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    • Chris J Kettle

      Tropical Forest Ecologist | Geneticist

      I am an ecologist and geneticist, and specialise in tropical forest trees, their reproductive ecology and the importance of forest genetic resources for resilient landscapes.

       

      Currently leading Bioversity International’s cross-cutting research team, I work on conservation and sustainable use of socio–economically and ecologically important trees and their genetic diversity. I am also Group Leader in Applied Molecular Ecology, in the Department of Environmental System Science, ETH Zürich, Switzerland.

       

      I lead research programmes across Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa and the Safeguarding Forest Genetic Resources Cluster of CGIAR’s Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry.

    • Twitter

      Check out my latest updates!

    • Research projects

      Current research activities.

      South East Asia

      Dipterocarp forest of Borneo

      Most of the forests of Borneo are lowland dipterocarp forest and we are looking at how these trees reproduce and move their pollen and seeds around. We work in two major forest reserves in Borneo, Kabili Sepilok Virgin Jungle Reserve and Danum Valley Conservation Area, both in Sabah. We also work on a range of the most threatened dipterocarps in Sabah in collaboration with colleagues at the Forest Research Centre, Sabah Forest Department.

      Latin America

      Supporting sustainable supply of Brazil nuts

      Our research is aimed at gathering evidence to support sustainable supply chains of Brazil nuts from Peru to Switzerland. A joint project of ETH Zurich, CIFOR and Bioversity International, and is supported by the World Food System Center. We officially collaborate with the Peruvian organizations IIAP, UNAMAD and PROFONANPE.

      Africa

      Trees for Seeds

      Using the right mix of native trees in forest restoration is essential. Obtaining seed from the appropriate sources of the right mixtures of tree species to achieve restoration objectives presents an enormous challenge. Seeds of most native tree species are currently not sufficiently available in nurseries.

      To ensure resilience of restored ecosystems, planting material must be adapted to the restoration site and contain sufficient genetic diversity to adapt to future conditions.

    • Videos

      Interview at the Global Landscapes Forum

      Interview with Chris Kettle at the Global Landscapes Forum, Nairobi, Kenya, 2018.

      Drone over Sepilok

      Monitoring land use in the forests of Borneo.

      The Brazil Nut Gatherers

      How the harvesting of Brazil nuts offers improved livelihoods in the forests of Peru.

    • Positions

      Science Domain Leader

      Bioversity International, Rome

      2017-present

      Senior Lecturer

      ETH Zurich, Switzerland

      2007-present

       

      Visiting Professor

      University of Malaysia, Sabah

      2016/2017 

      PhD

      University of Edinburgh, UK

      2006

    • Publications

      Selected list of recent publications.

      Complete list of publications

      View my complete Google Scholar and ResearchGate profiles.

      2018

      Selected publications

      Fine-scale processes shape ecosystem service provision by an Amazonian hyperdominant tree species

       

      E Thomas, R Atkinson, C Kettle

      Scientific reports 8 (1), 11690

       

      Are patterns of fine-scale spatial genetic structure consistent between sites within tropical tree species?

      James R Smith, Jaboury Ghazoul, David FRP Burslem, Akira Itoh, Eyen Khoo, Soon Leong Lee, Colin R Maycock, Satoshi Nanami, Kevin Kit Siong Ng, Chris J Kettle

      PloS one 13 (3), e0193501

      2017

      Selected publications

      Tracing coco de mer's reproductive history: Pollen and nutrient limitations reduce fecundity  Emma J Morgan, Christopher N Kaiser‐Bunbury, Peter J Edwards, Frauke Fleischer‐Dogley, Chris J Kettle. Ecology and evolution 7 (19), 7765-7776

       

      Evaluating realized seed dispersal across fragmented tropical landscapes: a two‐fold approach using parentage analysis and the neighbourhood model  Sascha A Ismail, Jaboury Ghazoul, Gudasalamani Ravikanth, Cheppudira G Kushalappa, Ramanan Uma Shaanker, Chris J Kettle. New Phytologist 214 (3), 1307-1316

       

      Keeping it in the family: strong fine-scale genetic structure and inbreeding in Lodoicea maldivica, the largest-seeded plant in the world E. J. Morgan, C. N. Kaiser-Bunbury, P. J. Edwards, F. Fleischer-Dogley, C. J. Kettle. Conservation Genetics

      2016

      Selected publications

      Genetic diversity affects seedling survival but not growth or seed germination in the Bornean endemic dipterocarp Parashorea tomentella Kirsty S Nutt, David FRP Burslem, Colin R Maycock, Jaboury Ghazoul, Eyen Khoo, Alexander YL Hastie, Chris J Kettle. Plant Ecology & Diversity 9 (5-6), 471-481

       

      Understanding local patterns of genetic diversity in dipterocarps using a multi-site, multi-species approach: Implications for forest management and restoration. A Itoh, S Nanami, S Matsuyama, A Finger, SA Ismail, CJ Kettle. ETH Library, 19

       

      Development of 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci for the endangered Seychelles palm Lodoicea maldivica (Arecaceae) Emma J Morgan, Kirsti Määttänen, Christopher N Kaiser‐Bunbury, Andres Buser, Frauke Fleischer‐Dogley, Chris J Kettle. Applications in plant sciences 4 (4), 1500119

       

      Predicting the terminal velocity of dipterocarp fruit JR Smith, R Bagchi, CJ Kettle, C Maycock, E Khoo, J Ghazoul. Biotropica 48 (2), 154-158

      2015

      Selected publications

      Understanding local patterns of genetic diversity in dipterocarps using a multi-site, multi-species approach: Implications for forest management and restoration C Tito de Morais, Jaboury Ghazoul, Colin R Maycock, Robert Bagchi, David FRP Burslem, Eyen Khoo, Akira Itoh, Satoshi Nanami, Shuhei Matsuyama, Aline Finger, Sascha A Ismail, Chris J Kettle. Forest ecology and management 356, 153-165

       

      Predicting dispersal of auto‐gyrating fruit in tropical trees: a case study from the D ipterocarpaceae James R Smith, Robert Bagchi, Judith Ellens, Chris J Kettle, David FRP Burslem, Colin R Maycock, Eyen Khoo, Jaboury Ghazoul. Ecology and evolution 5 (9), 1794-1801

       

      Impacts of an extreme precipitation event on dipterocarp mortality and habitat filtering in a Bornean tropical rain forest JA Margrove, DFRP Burslem, J Ghazoul, E Khoo, CJ Kettle, CR Maycock. Biotropica 47 (1), 66-76

      2014

      Selected publications

      Fragmentation genetics in tropical ecosystems: from fragmentation genetics to fragmentation genomics

      CJ Kettle. Conservation genetics 15 (6), 1265-1268

       

      Genetic connectivity of the moth pollinated tree Glionnetia sericea in a highly fragmented habitat  A Finger, CN Kaiser-Bunbury, CJ Kettle, T Valentin, J Ghazoul. PloS one 9 (10), e111111

    Christopher J Kettle © 2018

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