The WSL Biodiversity Center is pleased to announce the upcoming mini-symposium on biotic resistance. The event will feature presentations from researchers from WSL and other organizations.

Biological invasions are among the most important threats to forest ecosystems. Non-native invasive insects, pathogens and plants (and other taxa) have already caused major impacts in forests worldwide. New arrivals and establishments on non-native species continue to occur at a high rate, mainly as a result of international trade, and sometimes exacerbated by climate change. A potentially important factor is the role of forest diversity in resisting invasions (i.e., biotic resistance). In species-rich communities, there should be fewer ecological niches available for colonization by invaders. Furthermore, species-rich communities often have a richer complement of natural enemies, also contributing to biotic resistance. The biotic resistance hypothesis has been tested numerous times, with conflicting results. This mini-symposium will explore these and related questions from different perspectives.

*This mini-symposium is part of the activities of the newly started working group on biotic resistance. The working group is led by Ecki Brockerhoff and Nick Zimmermann.

Program 

09:30    Nadia Cristina Castro Izaguirre (WSL): Introduction WSL Biodiversity Centre

09:40    Ecki Brockerhoff (WSL): Forest biodiversity and biological invasions

10:00    Hanno Seebens (Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Germany): Historic and future trends of alien species numbers

10:20    Lalasia Bialic-Murphy (ETH Zurich): Global forest biodiversity patterns and trends

10:40    Nick Zimmermann (WSL): A biome-centred view of biological invasions

11:00    Coffee/tea break in Foyer of Englersaal

11:20    Cleo Bertelsmeier (University of Lausanne): Drivers of (plant and) insect invasions

11:40    Hervé Jactel (INRAE, France): Biodiversity-resistance relationships and mechanisms

12:00    Andrew Liebhold (USDA Forest Service, USA, and Czech University of Life Sciences): Plant diversity and insect invasions

12:20    End of presentations (please reserve lunch)

Registration 

This event is open to everyone (WSL staff members and external participants). If you would like to attend the mini-symposium, please register below.

WSL Biodiversity Center 

The WSL Biodiversity Center is a strategic, interdisciplinary initiative to promote, further develop, and consolidate research and outreach in biodiversity science at WSL. Please visit our website to learn more about the WSL Biodiversity Center and see the complete list of events. 

Please email events-biodiversity(at)wsl.ch if you would like to be updated on the activities of the WSL Biodiversity Center.

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