Bérenger Bourgeois

Assistant Professor,
Université Laval

Département de Phytologie
E-mail: berenger.bourgeois.1@ulaval.ca
Institution page
Personal page




Education

Postdoctorate, Université Laval (Canada), 2018-2021 - Postdoctorate, INRAe Dijon (France), 2016-2018 - Ph.D. Plant biology, Université Laval (Canada), 2015 - M.Sc. Ecology, Université Paris-Sud 11 (France), 2011 - B.Sc. Biology, Université de Metz (France), 2009


Research

Our research focus on the ecology of plant communities in both wetlands and agroecosystems. We are particularly interested in the assembly rules of these communities, their spatial and temporal dynamics, their response to disturbances and their ecosystem functions. In this objective, we conduct field surveys and controlled experiments, and combine taxonomic and functional approaches. Our goal is to improve our understanding of the drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in order to develop innovative and nature-based strategies for biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, and enhanced agroecosystem multifunctionality.

QCBS students

Hiba Merzouki

Postdoctoral fellow
Other (co-)supervisor: David Rivest
(Start: 2025, End: 2027)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Pierre-Luc Chagnon
Plant and mycorrhizal biodiversity in agroforestry hedgerows

Jocelyn Lauzon

Ph.D.
(Start: 2025, End: 2029)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Stéphanie Pellerin
Intégration de l’hétérogénéité environnementale et des interactions biotiques en restauration écologique des marécages

Sanaz Zardari

Ph.D.
Other (co-)supervisor: Sandra Flores-Mejia, Cérom
(Start: 2024)
Predicting emergence dynamics of Common lamb's-quarters (Chenopodium album, L., CHEAL) in the context of climate change in Montérégie, QC.

Olivier Gagnon

M.Sc.
(Start: 2025)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Monique Poulin
Evaluation of seeding techniques and soil amendments for the revegetation of degraded marshlands

Elizabeth Leger

M.Sc.
Other (co-)supervisor: Guillaume Grégoire, Université Laval
(Start: 2025, End: 2026)
Effets de la diversité fonctionnelle des mélanges de semences, des paillis et des amendements pour la revégétalisation des cours d’eau restaurés

Previous students (since 2009)

Supun Pawuluwage

Ph.D.
Other (co-)supervisor:
(Start: 2022, End: 2024)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Monique Poulin
Comparison of approaches for assessing ecological restoration in afforested riparian zones

Samuel Jean-Jacques

M.Sc.
Other (co-)supervisor: Bourgeois Bérenger, Université Laval
(Start: 2022, End: 2024)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Monique Poulin
Étude des facteurs menant au succès d’implantation des bandes herbacées dans le littoral du lac Saint-Pierre

Émilie Pastore

B.Sc.
(Start: 2024, End: 2025)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Monique Poulin
Potentiel de la technique de transfert de sols pour la restauration de milieux humides par des essais en serre

Examples of species studied

Typha latifolia
Carex
Scirpus
Salix
Tamarix
Salicaceae


Publications

36- Flooding stress influences productivity and modulates biodiversity effects in experimental grassland communities, shaping biodiversity–productivity relationships
Journal Article
Zhekov A , Bourgeois B , Poulin M ,
2025 American Journal of Botany (Date Added: 2025-08-03)

35- Riparian vegetation variability in natural boreal forests: Lessons for delineating functional forested strips at the margin of aquatic habitats
Journal Article
Janssen P , Comtois A , Darveau M , Bourgeois B , Pothier D , Poulin M ,
2025 Forest Ecology and Management (Date Added: 2025-08-03)

31- How does the taxonomic and functional structure of plant communities differ between riverine and palustrine swamps?
Journal Article
Janssen P , Bisson‐Gauthier L , González‐Sargas E , Loiselle A , Darveau M , Bourgeois B , Poulin M ,
2024 Journal of Vegetation Science (Date Added: 2024-11-28)

30- Establishing perennial strips in a cultivated floodplain for habitat restoration: monitoring over 4 years and success drivers
Journal Article
Damar H , Vaillancourt M , Bourgeois B , Poulin M ,
2024 Restoration Ecology (Date Added: 2024-10-30)

29- A functional characterization of bioengineered plant communities along riverbanks
Journal Article
Tisserant M , González-Sargas E , Evette A , Bourgeois B , Poulin M ,
2024 Ecological Engineering (Date Added: 2024-05-28)

28- Establishment of reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) in the context of floodplain restoration: impact of companion plant and sowing rate
Journal Article
Vaillancourt M , Čapkun-Huot C , Jean Jacques S , Bourgeois B , Poulin M ,
2024 Botany (Date Added: 2024-05-25)

27- Linkages between plant functional diversity and soil-based ecosystem services in urban and peri-urban vacant lots
Journal Article
Mendes P , Bourgeois B , Pellerin S , Ziter C D , Cimon-Morin J , Poulin M ,
2024 Urban Ecosystems (Date Added: 2024-01-19)

26- Controlling erosion while fostering plant biodiversity: A comparison of riverbank stabilization techniques
Journal Article
Tisserant, M, Bourgeois, B, González, E, Evette, A, Poulin, M
2021 Ecological Engineering (Date Added: 2021-09-03)

25- Growth Response of Cuttings to Drought and Intermittent Flooding for Three Salix Species and Implications for Riverbank Soil Bioengineering
Journal Article
Keita, N, Bourgeois, B, Evette, A, Tisserant, M, González, E, Breton, V, Goulet, C, Poulin, M
2021 Environmental Management (Date Added: 2021-04-23)

24- Native plant turnover and limited exotic spread explain swamp biotic differentiation with urbanization
Journal Article
Paquin, LJ, Bourgeois, B, Pellerin, S, Alard, D, Poulin, M
2020 Applied Vegetation Science (Date Added: 2020-12-19)

23- Seed storage behaviour of eight peatland pool specialists: Implications for restoration
Journal Article
Bourgeois, B, Lemay, M-A, Landry, T, Rochefort, L, Poulin, M
2019 Aquatic Botany (Date Added: 2019-01-01)

22- Response of plant diversity to moss, Carex or Scirpus revegetation strategies of wet depressions in restored fens
Journal Article
Bourgeois, B, Rochefort, L, Bérubé, V, Poulin, M
2018 Aquatic Botany (Date Added: 2018-08-04)

21- Divergence between riparian seed banks and standing vegetation increases along successional trajectories
Journal Article
Bourgeois, B, Boutin, C, Vanasse, A, Poulin, M
2017 Journal of Vegetation Science (Date Added: 2017-06-06)

20- Spatial processes structuring riparian plant communities in agroecosystems: Implications for restoration
Journal Article
Bourgeois, B, González, E, Vanasse, A, Aubin, I, Poulin, M
2016 Ecological Applications (Date Added: 2017-02-16)

19- Effects of competition, shade and soil conditions on the recolonization of three forest herbs in tree-planted riparian zones
Journal Article
Bourgeois, B, Vanasse, A, Poulin, M
2016 Applied Vegetation Science (Date Added: 2016-11-29)

18- Threshold dynamics in plant succession after tree planting in agricultural riparian zones
Journal Article
Bourgeois, B, Vanasse, A, González, E, Andersen, R, Poulin, M
2016 Journal of Applied Ecology (Date Added: 2016-05-16)

17- Establishment success of trees planted in riparian buffer zones along an agricultural intensification gradient
Journal Article
Bourgeois, B, Vanasse, A, Rivest, D, Poulin, M
2016 Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment (Date Added: 2016-02-23)

16- Establishing a moss cover inhibits the germination of Typha latifolia, an invasive species, in restored peatlands
Journal Article
Bourgeois, B, Hugron, S, Poulin, M
2012 Aquatic Botany (Date Added: 2012-05-22)

15- Functional biogeography of weeds reveals how anthropogenic management blurs trait–climate relationships
Journal Article
Bourgeois, B, Munoz, F, Gaba, S, Denelle, P, Fried, G, Storkey, J, Violle, C
Journal of Vegetation Science (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

14- Do ecological specialization and functional traits explain the abundance–frequency relationship? Arable weeds as a case study
Journal Article
Fried, G, Armengot, L, Storkey, J, Bourgeois, B, Gaba, S, Violle, C, Munoz, F
Journal of Biogeography (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

13- Interactive effects between cover crop management and the environment modulate benefits to cash crop yields: a meta-analysis
Journal Article
Bourgeois, B, Charles, A, Van Eerd, LL, Tremblay, N, Lynch, D, Bourgeois, G, Bastien, M, Bélanger, V, Landry, C, Vanasse, A
Canadian Journal of Plant Science (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

12- Invasive tree cover covaries with environmental factors to explain the functional composition of riparian plant communities
Journal Article
Henry, AL, González, E, Bourgeois, B, Sher, AA
Oecologia (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

11- Erratum: Weed diversity is driven by complex interplay between multi-scale dispersal and local filtering: Multi-scale drivers of weed diversity (Proc. R. Soc. B (2020) 287 (20201118) DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1118)
Journal Article
Bourgeois, B, Gaba, S, Plumejeaud, C, Bretagnolle, V
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

10- The Human Element of Restoration Success: Manager Characteristics Affect Vegetation Recovery Following Invasive Tamarix Control
Journal Article
Sher, AA, Clark, L, Henry, AL, Goetz, ARB, González, E, Tyagi, A, Simpson, I, Bourgeois, B
Wetlands (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

9- Weed diversity is driven by complex interplay between multi-scale dispersal and local filtering
Journal Article
Bourgeois, B, Gaba, S, Plumejeaud, C, Bretagnolle, V
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

8- Ecological specialization and rarity of arable weeds: Insights from a comprehensible survey in france
Journal Article
Munoz, F, Fried, G, Armengot, L, Bourgeois, B, Bretagnolle, V, Chadoeuf, J, Mahaut, L, Plumejeaud, C, Storkey, J, Violle, C, Gaba, S
Plants (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

7- Pulses of seed release in riparian Salicaceae coincide with high atmospheric temperature
Journal Article
Bourgeois, B, González, E
River Research and Applications (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

6- What makes a weed a weed? A large-scale evaluation of arable weeds through a functional lens
Journal Article
Bourgeois, B, Munoz, F, Fried, G, Mahaut, L, Armengot, L, Denelle, P, Storkey, J, Gaba, S, Violle, C
American Journal of Botany (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

5- Spatial modeling improves understanding patterns of invasive species defoliation by a biocontrol herbivore
Journal Article
Henry, AL, González, E, Robinson, WW, Bourgeois, B, Sher, AA
Biological Invasions (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

4- Macroecological and macroevolutionary patterns emerge in the universe of GNU/Linux operating systems
Journal Article
Keil, P, MacDonald, AAM, Ramirez, KS, Bennett, JM, García-Peña, GE, Yguel, B, Bourgeois, B, Meyer, C
Ecography (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

3- Vegetation response to invasive Tamarix control in southwestern U.S. rivers: A collaborative study including 416 sites
Journal Article
González, E, Sher, AA, Anderson, RM, Bay, RF, Bean, DW, Bissonnete, GJ, Bourgeois, B, Cooper, DJ, Dohrenwend, K, Eichhorst, KD, El Waer, H, Kennard, DK, Harms-Weissinger, R, Henry, AL, Makarick, LJ, Ostoja, SM, Reynolds, LV, Robinson, WW, Shafroth, PB
Ecological Applications (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

2- Integrative conservation of riparian zones
Journal Article
González, E, Felipe-Lucia, MR, Bourgeois, B, Boz, B, Nilsson, C, Palmer, G, Sher, AA
Biological Conservation (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

1- Trade-Offs in Seed Dispersal Strategies Across Riparian Trees: The How Matters as Much as the When
Journal Article
González, E, Bourgeois, B, Masip, A, Sher, AA
River Research and Applications (Date Added: 2023-05-12)

In the media