World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
75
Citations
20464
World Ranking
1065
National Ranking
39

Overview

Stephan Hättenschwiler is affiliated with the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) in France. Their research primarily focuses on environmental science and agricultural and biological sciences, with significant contributions to the understanding of soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics, ecology and vegetation dynamics, and plant water relations and carbon dynamics.

The main fields of study associated with their work include:

  • Environmental Science
  • Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Within these broader fields, Hättenschwiler's research delves into several subfields such as nature and landscape conservation, soil science, global and planetary change, ecology, and plant science.

  • Nature and Landscape Conservation
  • Soil Science
  • Global and Planetary Change
  • Ecology
  • Plant Science

Their main topics of study cover:

  • Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
  • Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
  • Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
  • Forest Ecology and Management
  • Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
  • Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
  • Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics

Hättenschwiler has published extensively in several journals, particularly in ecological and biological research venues. Frequent publication venues include:

  • Journal of Ecology
  • Functional Ecology
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
  • SSRN Electronic Journal
  • Global Change Biology

Their body of work includes multiple recent papers, among them:

  • "Carbon limitation overrides acidification in mediating soil microbial activity to nitrogen enrichment in a temperate grassland" (2021, Global Change Biology)
  • "Resolving the intricate role of climate in litter decomposition" (2023, Nature Ecology & Evolution)
  • "Increasing rates of long-term nitrogen deposition consistently increased litter decomposition in a semi-arid grassland" (2020, New Phytologist)
  • "Detritivore conversion of litter into faeces accelerates organic matter turnover" (2020, Communications Biology)
  • "Decomposition of leaf litter mixtures across biomes: The role of litter identity, diversity and soil fauna" (2020, Journal of Ecology)

Hättenschwiler commonly collaborates with several co-authors, including:

  • Nathalie Fromin
  • Alexandru Milcu
  • Ammar Shihan
  • Sylvain Coq
  • Lauren Gillespie

Best Publications

  • Biodiversity and Litter Decomposition in Terrestrial Ecosystems

    Stephan Hättenschwiler;Alexei V. Tiunov;Stefan Scheu

  • The role of polyphenols in terrestrial ecosystem nutrient cycling

    Stephan Hättenschwiler;Peter M. Vitousek

  • Diversity meets decomposition

    Mark O. Gessner;Mark O. Gessner;Christopher M. Swan;Christian K. Dang;Christian K. Dang;Brendan G. McKie

  • Consequences of biodiversity loss for litter decomposition across biomes

    I. Tanya Handa;Rien Aerts;Frank Berendse;Matty P. Berg

  • Carbon Flux and Growth in Mature Deciduous Forest Trees Exposed to Elevated CO2

    Christian Körner;Roman Asshoff;Olivier Bignucolo;Stephan Hättenschwiler

  • Soil animals alter plant litter diversity effects on decomposition

    Stephan Hättenschwiler;Patrick Gasser

  • Highly consistent effects of plant litter identity and functional traits on decomposition across a latitudinal gradient

    Marika Makkonen;Matty P. Berg;I. Tanya Handa;I. Tanya Handa;Stephan Hättenschwiler

  • Carbon quality rather than stoichiometry controls litter decomposition in a tropical rain forest

    Stephan Hättenschwiler;Helene Bracht Jørgensen

  • Nutrient limitation of soil microbial processes in tropical forests

    Tessa Camenzind;Stephan Hättenschwiler;Kathleen K. Treseder;Anika Lehmann

  • Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning relations in European forests depend on environmental context

    Sophia Ratcliffe;Christian Wirth;Christian Wirth;Tommaso Jucker;Tommaso Jucker;Fons van der Plas

  • Nitrogen and nature.

    Peter M. Vitousek;Stephan Hättenschwiler;Lydia Olander;Steven Allison

  • Leaf traits and decomposition in tropical rainforests: revisiting some commonly held views and towards a new hypothesis

    Stephan Hättenschwiler;Sylvain Coq;Sandra Barantal;Sandra Barantal;Ira Tanya Handa

  • Nitrogen transfer between decomposing leaves of different N status

    Joshua P. Schimel;Stephan Hättenschwiler

  • Temporal dynamics of biotic and abiotic drivers of litter decomposition

    Pablo García-Palacios;E. Ashley Shaw;Diana H. Wall;Stephan Hättenschwiler

  • The importance of litter traits and decomposers for litter decomposition: A comparison of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems within and across biomes

    Pablo García‐Palacios;Brendan G. McKie;Ira Tanya Handa;André Frainer;André Frainer

  • Biotic homogenization can decrease landscape-scale forest multifunctionality

    Fons van der Plas;Pete Manning;Santiago Soliveres;Eric Allan

  • Jack-of-all-trades effects drive biodiversity–ecosystem multifunctionality relationships in European forests

    Fons Van der Plas;Peter Manning;Eric Allan;Michael Scherer-Lorenzen

  • An experimental test of the hypothesis of non-homeostatic consumer stoichiometry in a plant litter–microbe system

    Nicolas Fanin;Nicolas Fanin;Nathalie Fromin;Bruno Buatois;Stephan Hättenschwiler

  • Thirty years of in situ tree growth under elevated CO2: a model for future forest responses?

    Stephan Hättenschwiler;Franco Miglietta;Antonio Raschi;Christian Körner

  • Interspecific variation in leaf litter tannins drives decomposition in a tropical rain forest of French Guiana.

    Sylvain Coq;Jean-Marc Souquet;Emmanuelle Meudec;Véronique Cheynier

  • Contrasting dynamics and trait controls in first-order root compared with leaf litter decomposition

    Tao Sun;Tao Sun;Sarah E. Hobbie;Björn Berg;Hongguang Zhang

Frequent Co-Authors

Christian Körner
Christian Körner University of Basel
Alexandru Milcu
Alexandru Milcu Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS
Frank Hagedorn
Frank Hagedorn Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
Fons van der Plas
Fons van der Plas Wageningen University & Research
Lars Vesterdal
Lars Vesterdal University of Copenhagen
Michael Scherer-Lorenzen
Michael Scherer-Lorenzen University of Freiburg
Karsten Raulund-Rasmussen
Karsten Raulund-Rasmussen University of Copenhagen
Christian Wirth
Christian Wirth Leipzig University
Helge Bruelheide
Helge Bruelheide Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Christian Rixen
Christian Rixen Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

If you’re interested in Ecology and Evolution, exploring related online degrees can open new career avenues and help you build interdisciplinary expertise. Many students begin with online interdisciplinary studies admissions and costs to discover flexible programs that blend science, humanities, and social sciences—perfect for those interested in ecosystems, environmental policy, or scientific communication.

For those seeking rapid advancement or specialization, finding the quickest cheapest masters degree can be a game changer. These programs often offer accelerated timelines and budget-friendly tuition, making graduate credentials more attainable.

Another popular path intersects with information management. An affordable library science degree online equips graduates to manage scientific information, research collections, or data archives essential to ecological and evolutionary research.

If you have an interest in communication or outreach, consider asha accredited online slp master's programs. These programs prepare students for careers in communication sciences—useful for education, conservation outreach, or policy advocacy.

Best Scientists Citing Stephan Hättenschwiler

Trending Scientists