Pierre Tichit

Postdoc, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies

E-mail

I am a postdoctoral researcher in restoration and conservation ecology with a background on insect senses, animal behaviour and biological invasions. At SLU, I research how measures to restore degraded ecosystems, such as the rewetting of drained peatlands, affect communities of arthropods and plants. My goal is to generate knowledge that supports nature conservation, by revealing effects of human pressures on ecosystems and finding solutions to alleviate them.

Presentation

I obtained my PhD in 2021 from Lund University (Sweden). I investigated the relationship between the eyes and behaviours of insects. I used a combination of optical modelling and behavioural studies to infer the visual abilities of bees. I then investigated how these visual properties relate to the composition of bee communities at habitat and lansdcape scales.

Between 2021 and 2023, I was a postdoc at Durham University (UK). I investigated the invasion dynamics of introduced plants and invertebrates in cold environments, thanks to two field expeditions to the remote sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia.

In 2024, I became a postdoctoral fellow at SLU and joined an interdisciplinary
framework that aims at understanding the consequences of peatland restoration on biodiversity, greenhouse gases, hydrology and society. Within this project, I am researching - using primarily field inventories of arthropods and plants - the biodiversity effects of peatland restoration.

Research

Peatland restoration

Over the past century, large areas of peatland have been drained in Northern Europe to increase timber production. Peatland restoration is crucial to regain the ecosystem services (e.g. carbon storage, biodiversity) and societal benefits (e.g. water quality, resilience to extreme weather) that were lost after drainage. However, we lack a mechanistic understanding of the effects of restoration on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. To address this, I am investigating if and how ditch blocking/filling transforms biodiversity at field sites in Västerbotten (Northern Sweden). In cooperation with researcher at SLU, I am interested to know how biodiversity responses to peatland restoration relate to geochemical and societal effects, in order to indentify potential synergies or trade-offs.

Teaching

I have diverse teaching and mentoring experiences. At SLU, I am mentoring students and interns who wish to write their theses about peatland restoration. I am also teaching fundamentals of ecology within the Bachelor's program.