Biography
Florian is broadly interested in using Earth Observation technologies to assess forest ecosystems and the values they provide to humans. His current research is centered around the spatial and temporal dynamics of forest microclimates and how they are affecting biodiversity responses to global change. He uses field-based and remote sensing methods, such as airborne laser scanning and imaging spectroscopy, to model sub-canopy microclimate as a function of forest structure and composition and applies these models to study temperate forests across Europe. This research furthers our understanding of how forest management and climate change shape the response of forest ecosystems in a changing world. In earlier research projects, Florian gained a broad expertise in habitat suitability mapping and connectivity analysis for species of a wide range of taxonomic groups.
Research
I am interested in the spatial and temporal dynamics of forest biodiversity and how species distributions and habitat use are affected by 3-D habitat structure. We are currently investigating how forest microclimate affects plant biodiversity dynamics and how we can quantify and map forest microclimate with remote sensing tools.
Publications
Froidevaux, J.S.P.*, Zellweger, F.*, Bollmann, K., Jones, G. & Obrist, M.K. (2016) From field surveys to LiDAR: Shining a light on how bats respond to forest structure. Remote Sensing of Environment, 175, 242-250. *Equally contributing authors.
Milanesi, P., Holderegger, R., Bollmann, K., Gugerli, F. & Zellweger, F. (2017) Three-dimensional habitat structure and landscape genetics: a step forward in estimating functional connectivity. Ecology, 98, 393-402.
Zellweger, F., Baltensweiler, A., Ginzler, C., Roth, T., Braunisch, V., Bugmann, H. & Bollmann, K. (2016) Environmental predictors of species richness in forest landscapes: abiotic factors versus vegetation structure. Journal of Biogeography, 43, 1080-1090.
Zellweger, F., Braunisch, V., Baltensweiler, A. & Bollmann, K. (2013) Remotely sensed forest structural complexity predicts multi species occurrence at the landscape scale. Forest Ecology and Management, 307, 303-312.
Zellweger, F., Roth, T., Bugmann, H. & Bollmann, K. (2017) Beta diversity of plants, birds and butterflies is closely associated with climate and habitat structure. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 26, 898-906.
