Nolan James Rappa

Postdoc in the Restoration Ecology working group at SLU Umeå. I am an ecologist working mainly with insects in forests. I am most interested in how land-use decisions impact ecosystems and understanding mechanistic ecological relationships that can be used to conserve species.

My research has spanned multiple taxa and fields including terrestrial arthropods, fish and aquatic food webs, and mammals driving forest disturbances. Currently, my main focuses are land management decisions' impacts on insect biodiversity, particularly important ecological groups such as deadwood dependent species (ie saproxylics) and pollinators. I am currently investigating the potential effects of mining on pollinating insect communities in Sweden's far north, as well as the importance of fire for disturbance-reliant forest pollinators. 

Rappa, N.J., Sjögren, J., Löfroth, T., Jönsson, M., Hekkala, A.M., (Under review). The potential of emulating forest disturbance to promote boreal insect pollinators. J. Appl. Ecol.

Schwegemann, S., Pereira, J.M.C., Basile, M., Jonker, M., Rappa, N.J., Fardiansah, R., Storch, I., Bhardwaj, M., (In preparation). Redemption for roe deer - managed roe deer populations are not disrupting forest faunal communities.

Ruppert, L.S., Staab, M., Rappa, N.J., Frey, J., Segelbacher, G., 2025. Gene flow across large distances in the cavity-nesting wasp Deuteragenia subintermedia in a central European forest. Ecol. Evol. 15(4):e71294. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71294.

Fardiansah, R., Rehling, F., Rappa, N.J., Dormann, C., Klein, A.M., 2025. Host identity, nest quality, and parasitism strategy: influences on body size variation in parasitoid bees and wasps. Oikos. 2025(6):e011052. https://doi.org/10.22541/au.172512539.92170005/v1.

Rappa, N.J., Staab, M., Ruppert, L.S., Frey, J., Mello, M.A.R., Klein, A.M., 2024. Forest structure and heterogeneity increase diversity and alter composition of host-parasitoid networks. Re-submitted after revision to Ecol. Entomol. 49(2):257-271. https://doi.org/10.1111/een.13301.

Ruppert, L.S., Staab, M., Klingenfuß, S., Rappa, N.J., Frey, J., Segelbacher, G., 2023. Leaf litter arthropods show little response to structural retention in a Central European forest. Biodivers. Conserv. 32(12): 3973-3990. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-023-02677-w.

Burrascano, S., Chianucci, F., Trentanovi, G., Kepfer-Rojas, S., Sitzia, T., Tinya, F., Doerfler, I., Paillet, Y., Nagel, T.A., Mitic, B., Morillas, L., Munzi, S., Van der Sluis, T., Alterio, E., Balducci, L., Andrade, R.B., Bouget, C., Giordani, P., Lachat, T., Matosevic, D., Napoleone, F., Nascimbene, J., Paniccia, C., Roth, N., Aszalós, R., Brazaitis, G., Cutini, A., D’Andrea, E., De Smedt, P., Heilmann-Clausen, J., Janssen, P., Kozák, D., Mårell, A., Mikoláš, M., Nordén, B., Matula, R., Schall, P., Svoboda, M., Ujhazyova, M., Vandekerkhove, K., Wohlwend, M., Xystrakis, F., Aleffi, M., Ammer, C., Archaux, F., Asbeck, T., Avtzis, D., Ayasse, M., Bagella, S., Balestrieri, R., Barbati, A., Basile, M., Bergamini, A., Bertini, G., Biscaccianti, A.B., Boch, S., Bölöni, J., Bombi, P., Boscardin, Y., Brunialti, G., Bruun, H.H., Buscot, F., Byriel, D.B., Campagnaro, T., Campanaro, A., Chauvat, M., Ciach, M., Čiliak, M., Cistrone, L., Pereira, J.M.C., Daniel, R., De Cinti, B., De Filippo, G., Dekoninck, W., Di Salvatore, U., Dumas, Y., Elek, Z., Ferretti, F., Fotakis, D., Frank, T., Frey, J., Giancola, C., Gomoryová, E., Gosselin, M., Gosselin, F., Gossner, M.M., Götmark, F., Haeler, E., Hansen, A.K., Hertzog, L., Hofmeister, J., Hošek, J., Johanssen, V.K., Justensen, M.J., Korboulewsky, N., Kovács, B., Lakatos, F., Landivar, C.M., Lens, L., Lingua, E., Lombardi, F., Máliš, F., Marchino, L., Marozas, V., Matteucci, G., Mattioli, W., Møller, P.F., Müller, J., Németh, C., Ónodi, G., Parisi, F., Perot, T., Perret, S., Persiani, A.M., Portaccio, A., Posillico, M., Preikša, Ž., Rahbek, C., Rappa, N.J., Ravera, S., Romano, A., Samu, F., Scheidegger, C., Schmidt, I.K., Schwegmann, S., Sicuriello, F., Spinu, A.P., Spyroglou, G., Stillhard, J., Topalidou, E., Tøttrup, A.P., Ujházy, K., Veres, K., Verheyen, K., Weisser, W.W., Zapponi, L., Ódor, P., 2023. Where are we now with European forest multi-taxon biodiversity and where can we head to? Biol. Conserv. 284:e110176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110176.

Chaves, J.E., Acuña, M.C.A., Rodríguez‑Souilla, J., Cellini, J.M., Rappa, N.J., Lencinas, M.V., Peri, P.L., Martínez Pastur, G., 2023. Carbon pool dynamics after variable retention harvesting in Nothofagus pumilio forests of Tierra del Fuego. Ecol. Process. 12:5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13717-023-00418-z.

Rappa, N.J., Staab, M., Ruppert, L.S., Frey, J., Bauhus, J., Klein, A.M., 2023. Structural elements enhanced by retention forestry promote forest and non-forest specialist bees and wasps. For. Ecol. Manag. 529:e120709. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2022.120709.

Rappa, N.J., Staab, M., Frey, J., Winiger, N., Klein, A.M. 2022. Multiple forest structural elements are needed to promote beetle biomass, diversity and abundance. For. Ecosyst. 9:e100056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fecs.2022.100056.

July 2019-May 2023 Dr. rerum naturalium, University of Freiburg, Germany

Thesis: "Influences of retention forestry structural elements on insect communities and ecosystem functions"

October 2015-December 2018 M.Sc. Ecology, University of Bremen, Germany

Thesis: "Evaluating the use of the entomopathogenic fungus  Beauveria bassiana against the Anromeda Lacebug on Rhododendron"

August 2010-May 2014 B.A. Aquatic Biology, Buffalo State College, U.S.A.

October 2024 - Guest lecturer, Forest Ecology and Conservation Biology

February-May 2023 - Module coordinator, Introduction to Ornithology

October 2022-February 2023 - Module coordinator, Introduction to Hymenoptera

October 2021-February 2022 - Module coordinator, Introduction to Hymenoptera

July 2020, 2022, 2023 - Guest lecturer, Forest Entomology

May-June 2020, 2021, 2022 - Tutor, Field Ecology Methods