E., Buttler, A., Gobat, J.-M., van Leeuwen, J., van der Knaap, W., Ammann, B & Warner, B. 1996 Forest clearance in the early 19th century, an indirect cause for the present abundance of Pine (Pinus uncinata ssp rotundata) in the Jura bogs (summary), in Zoologia et Botanica 96. Revue Suisse de Zoologie, p. 788.
168. Buttler, A., Dinel, H. &  Lévesque,  P.M.E., 1994 Effects of physical, chemical and botanical characteristics of peat on carbon gas fluxes. Soil Science 158: 365-374.
169. Gillet, F., Theurillat, J.-P., Dutoit, A., Havlicek, E., Bueche,  M. & Buttler, A., 1994 Végétation des lapiés du Muotatal; in: Compte rendu de la 2ème excursion internationale de phytosociologie en Suisse, 14-21 juillet 1991 (Ed. Gallandat, J.-D. & Landolt, E.). Veröff. Geobot. Inst. ETH, Stiftung Rübel, Zürich, 119: 60-100.
170. Buttler, A., 1992 Permanent plots in wet meadows and cutting experiment. Vegetatio 103: 113-124. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20046230
171. Buttler, A. J., Dinel, H., Lévesque, M. & Mathur S. P., 1991 The relation between movement of subsurface water and gaseous methane in a basin bog, with emphasis on instrumentation. Can. J. Soil Sci. 71: 427-438.
172. Buttler, A. & Gallandat, J.-D., 1989 Phytosociologie des prairies humides de la rive sud du lac de Neuchâtel (Suisse) et modèle de succession autogène. Phytocoenologia 18 (1): 129-158. DOI:10.1127/phyto/18/1989/129

Publications (continuation)

Publications in not cited peer reviewed journals :
 
 1. Siegenthaler, A., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, P., Gobat, J.-M., Mitchell, E. 2014. Discrepancies in growth measurement methods of mosses: An example from two keystone species grown under increased CO2 and N supply in a restored peatland. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 2014, 5, 2354-2371.
 2. Dirac Ramohavelo, C., Sorg, J.-P., Buttler, A., Reinhard, M. 2014. Recommandations pour une agriculture plus écologique respectant les besoins socio-économiques locaux, région du Menabe Central, côte ouest de Madagascar. Madagascar Conservation & Development 9(1) : 13-19.
 3. Buttler, A., Spiegelberger, T,. Chételat, J., Kalbermatten, M., Lannas, K., Peringer, A., Wettstein, J.-B., Gillet, F. 2012. Evolution récente et future des paysages sylvo-pastoraux du Parc Jurassien Vaudois. Schweiz. Z. Forstwes. 163(12): 469-480.
 4. Huber, R., Bebi, P., Briner, S., Bugmann, H., Buttler, A., Grêt-Regamey, A., Hirschi, C., Zimmermann, W., Rigling, A. 2012. Waldausdehnung in zwei Regionen des Schweizer Berggebiets: eine integrative Analyse. Schweiz. Z. Forstwes. 163(12): 502-511.
 5. Peringer A., Gillet F., Spiegelberger T. & Buttler A. 2011. Vegetation dynamics in pasture?woodland landscapes under climate change. In: Minden V. (ed.), Ecological functions, patterns, processes, Verhandlung der Gesellschaft für Ökologie, Band 41, 5-9 September 2011, Oldenburg, Germany. p. 216.
 6. Parisod, J., Hassouna, M., Buttler, A., Bragazza, L. 2011 Spatial and temporal characterization of dissolved organic matter in bog water based on spectroscopic properties : the effects of humification. Geophysical Research Abstracts 13
 7. Jassey, V., Chiapusio, G., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A. Toussaint, M.-L., Binet, Ph. 2011 Climatic effect on seasonal polyphenols/phenoloxidase interplay in Sphagnum fallax along a narrow ecological gradient. Geophysical Research Abstracts 13.
 8. Ratsimbazafy, R.S.A., Dirac Ramohavelo, C., Sorg, J.-P., Buttler, A. 2010 Optimisation socio-économique et écologique des systèmes d’élevage (Menabe central, Madagascar). Sécheresse 21(3) : 211-218.
 9. Martin, D., Vollenweider, P., Buttler, A., Günthardt-Goerg, M.S. (2006) Bioindication of heavy metal contamination in vegetable gardens. For. Snow Landsc. Res. 80, 2: 169–180.
 10. Steiner, L., Rosselli, W., Combe, J., Barbezat, V., Buttler, A. 2006 Reboisement de sites pollués – Enseignements tirés d’une étude de cas avec des métaux lourds. Schweiz. Z. Forstwes. 157 (5) : 157-161.
 11. Vittoz, P., Buttler, A., Junod, P., 2005 Délimitation d’une réserve forestière : approche par l’étude de la végétation. Schweiz. Z. Forstwes. 156 (3-4) : 112-121.
 12. Vittoz, P., Guisan, A., Rebetez, M., Buttler, A. et Kloetzli, F., 2003 Vegetations-Dauerbeobachtungsflächen als Zeiger für Umweltveränderungen. Das Projekt PERMANENT.PLOT.CH bittet um Ihre Mithilfe. Vierteljahrsschrift der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Zürich 148/3: 97–99.
 13. Güsewell, S., Le Nedic, Ch. & Buttler, A., 2000 Dynamics of common reed (Phragmites australis Trin.) in Swiss fens with different management. Wetlands Ecology and Management 8: 375-389.
 14. Buttler, A., 2000 L’innovation, son contenu et ses vecteurs dans le domaine de la gestion environnementale forestière. Schweiz. Z. Forstwes. 151(12): 527-530.
 15. Grosvernier, Ph., Matthey, Y., Buttler A. & Gobat, J.M., 1999 Characterisation of peats from histosoils disturbed by different human impacts. Ecologie 30: 3-11.
 16. Grosvernier, Ph., Buttler A., Gobat, J.-M. & Matthey, Y., 1997 Régénération ou réimplantation des sphaignes dans les haut-marais jurassiens suisses. Actes Soc. Jur. Emul.: 155-179.
 17. Richard, J.-L., Bressoud, B., Buttler, A., Duckert, O. & Gallandat, J-D., 1993 Carte de la végétation de la région Val de Réchy-Sasseneire (objet CPN 3.77, Alpes valaisannes, Suisse). Bull. Murithienne 111: 9-40.
 18. Buttler, A., 1992 Hydrochimie des nappes des prairies humides de la rive sud du lac de Neuchâtel. Bull. Ecol. 23 (1-2): 35-47.
 19. Buttler, A. & Gobat, J.-M., 1991 Les sols hydromorphes des prairies humides de la rive sud du lac de Neuchâtel (Suisse). Bull. Ecol. 22 (3-4): 405-418.
 20. Gobat, J.-M., Grosvernier, Ph., Matthey, Y. & Buttler, A., 1991 Un triangle granulométrique pour les tourbes: analyse semi-automatique et représentation graphique. Science du sol 29 (1): 23-35.
 21. Buttler, A., 1990 Quelques aspects climatiques dans les marais non boisés de la rive sud du lac de Neuchâtel (Suisse). Bull. Soc. Neuchâtel. Sci. Nat. 113: 217-230.
 22. Buttler, A. & Girard, M., 1987 Methods for yearly comparisons of aeropalynological data. Advances in Aerobiology, Boehm G. et Leuschner R.M., (Eds), Experientia Suppl. 51: 407-409.
 23. Buttler, A., 1985 Species and community responses to mowing in swamps; a contribution from marshes on the south bank of lake Neuchâtel (Switzerland). Studies in Plant Ecology (Uppsala) 16: 18-19.
 24. Buttler, A., Bueche, M., Cornali, Ph. & Gobat, J.-M., 1985 Historischer und ökologischer Ueberblick über das Südostufer des Neuenburger Sees. Telma (Hannover) 15: 31-42.
 25. Buttler, A., Cornali, Ph. & Richard, J.-L., 1983 La tourbière des Pontins sur Saint-Imier. Mat. pour le levé géobot. de la Suisse 59, 79 p.
 
 
 
 Chapter in books:
 
 
 1. Arend M, Braun S, Buttler A, Siegwolf RTW, Signarbieux C, Körner K. 2016. Ökophysiologie: Reaktionen von Waldbäumen auf Klimaänderungen. In: Pluess AR, Augustin S, Brang P (Réd), Forêts et changements climatiques. Eléments pour des stratégies d’adaptation. Office fédéral de l'Environnement OFEV/BAFU, Berne; Institut fédéral de recherches WSL, Birmensdorf; Haupt, Berne, Stuttgart, Vienne ISBN 978-3-258-07996-7 : p. 79-94.
 2. Randrianarison, A., Razanaka, S., Rakotoarimanana, V., Buttler, A., Carrière, S.M. & Hervé, D. 2015. Succession floristique de forêts secondaires humides du sud-est de Madagascar, in : Transitions agraires au sud de Madagascar - Résilience et viabilité, deux facettes de la conservation (Eds. Hervé, D., Razanaka, S., Rakotondraompiana, S,. Rafamantanantsoa, F., Carrière. S.M.). Actes du séminaire de synthèse du projet FPPSM « Forêts, Parcs, Pauvreté au sud de Madagascar » 10-11/06/2013, Antananarivo, IRD-SCAC/PARRUR, Ed. MYE, 366p., ISBN 978-2-7099-1891-6.
 3. Lamentowicz, M., S?owi?ska, S., S?owi?ski, M., Marcisz, K., Jassey, V., Chojnicki, B.H., Reczuga, M., Zieli?ska, M., B?a?ejczyk, K., Tryjanowski, P., Buttler., A. 2015. Rezerwat Przyrody Linje - unikatowe interdyscyplinarne badania ekosystemu torfowiska. Zespo?u Parków Krajobrazowych Che?mi?skiego i Nadwi?la?skiego, ed. Jaros?aw Paj?kowski, ISBN 978-83-62826-57-5, pp : 80-86.
 4. Peringer, A., Schulze, K.A., Stupariu, I., Stupariu, M.-S., Buttler, A., Gillet, F. & G. Rosenthal. 2015. Klimawandel-angepasstes, post-konservatives Management halb-offener Weidelandschaften. In: Feit, U. & H. Korn (Hrsg.): Treffpunkt Biologische Vielfalt, Band XIV, BfN-Skripten, ISBN 978-3-89624-132-0.
 5. Buttler, A. & A. Peringer. 2014. Pattern and processes at various spatio-temporal scales and adaptation to climate change. In: Hartel, T. & T. Plieninger (eds.): European wood pastures in transition: a social-ecological approach. ISBN-10: 0415869897 | ISBN-13: 978-0415869898.
 6. Buttler, A. 2014. Grasslands in silvopastoral mountain ecosystems, in: Grasslands biodiversity and conservation in a changing world. Mariotte, P. & Kardol. P. (Eds). Nova Publisher, New York, ISBN 978-1-61761-619-8, p. 187-217.
 7. Bragazza, L., Buttler, A., Siegenthaler, A., and Mitchell, E. 2009 Plant litter decomposition and nutrient release in peatlands. In: “Carbon cycling in Northern peatlands”, edited by: Baird A, Belyea L, Comas X, Reeve R, and Slater L. Geophysical Monograph 184 : 99-110.
 8. Buttler, A., Kohler, F., Gillet, F. 2009. The Swiss mountain wooded pastures : patterns and processes. In : Agroforestry in Europe, Current Status and Future Prospects, Eds A. Rigueiro-Rodrigues et al. Springer Science, Advances in Agroforestry vol. 6 : 377-396, 450 p. ISBN 978-1402082719.
 9. Kohler F., Gillet F., Progin M.A., Gobat J.-M. and Buttler A. 2005. Seasonal dynamics of plant species at fine scale in wooded pastures. In Modern Approach in Vegetation Monitoring (eds E. Feldmeyer-Christe, S. Ghosh, J. Podani, O. Wildi and N.E. Zimmermann). Akademiai Kiado, Budapest, HU. In press
 10. Buttler A., Kohler F., Wagner H. and Gillet F. 2005. Spatial dependence and seasonal patterns of cattle activity. In Sylvopastoralism and Sustainable Land Management (eds M.R. Mosquera-Losada, J.McAdam and A. Riguerio). CABI Publishing, CAB International : 239-240.
 11. Rebetez M., Reinhard M., Buttler A., 2004. Forests, Tree Physiology and Climate. Encyclopedia of Forest Sciences, Academic Press, London, 1644-1655.
 12. Hoosbeek, M. R., van Breemen, N., Wallen, B., Rydin, H., Lee, J. A., Silvola, J., Vasander, H., Berendse, F., Kuiper, P. J.C., van der Heijden, E., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, Ph. & Miglietta, F., 1996 BERI: Bog Ecosystem Research Initiative - objectives, hypotheses and research methods. In: Northern Peatlands in Global Climatic Change (Edited by R. Laiho, J. Laine & H. Vasander), Publications of the Academy of Finland 1/96: 300-305.
 13. Williams, B.L., Silcock, D.J., Francez, A.J., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A., Grosvernnier, Ph., Vasander, H. & Jauhiainen, J., 1994 Transformations of inorganic nitrogen deposition in European raised bogs, in: Ecosystem Manipulation experiments (Eds Jenkins, A., Ferrier, R.C. & Kirby, C.), Ecosystems Research Report 20, pp 71-73. European Commission, Brussels.
 14. Grosvernier, Ph., Matthey, Y. & Buttler, A., 1994 Microclimate and physical properties of peat: new clues to the understanding of bog regeneration processes. In: Restoration of Temperate Wetlands (Edited by B. D. Wheeler, S. C. Shaw, W. S. Fojt and R. A. Robertson), John Wiley & Sons : 435-450.
 
 
 
 Proceedings of international conferences:
 
1.     Meisser, M., Deléglise, C., Signarbieux, C., Vitra, A., Mosimann, E. & Buttler A. 2017. Impacts of spring and summer droughts on yield and forage quality of three grasslands. In: 26th EGF General Meeting on “The Multiple Roles of Grassland in the European Bioeconomy” Grassland Science in Europe, volume 21, 900 pages: 792-795.
2.     Lamentowicz, M., Buttler, A., Mitchell, E.A.D., Chojnicki, B., Słowińska, S. and Słowiński, M. 2012 Influence of global warming and drought on carbon sequestration and biodiversity of Sphagnum peatlands – present, past and future perspectives (CLIMPEAT PROJECT). [In:] Kožnarová V., Sulovská S.,Hájková L. (Eds). Bioclimate 2012, "Bioclimatology of Ecosystems", Conference Proceedings, 58-59.
3.     Peringer A., Gillet F., Siehoff S., Spiegelberger T., Buttler A. (2012) Climate-driven landscape patterns in pasture-woodland landscapes of the Swiss Jura. Oral presentation at 42nd Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, 10 – 14 September 2012, in Lüneburg, Germany.
4.     Peringer, Alexander, Gillet, Francois, Siehoff, Silvana, Spiegelberger, Thomas and Alexandre Buttler. Climate-driven landscape patterns in pasture-woodland landscapes of the Swiss Jura. Oral presentation and abstract at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, session: Spatial patterns and ecological processes.
5.     Sekulova L., Bragazza L., Buttler A. (2012) Microbial structure and function in fens: responses to climate change. INTECOL, 9th International Wetlands Conference, June 3th-June 8th, 2012 Orlando, Florida, USA.
6.     Laggoun-Défarge, F., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A., Epron, D., Francez, A.-J., Grasset, L., Guimbaud, C., Mitchell, E. A.D., Roy, J.-C. 2008. Effects of experimental warming on carbon sink function of a temperate pristine mire : the Peatwarm project. In: After Wise Use – The Future of Peatlands, C. Farrell & J. Feehan Eds, Proceedings of the 13th International Peat Congress, Ireland, Tullamore, 8-13 June 2008, IPS (Finland), pp. 599-602.
7.     Artz, R.R.E., C.D. Campbell, A. Buttler, A.-J. Francez, F. Laggoun-Defarge, H. Vasander, M. Schloter, D. Epron, D. Gilbert, E.A.D. Mitchell, G. Schwarz & S. J. Chapman. Reconciling commercial exploitation of peat with biodiversity in peatland ecosystems. 1st Annual Meeting of the European Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists, Bangor, Wales, UK, January, 5-7, 2006. Abstracts pp.27.
8.     Buttler, A., Kohler, F., Wagner, H., Gillet, F. 2004: Spatial dependence and seasonal patterns of cattle activity. - In: Mosquera, M.R.; Mcadam, J.; Rigueiro-Rodriguez (eds). Silvopastoralism and sustainable management - International congress. Book of abstracts. 19-21 April 2004, Lugo, Spain. 123.
9.     Kohler, F., Gillet, F., Gobat, J.-M. & Buttler, A. 2004. Vegetation changes in mountain pastures due to simulated effects of cattle activity. -In : Eco-complexity and dynamics of the cultural landscape, Verhandlung der Gesellschaft für Ökologie, Band 34, September 13-17 2004, Giessen, Germany. p. 216.
10.  Dufour, A., Wagner, H., Guisan, A., Gadallah, F., Buttler, A. 2004. How does landscape structure influence plant diversity in wooded pastures? From square meter to hectare. -In : Eco-complexity and dynamics of the cultural landscape, Verhandlung der Gesellschaft für Ökologie, Band 34, September 13-17 2004, Giessen, Germany.
11.  Siegenthaler, A., P. Steinmann, A-J. Francez, W. Rosselli, A. Buttler. Measuring and modelling of pore water gases in various regeneration stages of a Jura cutover bogs. 2nd Swiss Geoscience Meeting, Lausanne,. November, 19-20, 2004. Abstracts Vol. 2. pp. 296.
12.  Mitchell, E.A.D.; Chapman, S.; Buttler, A.; Combe, J.; Francez, A.-J.; Gilbert, D.; Harms, H.; Lagoun-Defarge, F.; Schloter, M.; Vasander, H., Reconciling commercial exploitation of peat with biodiversity in peatland ecosystems (EU Project RECIPE). The 7th INTECOL International Wetlands Conference, Utrecht, The Netherlands, 25-30 July 2004.
13.  Siegenthaler A., Steinmann Ph., Buttler A., Francez A.-J., Josselin N., Yli-petäys M., (2004). In-depth pore water gases and ions in various regeneration stages of selected temperate cutover bogs. In: Juhani Päivänen (Ed). Wise Use of Peatlands, Vol. 1 (proceeding). 12th International Peat Congress, Tampere, Finland.
14.  Bortoluzzi, E., D. Epron, D. Gilbert & A. Buttler. Comparison of carbon fluxes between different stages of regeneration in a harvested bog in the French Jura mountains. Proceedings of the 12th International Peat Congress, Tampere, Finland, 6-11 June 2004. Volume 1, pp. 115-116.
15.  Laggoun-Défarge, F., Mitchell, E.A.D., Gilbert, D., Warner, B.G., Comont, L., Disnar, J.-R., & Buttler, A. (2004) Biochemical characteristics of peat organic matter and distribution of testate amoebae in two naturally regenerating cutover Sphagnum peatlands of the Jura mountains. In: Juhani Päivänen (Ed). Wise Use of Peatlands, Vol. 1 (proceeding). 12th International Peat Congress, pp. 383-384, Tampere, Finland.
16.  Buttler, A., Kohler, F., Wagner, H. & Gillet, F. 2004. Observed spatial and seasonal patterns of cattle activity versus simulated effects in an exclosure experiment. - In: Lüscher, A., Jeangros, B., Kessler, W., Huguenin, O., Losbiger, M., Millar, N., Suter, D. (eds). Land Use Systems in Grassland Dominated Regions. Proceedings of the 20th General Meeting of the European Grassland Federation, Luzern, Switzerland, 21-24 June 2004. 578-580.
17.  Kohler, F., Progin, M.-A., Gobat, J.-M., Buttler, A., Gillet, F. 2003 Seasonal fluctuations of species richness at fine scale in wooded pastures. - In: Biodiversity - from pattern to process, Verhandlung der Gesellschaft für Ökologie, Band 33, September 8-12, 2003. Halle, Deutschland. 87.
18.  Kohler, F., Progin, M.-A., Gobat, J.-M., Buttler, A., Gillet, F. 2003 A cell-grid method for short-term and fine-scale monitoring of vegetation dynamics in pastures. - In: Feldmeyer-Christe, E. (ed.). State of the Art in Vegetation Monitoring Approaches. Abstracts. International Symposium, March 24-26, 2003. Birmensdorf, WSL Swiss Federal Research Institute. 25.
19.  Maitre, C., D. Gilbert, A. Buttler, D. Epron, F. Laggoun-Defarge & D. Jacques-Jouvenot. Economic and sociological approaches of French peatlands. Proceedings of the 12th International Peat Congress, Tampere, Finland, 6-11 June 2004. Volume 2, pp. 1312.
20.  Kloetzli, F. & Buttler, A. 2002 Ruptures actuelles dans les lacs périalpins, les forêts et les gazons alpins. Actes du colloque international de Besançon, septembre 2000 (eds. Richard, H. et Vignot, A.) « Equilibres et ruptures dans les écosystèmes durant les 20 derniers millénaires en Europe de l’Ouest. Presses Universitaires Franc-Comtoises: 361-372 ;  Annales Littéraires, 730, série « Environnement, société et archéologie », 3.
21.  Buttler, A., Mitchell, E.A.D., Freléchoux, F., van der Knaap, W. O., van Leeuwen, J. F. N., Warner, B. G., Gobat, J.-M., Schweingruber, F. & Ammann, B. 2002 Ruptures multiples dans les tourbières du Jura: changements climatiques et hydrologiques, successions végétales et impacts humains. Actes du colloque international de Besançon, septembre 2000 (eds. Richard, H. et Vignot, A.) « Equilibres et ruptures dans les écosystèmes durant les 20 derniers millénaires en Europe de l’Ouest. Presses Universitaires Franc-Comtoises: 331-344 ;  Annales Littéraires, 730, série « Environnement, société et archéologie », 3.
22.  Mitchell, E., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, Ph., Albinsson, C., Rydin, H., Heijmans, M., Hoosbeek, M., Greenup, A., Foot, J., Saarinen, T., Vasander, H., Gobat, J.-M. 2000 Testate amoebae (Protozoa) and other micro-organisms in Sphagnum peatlands: biogeography, ecology and effect of elevated CO2. Proceedings of the 11th International Peat Congress, Québec 2000, IMCG, MTO, IPS, (L. Rochefort, Jean-Yves Daigle, editors): 1087.
23.  Heijmans, M., Berendse, F., van Breemen, N.,  Rydin, H., Buttler, A., Hoosbeek, M., Lee, J., Mitchell, E., Saarnio, S., Vasander, H., Wallen, B. 2000 High N deposition affects competition between Sphagnum and other bog plant species. Proceedings of the 11th International Peat Congress, Québec 2000, IMCG, MTO, IPS, (L. Rochefort, Jean-Yves Daigle, editors): 1085.
24.  Grosvernier, Ph., Buttler, A., Frankard, P. , Dupieux, N. 2000 Restoring or repairing damaged peatlands? The approach of western Europe, a densely populated area. Proceedings of the 11th International Peat Congress, Québec 2000, IMCG, MTO, IPS, (L. Rochefort, Jean-Yves Daigle, editors): 1070.
25.  Freléchoux, F., Buttler, A., Schweingruber, F., Gobat, J.-M. 2000 Spatio-temporal pattern of bog-pine (Pinus uncinata var. rotundata) along a hydrological gradient at the margin of a raised bog of the Jura mountains (Switzerland). Proceedings of the 11th International Peat Congress, Québec 2000, IMCG, MTO, IPS, (L. Rochefort, Jean-Yves Daigle, editors): 28.
26.  Hoosbeek, M.R., N. van Breemen, B. Wallén, H. Rydin, J.A. Lee, J. Silvola, H. Vasander, F. Berendse, P.J.C. Kuiper, E. van der Heijden, A. Buttler, P. Grosvernier and F. Miglietta. 1996. BERI: Bog Ecosystem Research Initiative - objectives, hypotheses and methods to investigate the influence of elevated CO2 and Nitrogen on Sphagnum. Abstracts, Second International Symposium on the Biology of Sphagnum. Université Laval, Québec city, Canada, July 12-13, 1996.
27.  Williams, B. L., Silcock, D. J., Francez, A-J., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, Ph., Vasander, H., Jauhiainen, J., Ilomets, M., Kajak, A. & Petal, J., 1996 The impact of nitrogen deposition on carbon balance in peatland ecosystems. Proceedings of the International Conference on Environment and Climate, Rome. March 1996.
28.  Francez, A-J., Gilbert, D., Williams, B. L., Silcock, D.J., Vasander, H., Jauhiainen, A., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, P. & Matthey, Y., 1996 Microbial activity in Sphagnum magellanicum peat: a comparison between 4 sites in Europe. Proceedings 10th International Peat Congress,Bremen, Germany, 1, 148.
29.  Silcock, D. J., Williams, B. L., Francez, A-J., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, Ph.,Vasander, H., Jauhiainen, J., Ilomets, M., Kajak, A. & Petal, J., 1995 Influence of nitrogen deposition on the carbon balance in peatland ecosystems. Proceedings of the 5th Congress of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark.
30.  Buttler, A., Mulhauser, G.  & Vaucher-von Ballmoos, C. 1994 A classic bog - La Burtignière in the Vallée de Joux, in: Gruenig, A. (ed.). Mires and Man. Mire Conservation in a Densely Populated Country - the Swiss Experience.  Excursion Guide and Symposium Proceedings of the 5th Field Symposium of the International Mire Conservation Group (IMCG) to Switzerland 1992. Birmensdorf, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research: 187-194.
31.  Buttler, A. & Mulhauser, G. 1994 The result of a century of hydrological control - the fenlands of La Grande Cariçaie, in: Gruenig, A. (ed.). Mires and Man. Mire Conservation in a Densely Populated Country - the Swiss Experience.  Excursion Guide and Symposium Proceedings of the 5th Field Symposium of the International Mire Conservation Group (IMCG) to Switzerland 1992. Birmensdorf, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research.:173-180.
32.  Bueche, M., Buttler, A., Cornali, Ph. & Perrochet, P., 1994 Effects of water level regulation of lake Neuchâtel (Switzerland) on the shore wetlands: mathematical modelling of groundwater-lakewater interactions. Proceedings of the International Symposium "Conservation and Management of Fens", 6th-10th June 1994, Poland, International Peat Society - Agricultural University Warsaw, 201-212.
 
 
 Proceedings of national conferences:
 
 1. B.H. Chojnicki, K.M. Harenda, M. Samson, S. Słowińska, M. Słowiński, M. Lamentowicz, J. Barabach, M. Zielińska, V.E.J. Jassey, A. Buttler, M. Stróżecki, J. Leśny, M. Urbaniak, D. Józefczyk, R. Juszczak. 2017.  Eksperyment manipulacyjny jako narzędzie oceny wpływu zmian klimatycznych na emisję CO 2 z torfowiska.  Studia i Materiały Centrum Edukacji Przyrodniczo-Leśnej w Rogowie Proceedings of the Center for Nature and Forestry Education.
 2. Mariusz Lamentowicz, Sandra Słowińska, Michał Słowiński, Katarzyna Marcisz, Alexandre Buttler, Bogdan H. Chojnicki, Vincent E. J Jassey, Radosław Juszczak, Katarzyna Kajukało, Piotr Kołaczek, Łukasz Lamentowicz, Dominika Łuców, Monika K. Reczuga, Mateusz Samson, Małgorzata Zielińska, Mariusz Gałka. 2017. Znaczenie badań interdyscyplinarnych dla zrozumienia zaburzeń torfowisk w lasach. Studia i Materiały Centrum Edukacji Przyrodniczo-Leśnej w Rogowie Proceedings of the Center for Nature and Forestry Education.
 3. Nită, A.,  Pătru-Stupariu, I., Buttler, A. 2015. LANDEIA – Landscape integration in the procedure of environmental impact assessment. Sciex Closing Conference on September 25th 2015 at the ETH Zurich (21 Sciex projects selected out of 545 conducted Sciex projects).
4.     Gavazov K., Mills R.T.E, Durand H., Spiegelberger T., Buttler A. (2012) Soil respiration and microbial biomass constrained by warmer winter climate and reduced snow cover in transplanted subalpine pasture turfs. Poster presentation at Swiss Geoscience Meeting, 15-16 November 2012, Bern, Switzerland.
5.     Mills R.T.E., Durand H., Gavazov K., Spiegelberger T., Buttler A. (2012) Snow-cover effects on substrate-induced respiration and SOM density fractions in transplanted pasture soils. Oral presentation at Swiss Geoscience Meeting, 15-16 November 2012, Bern, Switzerland.
6.     Mathur, S.P., Brown, A., Dinel, H., Buttler, A., & Lévesque, M., 1989 The role of methane gas in peatland hydrology: a new concept. Proceedings Symposium 89 "Peat and Peatland, Diversification and Innovation, Vol. I - Peatland Forestry, Québec City (6-10 August 1989). The Canadian Society for Peat and Peatlands (Eds. J.K. Jeglum & R. P. Overend): 153-157.

 
 Publications for a broader audience :
 
 
 1. Buttler, A. & Jassey, V. 2015. Les recherches sur l’effet du réchauffement climatique à l’Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL ); in : Tourbières et changements climatiques. Conservatoires d’espaces naturels - Pôle-relais zones humides - Pôle-relais tourbières (eds). Echo des tourbières 21 :13-14.
 2. Lamentowicz, M., Buttler, A and Jassey, V. 2014. Global change experiments reveal response of temperate peatlands to global warming. Peatlands International 1 : 30-31.
 3. Buttler, A. et al. Evolution récente et future des paysages sylvo-pastoraux du Jura vaudois. Infoletter Forum Landschaft 1(13) : 7.
 4. Buttler, A. 2012. Les lichens : sentinelles de l’environnement – Lichens : the sentinels of the environment ; in : November, V. (eds), Risk in Sight, catalogue d’exposition sciences, arts et société. Presses polytechniques et universitaires romandes, Lausanne, 143 p.
 5. Buttler et al. 2010 125 ans du WSL - Portraits de chercheurs. La Forêt 12/10 : 18-19.
 6. Spiegelberger, T., Gavazov, K., Buttler, A. 2010. Réchauffement en montagne. Aus der Forschung. Geosciences actuel 4/2010.
 7. Gavazov, K., Spiegelberger, T., Buttler, A. 2010. Research higlight : Mountland – successful experiment set up in the Jura Mountains. Competence Center Environment and Sustainability-CCES, Newsletter 15, July 1.
 8. Buttler, A. & Mitchell, E. 2007 : Comment réagissent les tourbières aux changements planétaires ? Le réchauffement climatique, obstacle à la régénération. Hotspot 15 : 18-19.
 9. Combe, J., Buttler, A. 2006 Le « WSL-new est arrivé. La Forêt 6 : 22-23.
 10. Freléchoux, F., Vandenberghe, Ch., Buttler, A., Troxler, J., Jeangros, B., Wohlgemuth, Th., 2005 : Einfluss von Nutzvieh auf die Baumverjüngung auf Weiden. Wald & Holz: 37-39.
 11. Freléchoux, F., Vandenberghe, Ch., Buttler, A., Troxler, J., Jeangros, B., Wohlgemuth, Th., 2005 Influence de l’activité du bétail sur la régénération des arbres en pâturage. La Forêt 58, 7/8.
 12. Béguin, D., Freléchoux, F., Gillet, F. & Buttler, A. 2001 La régénération naturelle du pin à crochets en tourbière. La Forêt 10: 24-25.
 13. Freléchoux, F., Buttler, A., Gillet, F. & Béguin, D. 2001 Le boisement des hauts-marais jurassiens. La Forêt 9: 22-24.
 14. Buttler, A., Gillet, F. & Gobat, JM., 2001 Vegétation et flore in : Le Jura. Ed. Delachaux et Niestlé, Coll. Guide du naturaliste.
 15. Buttler, A., 1998 La couverture végétale du Creux du Van. In : Nature au Creux du Van. Editions du Club Jurassien, Neuchâtel, 2 volumes (221 et 202 pages).
 16. Jelmini, J.-P., Buttler, A. & Schwab, A., 1997 Promenades touristiques. Edition Ville de Neuchâtel, 144 p.
 17. Buttler, A., Ayer, J., Claude, B., Monnier, M.-F.& Bongard, M., 1996 Coup d’oeil sur la nature en ville de Neuchâtel. Edition Ligue neuchâteloise pour la protection de la nature et Muséum d’histoire naturelle de Neuchâtel, 138 p. annexe.
 18. Buttler, A., 1995 La couverture végétale du Creux du Van. Panneau didactique. Edition Club jurassien, Neuchâtel.
 19. Buttler, A. & Cornali, Ph., 1990 Le marais des Pontins, contraste entre tourbières intactes et exploitées, in: Les réserves naturelles du Jura bernois. Collection LSPN Réserves naturelles, 21-30.
 20. Buttler, A., 1985 Les tourbières jurassiennes. Document de l'Office neuchâtelois de la documentation pédagogique, Neuchâtel: 21 pages et 87 diapositives.
 21. Buttler, A., 1985 Le monde méconnu des tourbières: celle des Pontins. Le Rameau de Sapin (Edition Club jurassien, Neuchâtel) 4: 57-61.
 22. Buttler, A., 1983 La rive sud du lac de Neuchâtel. Bull. Groupe Travail p. l'Enseignement de l'Ecologie - ECO-Informations 8: 1-16.
 
 
 
 Other publications, reports and notes:
 
 1. Buttler, A.; Sanginés, P.; Vollenweider, P.; Signarbieux, C. 2016. Ecological response of beech and Norway spruce to climate change along an altitudinal gradient. Ecole polytechnique fédérale Lausanne EPFL, Institut fédéral de recherches WSL, 39 pp annexes.
 2. Enhancing the livelihood of the local population in a biodiversity hotspot (Central Menabe, Madagascar) : scientific bases for a participatory forest landscape management. Research Fellow Partnership Program (RFPP) North-South Center ETHZ, Final report, 15pp.
 3. Gonseth, Y., Wohlgemuth, T., Sansonnens, B. & Buttler, A., 2001 Les régions biogéographiques de la Suisse – Explications et division standard. Cahier de l'environnement 137. Office fédéral de l’environnement, des forêts et du paysage, Berne. 48 p.
 4. Hoosbeek, M., Van Breemen, N., Wallen, B., Rydin, H., Lee, J., Silvola, J., Vasander, H., Berendse, F., Kuiper, P., Grosvernier, P., Buttler, A. 1999 Bog Ecosystem Research Initiative (BERI). Final report to the EC on Project No. ENV4-CT95-0028.
 5. Petts, G., Buttler, A. et al., 1999 ERMAS II: European river margins – Role of biodiversity in the functioning of riparian systems. Final Summary Report of the Individual Partners. Environment and climate DGXII.
 6. Williams, B. L., Silcock, D. J., Francez, A-J., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, Ph., Matthey, Y.,Vasander, H., Jauhiainen, J., Ilomets, M., Kajak, A. & Petal, J. 1995 Impact of nitrogen deposition on the carbon balance in peatland ecosystems. Final report to the EC on Project No. EV5V-CT92-0099 and supplementary project ERBCIPDCT 930029.
 7. Williams, B. L., Silcock, D. J., Francez, A-J., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, Ph.,Vasander, H., Jauhiainen, J., Ilomets, M., Kajak, A. & Petal, J., 1995 Impact of nitrogen deposition on the carbon balance in peatland ecosystems. Second Year. Interim Report to the EC on Project No. EV5V-CT92-0099 and supplementary project ERBCIPDCT 930029.
 8. Buttler, A., Cornali, P. & Bueche, M., 1995 Etude des effets de la régulation des lacs subjurassiens sur la végétation et le milieu. Rapport Université de Neuchâtel, sur mandat de l'Office fédéral de l’environnement, des forêts et du paysage (OFEFP), 154 p. annexes.
 9. Williams, B. L., Silcock, D. J., Francez, A-J.,Gilbert, D., Buttler, A. J., Grosvernier, Ph.,Vasander, H. & Jauhiainen, J., 1994 Impact of nitrogen deposition on the carbon balance in peatland ecosystems. First year interim report to the EC on Project No. EV5V-CT92-0099.
 10. Buttler, A., 1987 Etude écosystémique des marais non boisés de la rive sud du lac de Neuchâtel (Suisse): phytosociologie, pédologie, hydrodynamique et hydrochimie, production végétale, cycles biogéochimiques et influence du fauchage sur la végétation. Thèse de doctorat, Université de Neuchâtel (Suisse), 284 p.
 
 
 
 
 Major presse releases:
 
 1. Global warming could make peat bogs less of a carbon sink. Sb Science Blogs. Posted by Greg Laden on December 2, 2015.
 2. Avec le réchauffement, les tourbières se transforment en émetteurs de CO2. Le Monde, Planète, 5 janvier 2013 (P. Le Hir).
 3. La montagne à l’épreuve du changement. Le Monde, Planète, 26-27 février 2012 (P. Le Hir).
 4. Swiss soil reveals climate change in mountain ecosystems - Low-tech experiment produces accurate data on threat to plant biodiversity and may also help with carbon capture. The Guardian Weekly, Tuesday 20 March 2012 (P. Le Hir).
 
 
 Other presse releases:
 
 1. Taking a look at peat bogs, or in the loop of climate warming (Story 6 : 40-45). In : Hiking with Patrons – A Polish-Swiss Adventure with Science (author : Robert Siewiorek). Publisher : National Information Processing Institute, al.Niepodieglosci 188b, 00-608 Warszawa. Copyright by OPI. ISBN : 978-83-63060-15-2.
 2. Pâturages soumis au régime sec. La Côte (Jocelyne Laurent), 2015.
 3. Les sols marécageux sont menacés par le changement climatique, mais ils le renforcent aussi. Diagonale, magazine de l’Institut fédéral de recherches sur la forêt, la neige et le paysage WSL, 2, 2015, p. 8-13.
 4. Wytweiden sind ein Gewinn für Menschen und Natur. Tierwelt 36, 3 sept. 2015 (Niklaus Salzmann).
 5. Les paysages jurassiens en mutation. La Côte 14 février 2013 (S. Guggenheim).
 6. Klimagarant Torfmoor, Dreiecksbeziehungen zwischen Pflanze, Mikroorganismus und Temperatur. P.T. Magazin für Wirstschaft und Gesellschaft, 1 Februar 2013.
 7. How shrubs are reducing the positive contribution of peatlands to climate. Science Daily, 23 Dec. 2012.
 8. L’expansion des buissons nuit au bilan carbone. Le Matin, 26 déc. 2012 (ats, Newsnet).
 9. De puits de carbone à sources de carbone. 20 Minutes Online, 26 déc. 2012 (ats).
 10. Der Klimawandel beinflusst die Torfmoore. Basler Zeitung, 6 Jan. 2013 (mbr).
 11. Sträucher können aus Mooren Klimasünder machen. Tages Anzeiger 28.12.2012 (ml).
 12. Les pâturages boisés souffrent de la hausse des températures. Terre et Nature 30 juin 2011 (Alexander Zelenka).
 13. La forêt expliquée aux enfants. L’Echo, Région, juillet 2011 (Jocelyne Laurent).
 14. Les pâturages boisés à l’essai. Agriculture de Montagne, des solutions à l’étude sur le réchauffement climatique. Journal La Côte, 14 octobre 2011 (Bernard Messerli).
 15. Quand les arbres l’emportent sur les sapins. Medias et communication EPFL, Journal Flash, 02 :16-17, 15.02.2011 (S. Perrin).
 16. La communauté végétale profite des plantes subordonnées. Horizons, Fonds National Suisse de la Recherche Scientifique, Le magazine suisse de la recherche scientifique 91, décembre 2011 (Mireille Pittet).
 17. Labo Story - Ecosystèmes, un subtil équilibre à maintenir. Medias et communication EPFL, Journal Flash, 11 :16-17, 20.10.2009 (S. Perrin).
 18. Un domaine pour étudier les effets du réchauffement. 24heures, 26 janvier 2012. (Manon Germond)
 19. L’impact des canicules sous la loupe des experts. 24heures, 13 septembre 2012 (V.M.A.)
 
 
 
 
 Film production:
 
 1. Movie “Georges et Marguerite” (Vacca helvetica et homo sapin) 2010, scénario by Buttler, A., Vandenberghe, Ch. and Corboz, B., realisation by Jéquier, C. et Weber, V.
 
 
 Radio/TV :
 
1.     RTS Suisse Radio CQFD, Séquestration du carbone en forêt tropicale.2.     RTS Suisse Radio CQFD, Les effets de la culture des palmiers à huile sur lʹécosystème de ce mardi, 26.06.20183.     RTS Suisse Radio, CQFD, Avis d’experts, 20 février 20144.     RTS Suisse Radio, CQFD, 17 janvier 20135.     RTS Suisse Television, News 12h45, 17 March 2012. 6.     RSR Impatience, 28 oct. 20117.     RSR Prise de Terre, 1 octobre 20118.     RSR Les Zèbres, 21-24 June 2011.9.     RSR Impatience, 10 nov. 2010.10.  RSR Prise de terres, 20 nov. 2010.
 
 
 Lecture notes:
 
1.     Buttler, A. 2006 Ecologie générale et biodiversité. Cours EPFL, section Sciences et Ingénierie de l’Environnement, SIE 1er.

2.     Buttler, A. 2019. Statistiques multivariables avec R pour données environnementales. Cours EPFL, section Sciences et Ingénierie de l’Environnement, SIE MSc. https://moodle.epfl.ch/enrol/index.php?id=15450 http://isa.epfl.ch/imoniteur_ISAP/!itffichecours.htm?ww_i_matiere=2210110887&ww_x_anneeacad=1866894985&ww_i_section=942953&ww_i_niveau=6683147&ww_c_langue=fr

3.     Buttler, A. 2006 Comment faire un exposé oral? Cours EPFL, section Sciences et Ingénierie de l’Environnement, SIE. https://www.epfl.ch/labs/ecos/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Comment_presenter.pdf

4.     Buttler, A. 2005 How to write a report and a scientific paper. https://www.epfl.ch/labs/ecos/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Comment-rediger.pdf

5.     Buttler, A., 2006 Comment rédiger un rapport ou une publication scientifique?https://www.epfl.ch/labs/ecos/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Comment-rediger-v2.2.pdf

6.     Buttler, A., 1998 Méthodes d’étude de la végétation. Script de cours. Document UFR des Sciences et Techniques,UMR CNRS 6565, Université de Franche-Comté, 127 p.

7.     Buttler, A. & Gillet, F., 1996 Méthodes d’étude de la végétation. Script de cours, Université de Neuchâtel, Institut de botanique, 228 pp.

8.     Borcard, D. & Buttler, A. 1995 Ecologie numérique: exemples d’applications. Script de cours, Université de Neuchâtel, Instituts de biologie, 80 pp.

9.     Borcard, D. & Buttler, A. 2000 Ecologie numérique. Script de cours, Université de Neuchâtel, Instituts de biologie, 244 pp.

Projects

Main former research projects
 
- OPAL
- SPHAGNOL
- AGRIFEU
- GRASSALT
- SUBFUNC
 - CLIMPEAT
 - PEATWARM
 - MOUNTLAND
 - COMIN
- VEGANPEAT
 - CATTREE
 - BRULIS
 - MODPOLLEN
- BIOCHANGE
 - TRUFE
 - MUSCAD
 - RECIPE
 - CATGRASS
- CLIMABOG
 - CEJ
 - REGENE
 - BOISEMENT
 - AZOTE
 - ERMAS
 - BERI
 - PASTO

 

>>> Project OPAL: Improving the management of oil palm landscapes across Asia, Africa and Latin America

2015-2021
Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF, r4d), Swiss Agency for development and Cooperation (SDC)
http://www.opal-project.org/

Team : Prof. Alexandre Buttler – PI, Dr. Thomas Guillaume – Post-Doc, Juan Carlos Quezeda – PhD, Johanna Rüegg – Master

Partnership : ETH Zurich, Switzerland, Luc Hoffmann Institute (WWF), CIRAD, IRD, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), WWF Cameroon, WWF Central Africa Regional Programme, University of Javeriana, Naturaleza, Energia y Sociedad (NES), WWF Colombia
The expansion of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is one of the main drivers of land use change and deforestation in the tropics. This expansion provides significant economic earnings for producer countries, corporations and smallholders, but at the cost of negative externalities within and beyond the landscapes in which oil palm is grownThe OPAL project uses natural and social sciences to build role playing games that reflect existing oil palm landscape realities. Using these games we aim to explore alternative oil palm trajectories with stakeholders and decision makers in Indonesia, Cameroon, and Colombia, to help chart a path towards more sustainable and inclusive futures.

More specifically, the ECOS laboratory’s team studies in Columbia and Cameroon the impact of oil palm plantations on soil and ecosystem carbon stocks and soil nutrient fluxes and how they are affected by specific managment pratices (isotopic approach in chronosequences).

Keywords :
Tropical ecosystem, oil palm, carbon sequestration, soil fertility, sustainability, isotopic approach, Columbia, Cameroon, Indonesia






>>>  Project SPHAGNOL: Allelochemical arms race in peatlands: the role of polyphenols in aboveground-belowground interactions

2015-2017
Swiss National Science Fundation (grant number: 315260_149807)

Team : Prof. Alexandre Buttler (PI), Dr. Vincent Jassey (post-doc), Dr. Bjorn Robroek (post-doc), Dr. Constant Signarbieux (post-doc), Prof. Luca Bragazza (PI)

External collaboratorions : Prof. Jean-Luc Wolfender (University of Geneva), Dr. Pierre-Marie Allard (post-doc, University of Geneva), Dr. Shuaizhen Zhou (post-doc, University of Geneva), Dr. Geneviève Chiapusio (Univeristy of Franche-Comté), Dr. Philippe Binet (Univeristy of Franche-Comté)

Research efforts on allelochemical interactions in ecosystems mostly involved vascular plants rather than non-vascular plants. However, Bryophytes represent a crucial group of plants, are found in many ecosystems, and posses allelochemical interactions. In Sphagnol, we envisage that polyphenols play a significant role in the competition between Sphagnum mosses and Sphagnum-vascular plant competition. More specifically, we hypothesize that species-specific polyphenols invoke a ‘home-advantage’ for the producing species, directly or indirectly, by hampering growth or growth related processes of competing species. The aims of this project are (i) to determine if Sphagnum species-specific secondary metabolites are allelopathic to competing species, (ii) to understand if species-specific polyphenol production of dominant species is the major driver of the growth of the competing species. It is envisaged that this effect is driven by two key processes; direct inhibitory effects on photosynthesis rates, and impacts on microbial abundance, diversity, trophic links and activities, which in turn will affect Sphagnum competitive strength. Finally, we will determine (iii) if climate changes affect the allelochemical arms race in Sphagnum communities. Species susceptible to drought and high temperature are hypothesized to lose their competitive advantage provided by phenolics, due to direct effects of climate changes on phenolic synthesis, thereby leading to a modification of the Sphagnum-Sphagnum and Sphagnum-microbe(s) interactions.

Keywords :
peatlands, chemical interactions, microbial food web, Sphagnum mosses, aboveground-belowground interactions, climate change, mesocosms





>>> Project AGRIFEU: Experimental assessment of innovative slash-and-burn cultivation practices for sustainable land use and deforestation prevention in Central Menabe, Madagascar

2013-2017
Swiss Program for Research on Global Issues for Development (http://www.r4d.ch/)
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC
Swiss National Science Foundation

Team : Prof. Alexandre Buttler – PI, Dr. Bjorn Robroek – Postdoc researcher, Justine Gay-des-Combes – PhD

Partnership : University of Antananarivo, ForDev group, ETH, Zürich
Slash and burn agriculture is practiced in many regions of Madagascar, causing deforestation problems. In the Menabe region, on the western coast, one registers between 1991 and 2000 a forest loss of 0.7 to 1.1%. Fields are cultivated during three to four years with maize crops, then the land is abandoned. At that point, about 30 years of fallow are necessary to recover a decent fertility level. So far, politics and NGOs blame rural households as the cause of natural habitat loss because of their practice of slash-and-burn agriculture. Nevertheless, from the point of view of local communities, this practice is a way to preserve soil fertility as long as traditional rules are respected, and in turn they blame “migrant” communities for breaking rules while slashing and burning.The SNF r4d AGRIFEU project is an attempt to bring together different stakeholders for exploring experimentally alternative practices. The overall project aims at (1) analysing the practice of slash-and-burn cultivation in the Menabe region, (2) assessing the different approaches by farmers and their benefit for the local population, (3) determining the potential of adapting practices for optimal use and sustainability of soils and associated services and (4) exploring experimentally alternative practices such as selective slash-and-burn. The project is supposed to constitute a first step towards the development of management strategies which will balance conservation of habitats and development of agriculture and thus minimize the impact on natural undisturbed forest.

Keywords :
Tropical agriculture, slash-and-burn cultivation, soil fertility, ecosystem services, Madagascar, dry forest, compost, rural household
Report of closing meeting, June 2017:https://documents.epfl.ch/groups/e/ec/ecos-unit/www/Presentations_total.pdf​​https://documents.epfl.ch/groups/e/ec/ecos-unit/www/R%C3%A9sum%C3%A9_total_SLZ-AB.pdf





 
>>> Project GRASSALT : Interactive effects of altitude and management on resistance and resilience of permanent grasslands to drought: combining agronomic, functional and ecophysiological approaches

Links :http://p3.snf.ch/Project-156282
2015-2019
Grant of the Swiss National Science Fundation (SNF)
 Team : Prof. Alexandre Buttler, EPFL-WSL-ECOS – PI, Eric Mosimann, Agroscope, co-PI, Anita Risch, WSL, co-PI, Dr. Constant Signarbieux, EPFL-WSL-ECOS, Dr. Pierre Mariotte, EPFL-WSL-ECOS, Amarante Vitra, PhD, EPFL-WSL-ECOS, Timothée Lottaz, EPFL-WSL-ECOS,  Marco Meisser, Agroscope, Dr Claire Deléglise, Agroscope, Luc Stevenin, Agroscope,  Prof. Richard Splivallo, EPFL-WSL-ECOS and Goethe Univ. Frankfurt, Germany, MSc and semester students.

Grassland ecosystems are challenged to meet the growing demand for ecosystem services and providing human goods. Grasslands are at the core of the Jura agriculture and justify financial support of the government, whose agricultural policy supports forage autonomy of herbivore herds. The expected increase in extreme climatic events will cause significant constraints on grassland systems that are particularly sensitive to drought. As a result, farmers must adapt grassland management, as well as their breeding objectives. Identifying potential interactive effects of different factors, such as altitude and management, with different water availability scenarios is therefore a major challenge to anticipate the performance of grasslands and the reliability of production at a regional scale under future climate variability. The current project will focus on the response of pastures to simulated spring and summer droughts along an altitudinal gradient and according to two management schemes. The objective of the project is twofold: i) provide agronomical references and management clues for forage production under altered precipitation regimes to anticipate potential yield losses and to adapt to future climate extremes, ii) identify ecological mechanisms that drive grassland responses to understand grassland resistance and resilience to drought events and predict their evolution under future climate. To achieve both applied and fundamental goals, agronomical monitoring will be combined with ecological approaches. A plant functional approach will be implemented to address changes in species and functional compositions of grasslands in response to altered environmental conditions. Moreover, relevant and innovative ecophysiological measurements will be developed to assess drought resistance mechanisms at the plant species level. Through the development of knowledge, the proposed project will significantly add in our understanding of the response of grassland communities to future climate variability, and will contribute to ecological theories. Further, the proposed project includes an effective integration of fundamental ecological principles into an agronomic issue, and will lead to the development of references directly relevant to agriculture.

Keywords :Grasslands, climate change, drought, rainshelter experiment, altitudinal gradient, plant traits, water stress, agronomy, fodder, management





>>> Project SUBFUNC: Effect of subordinate plant species on plant and soil community structure and ecosystem function

http://ecos.epfl.ch/page-57421-fr.html

•2008-2012
Grant of the Swiss National Science Fundation (SNF)
•
Team: Prof. A. Buttler, WSL Site Lausanne and EPFL-Lausanne-PI, Pierre Mariotte (PhD student), Dr. Charlotte Vandenberghe (Post-doc)
Collaboration:  Prof. Richard Bardgett, Prof. David Johnson, Prof. François Gillet, Dr. Pierre Rossi, Dr. Edward Mitchell
Background
Humans are altering the composition of biological communities through a variety of activities that increase rates of species invasions and/or species extinctions, at all scales, from local to global. These changes in components of biodiversity have a strong potential to alter ecosystem properties. In plant communities subordinate species (locally non-dominant species) that collectively compose the main part of the diversity, are generally at greater risk for extinction due their small population sizes. The role of subordinate plant species for the maintenance of ecosystem functions (e.g., production), for the resistance of plant communities against change in resource availability (e.g., drought, fertilization) and for the maintenance of the diversity of belowground organisms (e.g., protists, bacteria, fungi) and their function has recently received increasing attention, but remains poorly known.

Working Hypotheses
1. Subordinate plant species increase plant biomass production by improving the use of soil resources (species complementarity hypothesis).
2. Subordinate plant species modify the population structure and the relative contribution of dominant plant species by altering interactions between floristic components (changes in neighbourhood identity).
3. Subordinate plant species improve the plant community resistance to episodic drought (limitation of resources) by replacing sensitive dominant species (insurance hypothesis).
4. Through their effect on the producer trophic level, subordinate plant species influence the soil food web structure and function.
5. The response of belowground communities to changes in resource availability partly depends on the presence of subordinate species in the plant community (direct diversity effect).
6. Shifts in belowground communities caused by removal of subordinate plant species and/or of changes in resource availability result in changes in soil processes (decomposition, respiration).

Specific Aims
• To assess the role of subordinate plant species on the structure and functioning of the above- and below-ground components of a grassland ecosystem by using a removal experiment.
• To assess experimentally the influence of subordinate plant species on the response of above- and belowground components of the ecosystem to resource limitation (drought).
• To initiate a long-term experiment in the same site, with possible extension to other ecosystem processes (e.g., nutrient stress release by N or P addition, invasibility) and components (e.g., nematodes, earthworms, flagellates).

Experimental Design
A field experiment will be carried out on a species-rich grazed meadow of the Swiss Jura Mountains. In the selected site, 36 permanent plots of 4 m2 will be established using a randomized factorial design with a combination of two factors and six replicates. The effect of subordinate plant species (frequent but never dominant in the plant community) will be assessed through a three-level factor: (1) removal of subordinate plant species; (2) removal of similar biomass of dominant plant species; (3) control without removal. The effect of resource limitation will be assessed through a two-level factor: (1) drought; (2) control. Plant composition, functional traits and biomass will be monitored during the ongoing experiment. Belowground diversity will be identified by monitoring three groups with contrasted functional roles in the soil food web: bacteria, fungi and testate amoebae. Moreover, direct measurements of key soil processes (respiration, decomposition) will be done.

Expected Value of the Proposed Project
Understanding the impact of the present loss of biodiversity on ecosystem functions is a key challenge in ecology. If diversity per se can be shown to have a critical role on ecosystem functions, this can be, together with ethical and aesthetic reasons a crucial argument to increase present biodiversity conservation efforts. Moreover, understanding the link between above and belowground diversity is one of the main present challenges in ecology. While this research addresses primarily purely scientific questions, its broader impact on the management of biodiversity and natural plant communities could be significant.

Key words:
Biodiversity, subordinate species, above- and belowground interactions, competition/facilitation, removal experiment, climate change, ecosystem function






>>> Project CLIMPEAT : Influence of global warming and drought on carbon sequestration and biodiversity of Sphagnum peatlands – present, past and future perspectives

2012-2017
Poland-Swiss Research Programme
http://www.climpeat.pl/

Swiss principal applicant : Prof. A. Buttler, WSL Site Lausanne and EPFL-Lausanne
•Polish principal applicant: Prof. Mariusz Lamentowicz, University Adam Mickiewicz, Poznan
Collaborators : Dr. Vincent Jassey, post-doc EPFL-WSL-ECOS

Partnership : University Adam Mickiewicz, Poznan, Poland, Poznan University of Life Science, Poland, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Switzerland, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
 In the proposed research we want to use Sphagnum peatlands (located in N Poland) as a model ecosystem and analyse its vulnerability to climate change applying an experimental setup that simulates in situ an increase of temperature and drought. The underlying idea is to determine to what extent climate warming in combination with drought can modify peatland functioning in a polish bog which fits in an oceanic-continental climate gradient with similar studies underway in other climate settings, such as in the Jura and in Russia. In particular we want to see how these climate changes can deteriorate the C sink function of peatland ecosystems. More precisely, the project aims at evaluating the effects on (1) the balance of C fluxes above- and belowground (especially via respired CO2), (2) the biodiversity and microbial activities on Sphagnum and in the peat, (3) the structure of plant communities and primary production, and (4) dynamics of labile and recalcitrant organic matter (OM) of the peat substrate. Simultaneously, the study of the most useful biological and geochemical compartments will lead to better identification and calibration of markers of temperature-drought-induced changes (e.g. testate amoebae community structure, isotopic composition of organic compounds). The patterns of the identified proxies will be used to reconstruct climate changes during the last 1000 years. It is still not clear how fast peatlands respond to changes in temperature and droughts in continental climate setting and indeed this is an important issue, since continental regions account for a significant proportion of all northern hemisphere peatlands.
 Among the approaches to be used, some are entirely new for this part of Europe:
 • Contrary to the former projects, in the experiment we will manipulate not only temperature but also drought. Therefore we will simulate long lasting heat waves.
 • The experimental heating system "Open-Top Chambers" based on a standardised ITEX protocol will be used for the first time in a Polish peatland ecosystems. This will enable comparison with other sites in Europe, in particular in the arctic, Jura Mountains and Siberia.
 • High-tech equipment is going to be used to constantly monitor climate and greenhouse gas emission. Linje site will become a reference point in this part of Europe for the monitoring of carbon budget in peatlands.
 • A novel aspect of our research is the combination of several complementary disciplines to obtain an optimal view of the complex ecosystem processes in relation to global change.
 • We refer to the existing research and we will benefit from the experience of already realized projects like PEATWARM, and we already know which topic should be stressed and where the difficulties are.
 • We will benefit not only from the foreign study sites but also from the one existing in N Poland (Rzecin mire) where carbon sequestration is currently monitored.
 • We will look at the past changes and relate it to the future perspective.
 • Our monitoring and experimental approach along a west-east transect will trigger new ideas and methods for interdisciplinary cooperation in peatland science. We will apply the new approach in an area of Poland that will be a bridge between western and eastern study sites and therefore will fill a gap in the climatic gradient to be studied if one wants to have a better picture of the sensitivity of peatlands to climate change in Europe. We will connect different, complementary groups of scientists to obtain integrated research on the functioning of peatlands in temporal and spatial scales. An important aim is also to train young scientists and encouraging them to mobility and to international visibility.
 
Keywords :Peatland, climate change, warming, water table manipulation, OTC experiment, microcosm experiment, carbon, vegetation monitoring, soil microorganisms, soil biogeochemistry, gas exchanges (NEE, soil respiration), paleoecology.






>>>  Project PEATWARM : Effect of Climate Warming on Biotic Communities and the Carbon Balance of Sphagnum Peatlands

 
2008-2012
French ANR (Agence nationale de la Recherche), EPFL and WSL (swiss partnership)
 http://peatwarm.cnrs-orleans.fr/
 
Team : Prof. Alexandre Buttler, PI, Prof. Edward Mitchell, co-PI, Prof. Luca Bragazza (joint Univ. Ferrara and WSL)
Gregory Bernard (joint UFC Besançon and EPFL), Julien Parisod (PhD)

Partnership: University of Orléans, University of Franche-Comté, University of Nancy, Université of Rennes, University of Poitiers

Sphagnum peat-bogs are valuable humid ecosystems which provide specific habitats and host a typical and large biodiversity. They have an important function in carbon sequestration at a world scale. We study the vegetation, soil microbial communities and activity, labile and recalcitrant organic matter, plant-macrofauna-microbes interactions, and carbon fluxes in a warming experiment in field conditions, to asses the effect of ongoing climate change on these ecosystems and the possible feedback to effects on climate.Our main hypothesis is that with a temperature increase, there will be a change in the competition between mosses and vascular plants and that this will affect the belowground ecosystem functions.
A peatland is equipped with OTC’s (Open Top Chamber) and control plots. The treatment induces a raise of approximatively 3°C. OTC’s and control plots are equipped with temperature sensors, piezometers, plant productivity, vegetationsurvey, gas rings (CH4 and CO2), and litter bags. Within the PEATWARM project, our aim is therefore to experimentally increase the temperature of a pristine mire from a temperate zone and to assess how the ecosystem is affected in its structure and function. The underlying idea is to determine to what extent a moderate temperature rise can modify the C sink function of peatlands in temperate regions.
 The specific focus of the project is to determine how the temperature increase affects:
 (1) the major plant functional groups
 (2) the balance of above- and below-ground C fluxes (especially by the isotopic signature of respired CO2)
 (3) the microbial diversity and activity in Sphagnum mosses and in below-ground peat
 (4) the dynamics of labile and recalcitrant OM of below-ground peat.
 (5) the interactions between plants-microbes-macro-fauna in terms of C, N, S tranferts
 The ultimate objective is the creation of a biogeochemical model of C coupled with N and S cycles that attempts to extrapolate changes to the system over the next two decades.
 
Keywords :
Peatbog, warming experiment, vegetation change, carbon cycle, microbial communities, biogeochemistry of peat and pore water, litter decomposition





 
 >>> Project MOUNTLAND : Sustainable land-use practices in mountain regions: Integrative analysis of ecosystem dynamics under global change, socio-economic impacts and policy implications (interdisciplinary project)

2009-2012
Competence Center Environment and Sustainability (CCES) , European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST)
http://www.cces.ethz.ch/projects/sulu/MOUNTLAND

Team at ECOS : Prof. Dr. Alexandre Buttler, co-PI, Prof. Dr. François Gillet, Dr. Thomas Spiegelberger, Dr. Claire Guenat, Dr. Alexander Peringer, post-doc, Konstantin Gavazov, PhD.

Partnership : CCES Mountland project, ETHZ, WSL, SLF

 Mountain ecosystems provide a large array of goods and services, which are highly sensitive to both climatic and land-use changes. The political system with its policies and governance structures has a crucial role in mitigating the impact of such changes and enhancing sustainable management practices. Therefore, we apply an integrative approach by combining methods of economics, political science and natural sciences to analyze ecosystem functioning and management in mountain regions under climate change.
 
 Aims of the MOUNTLAND project
 The primary goal of MOUNTLAND is to contribute to the development of adapted land-use practices and innovative policy solutions for mountain regions that (1) warrant the life-supporting services required for sustainable development, (2) are economically and ecologically efficient, and (3) socially and institutionally feasible.
 
 Concept and challenges of the MOUNTLAND project
 In MOUNTLAND, we address the following issues ecosystem response of climate change on sensitive natural processes and on their supply of goods & services of mountain ecosystems, the socio-economic impact of a change in the selected ecosystems’ goods and services, sectoral and cross-sectoral policies to mitigate negative effects on these socio-economic pressures, and effects of these policies on land management and the related impacts on the spatio-temporal development of landscapes and their functions. Based on a concept of a dynamic overall system, we are aiming to close feedback loops between these issues, and thus between ecosystem dynamics, socio-economic assessment of ecosystem goods and services, policy making and its implications on land management.
 
 Further innovative challenges include :
 Integration of plot-based observational and experimental evidence in a modeling framework and upscaling to the landscape level.
 Evaluation of the effects of adapted land use practices on the provision of ecosystem goods and services.
 Identification of innovative policy solutions involving applications of new instruments and required institutional reforms (integration, allocation of competencies) suited to mitigate negative impacts from climate change.
 
 Sub-project at ECOS: Impact of Land-Use Change and Climate Change on High Elevation Pasture-Woodland Ecosystems

Silvopastoral systems are highly productive and combine long-term wood production with annual provision of forage for livestock. In the Swiss Jura Mountains these systems are a key component of the landscape. As in other cold biomes, climate change can potentially accelerate landscape change within these historically sustainable systems.
Experimental transplantation of monolith soil turfs to lower altitudes will simulate soil warming and reduced annual precipitation.
A list of above- and belowground variables will be measured to assess the resilience of biogeochemical processes, plant productivity, tree regeneration, and carbon sequestration for each respective land-use practice: pastures, wooded pastures, and
forests.
Furthermore the project will improve on the existing spatially explicit, dynamic model WoodPaM and refine the modelʼs climatic and land-use variables so that different scenarios of climate change and land use change can be simulated. Natural and
management induced disturbance patterns will be incorporated into the model. Essentially, it will be parameterized with the field-collected data.

Keywords :
silvopastoral systems, vegetation dynamics, spatially explicit modeling, biogeochemistry, aboveground-belowground interactions, soil transplantation, mesocosms





>>> Project COMIN: Resistance of plant communities to an invading species (Centaurea maculosa Senecio inaequidens).
 
 • 2005-2009
 • Grant of the Swiss National Science Fundation (SNF)
 • Principal applicant : Prof. A. Buttler, WSL Antenne romande and EPFL-Lausanne
 • Co-applicant : Dr. F. Gillet, EPFL-Lausanne
 • Collaboration : NCCR program “Plant Survival”, module « Evolution and spread of potential invasive plants »
 • PhD student : Aurélie Thébault
 Collaboration: Prof. Sandra Lavorel, Prof. H. Müller-Schärer, Dr P. Stoll
 
 Most studies of ecological invasions have focused on the invasive species themselves and the characteristics that allow them to establish in new communities. However, communities are not all equally invasible and the mechanisms that allow a community to resist invasion are not well understood. Disturbance and stress affect invasibility, as well as propagule pressure, history of the community and community structure. Although some studies have linked community structure, disturbance and stress to invasibility, none or few of them have focused on small scale patterns of vegetation dynamics and species mobility within the community in relation to large herbivores activity. To become invasive, an exotic species has, after spreading (dispersal stage), to establish itself into a community, but also to be able to spread within the it and to outcompete the resident species, leading to a loss of diversity or a reduction of the value of the community (e.g. pastural value).
 Furthermore, composition and functioning of soil microbial communities is closely linked those of the plant community. An exotic plant, by leading to shifts in plant community composition, can directly or indirectly disrupt these links (such as timing, quality, quantity and spatial structure of plant-derived soil inputs) and alter soil community composition. However, the existing studies on invasive plants have not addressed the combined effects of soil organisms and competition with native plants on the success of invasive plants. Furthermore, almost nothing is known on the effects of invasive plants on soil processes and different groups of soil microorganisms.
 In this project the question is: (1) what are the characteristics of a plant community that impact the establishment success of an exotic species? (2) are these characteristics the same as those that allow non-exotic species to become dominant in the resident community?
 Three complementary approaches will be applied to assess the invasibility of plant communities: (1) Comparative (e.g. regression-based) observational studies using data from the large field survey in both ranges. (2) Field experiments: sowing, transplantation, small-scale disturbances and fertilisation in semi-natural plant communities inside and outside the native range. (3) Hierarchic dynamic modelling to describe and predict the consequences of complex interactions between invasive populations, established plant functional groups at small scale and community dynamics at landscape scale.
 The protocoles are : Comparison of native and non native genotypes’ germination success (establishment) and survival in natural communities ; effect of above and below ground competition on introduced species survival and growth ; grazing impacts on establishment and spread success : characteristics of resistance to invasion according to environmental constraints and vegetation structure ; effect of vegetation dynamics (temporal and spatial scales): disturbance timing on establishment and spread success, spatial aggregation/ segregation of resident species ; effect of soil biota on native and introduced species performances (abundance and community structure of fungi, bacteria, protozoa using a combination of molecular and microscopy methods, decomposition of OM using litterbags in-situ or soil respiration, and community level physiological profiles).
 
 Keywords : Invasiveness, invasibility, evolutionary processes, ecological processes, vegetation dynamics, spatial aggregation, functional traits, Senecio inaequidens, Centaurea maculosa





>>> Project VEGANPEAT:  Climate warming and vegetation change in peatlands: spatial and temporal effects on biogeochemistry
2014-2015
Swiss NSF
Principal applicant: Prof. Luca Bragazza (WSL-Lausanne & EPFL-ECOS)
Co-applicant : Dr. Frank Hagedordn (WSL)
Post-doc: Dr. Konstantin Gavazov (WSL-Lausanne & EPFL-ECOS)

In this project, we propose to study C and nitrogen (N) cycling in peatlands: 1) along an altitudinal gradient (from 550 m to about 1900 m asl), reflecting long-term climatic changes, and 2) in transplanted peat mesocosms from the highest to the lowest altitude, simulating a short-term climate warming.In particular, we aim to: (1) clarify how climate change will affect extracellular soil enzymatic activity, soil respiration, the quantity and the quality of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and vegetation cover; (2) test if a change in plant cover and soil temperature can enhance the decomposition of old organic matter by evaluating the bomb-14C content in carbon dioxide (CO2) respired from peat soil; (3) estimate if and how climatic warming alters nitrogen cycling by measuring N mineralization and the natural abundance of 15N in leaves of different peatland plant species.






>>> Project CATTREE: Influence of cattle activity on tree regeneration in wooded pastures

2003-2006 •
Grant of MAVA Fundation and of WSL Program « Walddynamik »
• Principal applicant : A. Buttler, WSL Antenne romande, EPFL Lausanne and University of Franche-Comté
• Co-applicant : F. Freléchoux, WSL Antenne romande
• PhD student : Charlotte Vandenberghe
• Collaboration : Group for grassland and grazing systems of the Swiss federal research station of Changins, Nyon, University of Neuchâtel

Partnerships : WSL, Lausanne, ECOS, EPFL, Lausanne, Agroscope Changins (RAC), Nyon, University of Fribourg
 In wooded pastures, the regeneration of trees is an important process for ecological equilibrium and long term development of these complex ecosystems. Vegetation composition, structure and productivity as well as its spatial pattern are key factors which determine the regeneration niches of trees. The occurrence of such niches is also directed by the cattle activity on the pastureland. In this project we want to focus on key factors influencing the early stage of tree development, by looking at onsite seed germination and sapling survival in relation to cattle activity.
 
 The general working hypotheses are:
 1. Both community and patch scales are relevant for the regeneration of trees in pasture woodlands.
 2. Openings in the herbaceous layer, due to livestock trampling, grazing and browsing, contribute to competition release and are favourable to tree establishment.
 3. In wooded pastures, species other than Norway spruce (in particular those from the adjacent forests), vary in their colonisation potential along a light and productivity gradient.
 4. Norway spruce resists grazing, browsing and trampling better than silver fir, European beech and sycamore maple.
 
 Specific aims:
 1. To investigate the influence of artificial openings (gaps) in the herbaceous layer, simulating livestock impacts and herb competition release, on seed germination and seedling survival of the four main tree species. With an enclosure, the direct impact of livestock (grazing, trampling, scarring) at different pressure regimes will be determined.
 2. To investigate the influence of artificial openings (gaps) in the herbaceous layer, simulating livestock impacts and herb competition release, on survival and growth of transplanted sapling of various heights and of the same four main species. With an enclosure, the direct impact of livestock (grazing, browsing, trampling, scarring) on the transplanted saplings will be recorded.
 3. To investigate the influence of various ecological niches in wooded pastures on tree regeneration, including gradients of tree density, light density, vegetation composition and biomass.
 
 Experimental design and methods:
 The project will collect observational and experimental data in the field.
 
 Expected value of the proposed project:
 Better understanding of tree dynamics in wooded pastures of the Jura Mountains, and in particular of tree regeneration niches in relation to abiotic (e.g. litter, soil types, light) and biotic factors due to livestock (competition release, disturbances like openings in the herbaceous layer, trampling, grazing, and browsing). The results will provide sound data for dynamic modelling and ultimately tools for enabling a sustainable management of wooded pastures, including economic (e.g. forestry and agriculture) and ecological aspects (e.g. biodiversity and landscape maintenance).

Keywords : Grazing ecology, tree establishment, competition, facilitation, wood pastures, biodiversity, field experiments, ecosystem dynamics


 



>>> BRULIS: Optimisation of slash and burn cultivation in secondary vegetation of the dry tropical forest (Morondava, Madagascar)

2007-2011
KFPE (www.kfpe.ch)
IFS (www.ifs.se)
Antoine und Claraz Foundation
UNINE (Subvention Egalité)
Team: Prof. A. Buttler (PI, PhD co-supervisor),  Prof.J.-M. Gobat (PhD supervisor), Olga Raharimalala (PhD student )

Collaborations: Rodolphe Schläepfer EPFL), Jean-Pierre Sorg (GFD- ETHZ), Prof. Lalanirina Gabrielle Rajoelison (ESSA, Department of Water and Forestry, University of Antananarivo, Madagascar), Prof. Samuel Razanaka (CNFEREF (ex-CFPF) Morondava, Madagascar)

This project aims at gaining accurate information on the use of fire in traditional agriculture and the way fire harms ecosystems in order to develop sound recommendations to optimize slash-andburn cultivation methods and preserve the forest’s biodiversity.To do so we determine the potential value of the secondary vegetation from an ecological point of view and with a potential  land-use perspective (agriculture), considering the various post-fire succession types.

The specific goals are: 

• to classify post-fire vegetation in the dry forest of Central Menabe and characterising the soil-vegetation patterns,
• to assess quantitatively and qualitatively the biomass of the secondary vegetation (plots) after fire events,
• to quantify the potential nutrient inputs from burning biomass (contribution of dominant species),
• to carry out tests of inflammability of the various tree species and determining their flammability properties,
• to define the best use (optimization) of secondary vegetation in order to limit incursion in the virgin forest.

Keywords:Secondary succession, fire, slash and burn cultivation, inflammability, biomass, nutrients, cultivation optimization, Central Menabe, Madagascar






>>>  Project MODPOLLEN: Modelling modern pollen assemblage, present vegetation and management relationships for the validation of pollen signatures in fossils records

• Grant CNRS-Région, University of Franche-Comté
• Leadership : A. Buttler, University of Franche-Comté and WSL Antenne romande ; D. Galop, University of Franche-Comté-CNRS
• PhD student : Florence Mazier
• Partnership with University of Neuchâtel , University of Bern and NCCR program “Plant Survival”, module " Pattern and long-term changes in pasture-woodlands: Complex plant-herbivore interactions in a traditional type of agro-forestry "

The analysis of gradual changes in land-use intensity of pasture woodlands over the last millennium requires a much more detailed interpretation of the composition of pollen sediments than the reconstruction of the large-scale vegetation history of the Holocene. This project will describe the major gradients in modern pollen deposits, relate these patterns to environmental and anthropogenic variables, and test whether different degrees of openness and grazing pressure produce statistically distinct modern pollen spectra. In a quasi-experimental design based on vegetation maps (Vittoz 1998) and current land-use, pollen species composition of moss samples will be related to vegetation relevés obtained at three different spatial scales. The correlative model linking modern pollen assemblage to present vegetation as a function of present land-use and landscape structure will be used to interpret fossil pollen data from the same study area. This will allow the reconstruction of land-use history by comparison with modern analogues. A parallel study in the Pyrenées will help assess the generality of the relationships between land-use intensity, vegetation, and pollen deposition.


(see list of papers above)




>>> BIOCHANGE: Effects of Climate Change on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning along an Altitudinal Gradient in the Jura

Le projet BioChange a vu le jour grâce à un financement de la fondation BCV

Partenaires :
Parc jurassien vaudois, LASIG Laboratoire de systèmes d’information géographique de l’EPFL, Programme LWF du WSL, Université de Neuchâtel, Laboratoire Sol et Végétation, Arboretum national du vallon de l’Aubonne, La Salamandre, La Fondation “Les Bois Chamblard”
Le projet BioChange vise à étudier les effets du climat et de ses changements sur la biodiversité et le fonctionnement des forêts, en tant qu’écosystèmes, le long d’un transect partant du niveau du lac Léman pour se terminer sur la première crête du Jura, au Marchairuz.Le projet BioChange est mené par le laboratoire ECOS (chaire conjointe EPFL-WSL) et repose sur un large réseau de partenaires.BioChange suit une mission d’ordre académique, en menant une recherche scientifique innovante et une mission de sensibilisation, en fournissant de nombreuses informations sur une question d’actualité ayant d’importantes incidences environnementales.Biochange se base sur deux approches complémentaires: du lac Léman au Marchairuz: un suivi du climat, de la végétation et du sol pour observer les changements à long terme, au sein des écosystèmes forestiers; des expérimentations sur le terrain et au laboratoire pour simuler les changements climatiques à venir. Cinq sites d’études le long du gradient altitudinal ont été choisis : Les Bois Chamblard (370 m), La Mûre (570 m), La Côte Réviol (810 m), La Saint Georges (1141 m) et Le Marchairuz (1447 m).



>>> Project TRUFE: Tree Regeneration and Understorey Feedback Effect in pasture woodland
 
 • Grant WSL
 • Leadership : A. Buttler, WSL Antenne romande and EPFL Lausanne, F. Gillet EPFL Lausanne
 • PhD student : D. Béguin
 • Collaboration : WSL Program « Walddynamik » and NCCR program “Plant Survival”, module " Pattern and long-term changes in pasture-woodlands: Complex plant-herbivore interactions in a traditional type of agro-forestry "
 
 For wooded pastures to develop shifting mosaic dynamics, the interactions between trees and the vegetation of the herbaceous layer need to change with tree life stage (Olff et al. 1999). This study aims at identifying the main factors for tree regeneration at different spatial scales and assessing the nature and time-lag of feedback effects of established trees on the surrounding herbaceous vegetation. A correlative study will contrast current and abandoned pastures in two study regions of the Swiss Jura in order to test hypotheses on the facilitating function of the surrounding vegetation on tree regeneration at patch, community, and phytocoenose level. The feedback effects of larger trees on vegetation structure and composition as dependent on environmental conditions will be assessed using a quasi-experimental design. Dendro-ecology and morphological measurements will be used to determine the modification of tree growth curves by cattle grazing as compared to established growth curves in ungrazed forest stands. This project will quantify growth parameters and thresholds for life-stage dependent tree-vegetation interactions under cattle grazing in a heterogeneous environment. Beyond the direct contribution to the modelling in NCCR module "Statistical and dynamic modeling of plant survival in ecosystems", it will further the understanding of the conditions under which wooded pastures display shifting mosaic dynamics.
 
 The hypotheses are:
 1. Facilitation processes are scale dependant and differ at phytoceonose, community and patch levels
 2. At phytoceonose level, the surrounding tree population structure determines the regeneration potential
 3. At community level the vegetation with established young trees differs from that without young trees. The species assemblage determines the regeneration hability of young trees. Some groups of species will be favorable while other will not. The tree occurrence will be enhanced by a lower, delayed biomass production and by a loose canopy of the herbaceous layer.
 4. At patch level, young trees will mostly be found in association with unpalatable species.
 5. The microstructures (rocky outcrops, tree stumps), microtopography (convex/concave) determines the establishment and survival chances of young trees. They occur preferentially on old tree stumps, next to rocky outcrops and in convex microtopographical positions.
 6. Facilitation plays a more important role for graze-intolerant tree species (Acer pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica, Abies alba) than for more tolerant species (Picea abies).
 
 



 
 >>> Project MUSCAD: Multi-scale evaluation of plant biodiversity in pasture-woodland landscapes of the Jura mountains

Part of the integrative project NCCR “Plant Survival”, module “Pattern and long-term changes in pasture-woodlands: Complex plant-herbivore interactions in a traditional type of agro-forestry

2003-2006
• Grant CNRS-Région, University of Franche-Comté and WSL Antenne romande
• Leadership : A. Buttler, University of Franche-Comté and WSL Antenne romande ; H. Wagner, WSL, A. Guisan, University of Lausanne, Z. Gadallah, EPFL Lausanne, R. Caloz, EPFL Lausanne, F. Gillet, EPFL
• PhD student : Alexia Dufour (Cotutelle between the laboratory of chrono-ecology, Uni. of Franche-Comté and the laboratory ECOSPAT, Uni. of Lausanne)
• Partnership with WSL Antenne romande, EPFL Lausanne, University of Lausanne and NCCR program “Plant Survival”, module " Pattern and long-term changes in pasture-woodlands: Complex plant-herbivore interactions in a traditional type of agro-forestry "
Patterns of biodiversity have been of long-standing interest to ecologists, particularlyat regional and global scales. As the lossof biodiversity becomes of greaterenvironmental, social and politicalconcern, understanding the drivers of localbiodiversity in natural and anthropogenicecosystems is of an increasingly practicalinterest in conservation.
In a heterogeneous landscape, biodiversity is strongly scale-dependent and cannot be extrapolated using e.g. simple species-area relationships. In most biodiversity surveys and monitoring, however, plant biodiversity is assessed at only one scale, which can vary from one study to another. Therefore comparisons are difficult to make and this limits also the assessment of biodiversity and affects the quality of management decisions. We will address the question on how biodiversity evolves through a range of spatial scales, ranging from the fine scale, as assessed by means of vegetation relevés, to satellite imagery. In the Jura Mountains, wooded pasturesare the result of traditional humanactivities, mainly forest management andextensive cattle grazing. This culturallandscape is particularly rich in plantspecies and we hypothesise that thediversity is closely related to theenvironmental heterogeneity of the systemat multiple scalewww.wsl.ch/staff/helene.wagner/s.

How to describe landscape in order toexplain and predict plant diversity in agiven place ? This is the main question ofMUSCAD project.

Keywords : Plant biodiversity, spatial analysis, remote sensing, GIS, multiscale, species assemblage, species richness, wooded pastures


 
 (see list of papers above)


 
 
>>>  Project RECIPE: Reconciling commercial exploitation of peat with biodiversity in peatland ecosystems

•
EU Project, 5th Framework (2003-2006)Fund : RECIPE is a collaborative research project funded by the European Union Fifth Framework Programme (programme code: EVK2-2002-00269).

Project website

 • Partnership : Macaulay Land Use Research Institute Aberdeen (coord.), University of Franche Comté, University of Orléans, University of Rennes, University of Helsinky, University of Nancy, Research Inst. for Environment & Health , Germany, Swiss Federal Inst. of Technology Lausanne EPFL, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Antenne romande, Consultant office LIN’eco)
 • Leadership: A. Buttler (EPFL and Univ. Franche-Comté) and E. Mitchell, EPFL Lausanne
 • PhD student : Andy Siegenthaler (EPFL) and Estelle Bortoluzzi (Univ. Franche-Comté)
 • Master’s Thesis : Emanuella Samaritani (Univ. Geneva and Univ. Lausanne)
 
 
 RECIPE is designed to provide information to assist conservationists and managers of peat extraction with options to restore peat accumulation and carbon (C) sequestration in peatland that has either been abandoned or designated for restoration. The objectives will identify combinations of water table,vegetation, microbiology and chemistry favorable to the reestablishment of peatland biodiversity and long term regeneration. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the relationship between the development of microbial diversity and the processes governing C cycling. By achieving these objectives in the context of current management practices, RECIPE will provide guidelines for sustainable management that will reconcile peat use with the maintenance of biodiversity. The technological output from the project will be transferred to end users in the form of workshops, published papers, web-based information and printed guidelines.
 
 Objectives are :
 
 1. Relate the biological and chemical processes associated with C turnover to the physical, nutrient and hydrological conditions in cut-over peatland.
 2. Determine relationships between the microbial community structure in peat and the activity of microbial processes driving C loss.
 3. Relate microbial community to effectiveness of plant establishment.
 4. Determine impact of different plant species on C sequestration.
 5. Develop indicators of change in physical, chemical and biological characteristics of peat.
 6. Develop guidelines for sustainable management of peatlands.
 7. Quantify current and future requirements for sustainable peatland management in the EC, recognizing its value within the rural economy.
 
 Experimental work will consist of microbiological, chemical and physical studies of cut-over (extracted or degraded) peatland that is being re-vegetated. This will consist of both a survey of existing areas and controlled experimental plots seeded with peat-forming vegetation. Rates of C sequestration by the vegetation will be determined and compared with C turnover in litter and the underlying peat. Both microbial communities and processes associated with C sequestration in
 peat will be identified using innovative microbiological and molecular techniques. Optimal conditions for regeneration of peatland after extraction, viz., water table level, peat thickness and peat chemistry, will be established in consultation with peatland managers. The options available to them for managing peat extraction and restoration will be reviewed. The work is distributed between seven work packages. The first (WP 01) involves consultation with and feedback from both commercial and conservation bodies, i.e. the beneficiaries of the research, who will form an end users focus group. Sites that have been abandoned or recently used for peat extraction will be used for experimental studies involving re-vegetation and measures of photosynthesis and biomass accumulation (WP 02). The genetic biodiversity of the microbial ’loop’ (decomposer community) will be studied in these sites (WP 03) together with characterization of the functional diversity of the bacterial communities (WP 04). The relationships between these microbial communities and organic matter quality (peat chemistry) (WP 05) will be related to rates of C turnover (WP 06) and used to obtain potential indicators of change in peat. These findings will then be integrated and translated into management options, providing concrete guidelines for peatland use and restoration involving sustainable practices that have socio-economic benefits (WP 07).

Keywords : Cutover bogs; Regeneration; Restoration; Biomonitoring; Greenhouse gases; C sequestration; Community ecology; Functional ecology; Secondary succession; Socio-economics; Sustainable management


 
(see list of papers above)


 
 
 >>> Project CATGRASS : Influence of biotic factors in relation to cattle activity onto short-term dynamics of grasslands
 
 • Grant of the Swiss National Science Fundation
 • Principal applicant : A. Buttler, WSL Antenne romande and University of Franche-Comté
 • Co-applicant : Dr. F. Gillet, University of Neuchâtel and WSL Antenne romande
 • Collaboration : WSL Program « Walddynamik », University of Neuchâtel, NCCR program “Plant Survival”, module " Pattern and long-term changes in pasture-woodlands: Complex plant-herbivore interactions in a traditional type of agro-forestry "
 • PhD student : F. Kohler
 • Post-doc : F. Gillet (15%)
 
 Wooded pastures in general and ‘pâturages boisés’ in the Jura Mountains in particular, show important ecological properties that make them unique ecosystems. Spatial patterning of the vegetation is one of their key properties and is strongly directed by human activities such as forest management and cattle grazing. These ecosystems are increasingly threatened by change in agricultural practices, paralleled by a growing public awareness of the traditional landscape. The real challenge will be to bridging various interests by defining optimised management strategies, which maintain biodiversity (conservationist view) as well as productivity (utilitarian view).
 
 The general hypotheses are:
 1 Processes of vegetation dynamics in the grassland communities vary along an ecological gradient of tree density.
 2 Grazing, dunging and trampling have various effects on plant functional groups distinguished by their ecological, morphological and dispersability traits in space and time.
 3 Gaps from mechanical trampling damages and former dung pats promote new species but these are specific to the disturbance and stress conditions.
 4 Heterogeneity at both patch and community levels is higher under natural cattle activity (enclosure experiment), in comparison to heterogeneity under separate homogeneous treatments at the plot scale (exclosure experiment).
 
 Specific aims:
 1 To assess the successional processes involving herbaceous vegetation within wooded pastures in relation to cattle activity (grazing, dunging and trampling), environmental conditions and tree cover at three scales: (1) patch (within synusiae), (2) community (between synusiae) and (3) landscape (between phytocoenoses).
 2 To explore the processes at various hierarchical levels of descriptors: individual species assemblage and plant functional groups.
 3 To develop a spatially implicit dynamic model based on plant functional groups at the synusia level, parameterised from precise observations and field experiments, which could be integrated later as a submodel into a spatially explicit multi-scale and multi-agent model.
 4 To evaluate the influence of grazing/ranging on the dynamics of grassland communities within silvopastoral ecosystems by running model scenarios.
 
 Experimental Design and / or Methods:
 The project will collect observational data (freely grazed area, enclosure experiments) and experimental data (controlled treatments aiming at initiating new vegetation dynamics in exclosure experiments) in various environmental conditions along a gradient of tree density (gradient of shade, microclimate and species pool: open pastureland, pasture woodland, grazed forest).
 
 Expected Value of the Proposed Project:
 The dynamic model will be used for better understanding and controlling the delicate management of wooded pastures (assistance tool). It is part of a broader modelling approach.
 
 Keywords:
 Silvopastoral ecosystems, vegetation dynamics, trampling, dunging, grazing, biodiversity, field experiments, plant functional groups, modelling.
 
  (see list of papers above)
 


 

>>> CLIMABOG : Seasonal Nutrient Partitioning between Microbes and Plants in Bogs: the Effect of Increasing Temperature

The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) will run from spring 2010 through spring 2012.
Principal investigator : Prof. Luca Bragazza

Peatlands are important long-term carbon (C) sinks, particularly Sphagnum-dominated peatlands (or bogs) where the bulk of living and dead biomass is formed by Sphagnum mosses. This peculiar genus of bryophytes is characterized by physiological and biochemical features that enhance the sequester of C by the production of litter extremely refractory to decomposition and by the presence of microbial inhibitors. Furthermore, Sphagnum productivity is strictly dependent on water surplus so that bogs are expected to be particularly sensitive to climate change. Indeed, any reduction of Sphagnum dominance in favor of vascular plants can jeopardize the C sink function of bogs because the litter of vascular plant is much more easily decomposable.Some laboratory experiments suggest that increasing peat soil temperature can promote the growth of vascular plants at expense of mosses through an alteration of plant competitive ability for nutrient acquisition with respect to soil microbes. In the light of the ongoing climate change, a better understanding of the effects of climate warming on plant-microbe interactions in bogs is then crucial for predicting potential alteration on C sinking mediated by above- and belowground feedbacks

The main aim of the research project CLIMABOG is to understand the relationships between plants and microbes for nutrient acquisition, in particular nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and potential feedbacks on bog biogeochemistry along a gradient of increasing peat soil temperature. Increasing soil temperature will be obtained by selecting the study bogs along an altitudinal gradient so as to assess the effects of climate warming under conditions of long-term equilibrium between biogeochemistry, vegetation and local climatic conditions.







>>> Projet CEJ: Etude d'impact "Effets de la régulation des lacs subjurassiens sur la végétation et le milieu"

• Direction du projet : Jean-Michel Gobat, Université de Neuchâtel
• Chef de projet: A. Buttler
• Collaborateurs: P. Cornali, M. Bueche
• Mandat de l'Office fédéral de l’environnement, des forêts et du paysage (OFEFP) et des cantons de Soleure, Berne, Neuchâtel, Fribourg et Vaud, en collaboration avec l'Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL - IATE, Prof. A. Musy, Dr. P. Perrochet) et l'Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Zürich (EPFZ, Laboratoire des travaux hydrauliques, de l'hydrologie et de la glaciologie, Dr. A. Kühne)

Ce projet avait pour but de proposer, sur la base d’études altimétriques, géophysiques, hydrodynamiques et écologiques, une courbe de régulation idéale du lac pour la conservation à long terme des marais de la rive sud du lac de Neuchâtel (site Ramsar).

Buttler, A., Cornali, P. & Bueche, M., 1995 Etude des effets de la régulation des lacs subjurassiens sur la végétation et le milieu. Rapport Université de Neuchâtel, sur mandat de l'Office fédéral de l’environnement, des forêts et du paysage (OFEFP), 154 p. annexes.

Bueche, M., Buttler, A., Cornali, Ph. & Perrochet, P., 1994 Effects of water level regulation of lake Neuchâtel (Switzerland) on the shore wetlands: mathematical modelling of groundwater-lakewater interactions. Proceedings of the International Symposium "Conservation and Management of Fens", 6th-10th June 1994, Poland, International Peat Society - Agricultural University Warsaw, 201-212.

(see also list of papers above)





>>> Projet REGENE: Etude écologique de la régénération des hauts-marais du Jura suisse

• Requête FNRS no 3.167-0.88
• Requérant principal: Jean-Michel Gobat, Université de Neuchâtel
• Chef de projet: A. Buttler
• Doctorants: Y. Matthey et P. Grosvernier
• Laborantine: L. Paganuzzi
• Collaborations: Prof. R.S. Clymo (University of London), Dr. H. Dinel (Agriculture Canada)

Recherche de terrain sur le déterminisme de la régénération des sphaignes dans les milieux perturbés par l’exploitation de la tourbe: étude fine de la végétation et mise en relation avec les propriétés physico-chimiques des tourbes, l’hydrodynamique et le microclimat. Complément expérimental en serre.

Grosvernier, Ph., Matthey, Y. & Buttler, A., 1994 Microclimate and physical properties of peat: new clues to the understanding of bog regeneration processes. In: Restoration of Temperate Wetlands (Edited by B. D. Wheeler, S. C. Shaw, W. S. Fojt and R. A. Robertson), John Wiley & Sons : 435-450.

(see also list of papers above)






>>> Projet BOISEMENT: Etude écologique du boisement naturel en tourbière

• Requête FNRS no 31-34047.92
• Requérant principal: Jean-Michel Gobat, Université de Neuchâtel
• Chef de projet: A. Buttler
• Doctorant: F. Freléchoux
• Collaboration: Prof. F. Schweingruber (WSL), Prof. E. Ott (ETHZ) et Dr. F. Gillet (Université de Neuchâtel)

Recherche de terrain avec approche fine de la végétation par la méthode synusiale intégrée dans les pinèdes, pessières et bétulaies; études dendrométrique, dendrochronologique et dendroécologique sur des placettes homogènes et sur des transects. Le but de l'étude était de mieux comprendre le comportement présent et passé des arbres dans ces milieux, en relation avec la dynamique des tourbières et l'impact de l'homme.

Freléchoux, F., Buttler, A. & Gillet, F., 2000 Dynamics of bog-pine-dominated mires in the Jura Mountains, Switzerland: a tentative scheme based on synusial phytosociology. Folia Geobotanica 35 : 273-288.

Freléchoux, F., Buttler, A. , Schweingruber, F. & Gobat, J.-M., 2000 Stands structure, invasion and growth dynamics of bog pine (Pinus uncinata var. rotundata) in relation to peat cutting and drainage in the Jura mountains, Switzerland. Can. J. Forest Res. 30(7) : 1114-1126.

(see also list of papers above)




>>> Projet AZOTE: Influence des retombées d'azote atmosphérique sur le cycle du carbone en tourbière

• Projet européen du 3ème PCRTD
• Responsabilité administrative et scientifique pour la Suisse: A. Buttler, Université de Neuchâtel
• Partenaires scientifiques: bureaux Natura (Dr. Ph. Grosvernier) et Ecoconseil (Dr. Y. Matthey)
• Laborantine: L. Paganuzzi
• Financé par l'Office fédéral de l'éducation et de la science, ce projet s'est inscrit dans une collaboration européenne avec l'Ecosse (Dr. B. Williams, coordinateur, MLURI), la Finlande (Prof. H. Vasander, Univ. Helsinki) et la France (Dr. A. J. Francez, Univ. Rennes). D'autres partenaires ont été associés par la suite (Dr. M. Ilomets, Estonie, Prof. A. Kajak et Prof. J. Petal, Pologne).

Le projet traite d’une problématique en relation avec la pollution atmosphérique, l’effet de serre et les changements climatiques. Une première expérience a eu pour but de mesurer les conséquences de différents traitements de nitrate et d'ammonium sur la productivité des sphaignes et leur teneur en azote, ainsi que sur les propriétés des tourbes (taux de décomposition, teneurs en azote minéral et organique, marquage au 15N). Une deuxième expérience a eu pour but de mettre en évidence les relations compétitives entre sphaignes, polytrics et Graminées, selon les doses d'azote.

Williams, B. L., Silcock, D. J., Francez, A-J.,Gilbert, D., Buttler, A. J., Grosvernier, Ph.,Vasander, H. & Jauhiainen, J., 1994 Impact of nitrogen deposition on the carbon balance in peatland ecosystems. First year interim report to the EC on Project No. EV5V-CT92-0099.

Williams, B. L., Silcock, D. J., Francez, A-J., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, Ph.,Vasander, H., Jauhiainen, J., Ilomets, M., Kajak, A. & Petal, J., 1995 Impact of nitrogen deposition on the carbon balance in peatland ecosystems. Second Year. Interim Report to the EC on Project No. EV5V-CT92-0099 and supplementary project ERBCIPDCT 930029.

Williams, B. L., Silcock, D. J., Francez, A-J., Gilbert, D., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, Ph., Matthey, Y.,Vasander, H., Jauhiainen, J., Ilomets, M., Kajak, A. & Petal, J. 1995 Impact of nitrogen deposition on the carbon balance in peatland ecosystems. Final report to the EC on Project No. EV5V-CT92-0099 and supplementary project ERBCIPDCT 930029.

(see also list of papers above)




>>> Projet ERMAS: European River Margins Systems - ERMASII
 
 • Projet européen du 4ème PCRTD.
 • Responsabilité administrative et scientifique pour la Suisse: A. Buttler, Université de Neuchâtel
 • Contractant associé : Dr. C. Guenat, Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne.
 • Chercheurs scientifiques: Dr. F. Bureau, R. Douard, L. Bonnard (diplômante), S. Boegli (diplômante)
 • Financé par l'Office fédéral de l'éducation et de la science, ce projet s'est inscrit dans une collaboration européenne avec la Grande Bretagne (Prof. G. Petts, coordinateur, Univ. Birmingham, Dr. V. Black, Dr. C. Pinder), la France (Prof. H. Décamps, Dr. G. Pinay, Dr. E. Chauvet et Dr. E. Tabacchi, CNRS Toulouse), la Suède (Prof. C. Nilsson, Univ. Umea, Dr. L Vought, Univ. Lund), l’Italie (Dr. B. Maiolini) et la Roumanie (Prof. Vadineanu).
 
 Le projet s’'intègre dans la problématique de la relation entre la biodiversité et le degré de perturbation par l’eau dans les systèmes alluviaux. L’objectif du projet a été d’étudier la diversité de la végétation et de l’entomofaune, ainsi que certains processus édaphiques (cycle de l’azote, décomposition des litières, activité biologique des sols), selon un gradient de texture pédologique et selon des conditions d’inondations variées.
 
 Petts, G., Buttler, A. et al., 1999 ERMAS II: European river margins – Role of biodiversity in the functioning of riparian systems. Final Summary Report of the Individual Partners. Environment AND CLIMATE DGXII.
 
 (see also list of papers above)
 
 
 
 
 >>> Projet BERI: Bog Ecosystem Research Initiative - BERI
 
 • Projet européen du 4ème PCRTD
 • Responsabilité administrative et scientifique pour la Suisse: A. Buttler, Université de Neuchâtel, en collaboration avec le bureau NATURA (Dr. P. Grosvernier)
 • Collaborateurs scientifiques: E. Mitchell (doctorant), A. Siegenthaler (diplômant)
 • Financé par l'Office fédéral de l'éducation et de la science (OFES), ce projet s'est inscrit dans une collaboration européenne avec la Hollande (Prof. N. van Breemen, coordinateur, Univ. Wageningen, Prof. F. Berendse, Prof. P. Kuiper), la Suède (Dr. H. Rydin, Univ. Uppsala, Dr. B. Wallen, Univ. Lund), la Grande Bretagne (Prof. J. Lee, Univ. Sheffield) et la Finlande (Prof. H. Vasander et Dr. J. Silvola, Univ. Helsinki).
 
 L’expérience de terrain s’est faite avec le système Miniface (Free Air Carbon dioxyde Enrichment) et a intégré aussi des traitements d’enrichissement en azote. Elle a permis un suivi quantitatif du recouvrement de la végétation, ainsi que des mesures de productivité, particulièrement dans le but d’enregistrer les changements du rapport compétitif entre sphaignes, autres mousses et phanérogames. La qualité chimique des plantes et certains processus pédologiques (production de méthane, hydrochimie et hydrodynamique, marquages au 14C et 15N) ont également été étudiés dans le but d’une modélisation du fonctionnement du cycle du carbone (problématique en relation avec la pollution atmosphérique, l’effet de serre et les changements climatiques). La bioindication par les rhizopodes a également été testées.
 
 Hoosbeek, M. R., van Breemen, N., Wallen, B., Rydin, H., Lee, J. A., Silvola, J., Vasander, H., Berendse, F., Kuiper, P. J.C., van der Heijden, E., Buttler, A., Grosvernier, Ph. & Miglietta, F., 1996 BERI: Bog Ecosystem Research Initiative - objectives, hypotheses and research methods. In: Northern Peatlands in Global Climatic Change (Edited by R. Laiho, J. Laine & H. Vasander), Publications of the Academy of Finland 1/96: 300-305.
 
 Hoosbeek, M., Van Breemen, N., Wallen, B., Rydin, H., Lee, J., Silvola, J., Vasander, H., Berendse, F., Kuiper, P., Grosvernier, P., Buttler, A. 1999 Bog Ecosystem Research Initiative (BERI). Final report to the EC on Project No. ENV4-CT95-0028.
 
 (see also list of papers above)


>>> PASTO : Entretien du Territoire et Production de Viande Bovine

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