News

Beech trees in a changing climate: A new genetic diversity experiment takes root at Irchel Campus

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:21:25 GMT

Remote Sensing of Alpine Forests Excursion at the EGEA Annual Congress 2025

Isabelle Salomé Helfenstein — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 22:00:00 GMT

Felix Morsdorf wins Remote Sensing Award of the Nico Rüpke Foundation and the DGPF

Felix Morsdorf — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 22:00:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce that Felix Morsdorf, together with Mauro Marty and Daniel Kükenbrink, has been awarded the Remote Sensing Prize of the Nico Rüpke Foundation and the German Society for Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Geoinformation (DGPF).

Beech genomes for the future: Adapting forests to climate change

Sofia van Moorsel — Wed, 21 May 2025 22:00:00 GMT

As climate change accelerates, Europe's forests are under increasing stress. European beech (Fagus sylvatica), a dominant and ecologically important tree species, has been especially harmed by recent droughts, including the severe event of 2018 that caused widespread dieback across Switzerland but also in other parts of Europe. While some individuals or populations appear more resilient, we still do not know why this variability exists.

Mapping the future of Laegern’s beech forest

Felix Morsdorf, Meredith Schuman — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Climate change is putting enormous pressure on biodiversity and ecosystems, including forests. In the first week of March, we gathered high-resolution 3D point clouds of the leaf-off beech forest at Laegern, our living laboratory near Zurich.

Monitoring genetic diversity from space

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 23:00:00 GMT

How should we monitor biodiversity quickly, affordably, inclusively, and in detail, with limited resources? This challenge is especially tricky for a more hidden and harder to study piece of biodiversity – genetic diversity. But we are making progress.

«Wir unterschätzen den Verlust der Artenvielfalt»

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 23:00:00 GMT

In der Mekong-Region in Südostasien haben Forschende mehr als 200 Tier- und Pflanzenarten neu entdeckt. Was die Wissenschaft daraus lernen kann und ob diese Artenfunde das Artensterben relativieren können, erklärt Sofia van Moorsel, Biodiversitätsexpertin am Geographischen Institut, im Interview mit Radio SRF.

New Beech Trees for Switzerland’s Forests

Wed, 22 May 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Climate change is afflicting indigenous beech trees in Switzerland. Researchers at GIUZ now want to find out what Swiss beech forests might look like in the future. To do that, they are taking an experimental approach, using spectral data to investigate the biodiversity of the beech forests.

Sniffing out imminent danger

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 23:00:00 GMT

Every plant has a distinctive smell. In a healthy state, this smell is quite subtle. But that changes as soon as caterpillars and beetles start feeding on the plant. "Plants use their odours to attract the enemies of their enemies, for example," says Meredith Schuman, a chemical ecologist at GIUZ.

Genes from space

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 22:00:00 GMT

Earth observation plays a crucial role in monitoring efforts to quantify biodiversity decline. Claudia Röösli and Meredith C. Schuman have now formed an International Space Science Institute International Team to leverage earth observation technologies to monitor essential genetic diversity.

Crossing boundaries

Women in Science Campaign — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 23:00:00 GMT

Merry was highlighted by the faculty's Women in Science campaign. She presents our collaborative approach to transdisciplinary research in a short video and poster.

Das Blätterorakel

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 23:00:00 GMT

Zwei Forscherinnen des GIUZ gewinnen aus der Lichtreflexion von Blättern Erkenntnisse zu Artenvielfalt und Eigenschaften von Pflanzen. Die Auswertung solcher Spektraldaten revolutioniert nicht nur die Art, wie wir Ökosysteme untersuchen, sondern ermöglicht es auch, diese besser zu schützen.

Investigating plants genetic structure from above

Ewa Czyz, Meredith Schuman — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 23:00:00 GMT

Advances in methods and interweaving of disciplines enable us to better understand what drives changes in biodiversity.

Spatial genetics for plant-based communities - and much more!

Meredith C. Schuman — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 23:00:00 GMT

You might be familiar with an increasingly common application of spatial genetics research: using people's DNA to identify their ancestry, for example as done by 23andMe or ancestry.com. Variable pieces of DNA are used to identify geographically located clusters.