Gabriele Cozzi | Senior Scientist

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I am an ecologist with particular interests in population ecology, landscape and movement ecology, behavioral ecology, spatiotemporal mechanisms of coexistence,  animal conservation and management. My research interests brought me to several countries around the globe where I focused on different animal species: from Switzerland (butterflies, wolves, and snow voles) to Botswana (African wild dogs, lions, spotted hyenas, cheetahs, and leopards), to Turkey (brown bears) and to South Africa (meerkats) .

In the past my research mainly focused on:

  • Patterns of spatiotemporal segregation among large African carnivores.
  • Survey techniques for large mammal species.
  • Influence of human activities and anthropogenic habitat modification on animal distribution, abundance and behavior.
  • Individual strategies, group dynamics and population regulation in cooperative breeders

When I do not sit in front of a computer allegedly doing science or lie under the old field land rover fixing it or run after any moving animal trying to fit a GPS collar on it, I like to distract myself with any sort of outdoor activity such as hiking, running, cycling, snow-shoeing, ice-hockey or simply going for a walk with my dog. A beer and a glass of wine are a welcome distraction too.

I am currently directly involved in two projects:

 

CV

  • 2020-present, Group Leader, Wildlife Movement Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich
  • 2013-2019, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich
  • 2008-2012, PhD in Ecology, Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich
  • 2005-2006, MSc in Zoology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Zurich

 

Publications

  • Nams VO, Parker DM, …, Cozzi G, et al. (2023) Spatial patterns of large African cats: a large-scale study on density, home range size, and home range overlap of lions Panthera leo and leopards Panthera pardus Mammal Review
  • Hofmann D, Cozzi G, McNutt JW, Ozgul A, Behr DM (2023) A three-step approach for assessing landscape connectivity via simulated dispersal: African wild dog case study. Landscape Ecology
  • Hodel F, Behr DM, Cozzi G, Ozgul A (2023) A hierarchical approach for estimating state-specific mortality and state transition in dispersing animals with incomplete death records. Methods in Ecology and Evolution
  • Maag N, Paniw M, Cozzi G, Manser M, Clutton-Brock TH, Ozgul A (2022) Dispersal decreases survival but increases reproductive opportunities for subordinates in a cooperative breeder. The American Naturalist 199: 679-690
  • Van der Weyde L, Tobler M, Gielen MC, Cozzi G, Weise F […], Flyman M (2022) Collaboration for conservation: assessing country-wide carnivore occupancy dynamics from sparse data. Diversity and Distributions 28:917-929.
  • Lahm D, Cozzi G, Sommer S, Thinley P, WAngchuk S, Ozgul A (2021) Modeling distribution and habitat suitability for the snow leopard in Bhutan Frontiers in Conservation Science
  • Harrison ND, Maag N, Haverkamp PJ, Ganswindt A, Manser M, Clutton-Brock TH, Ozgul A, Cozzi G (2021)
    Behavioural change during dispersal and its relationship to survival and reproduction in a cooperative breeder Journal of Animal Ecology 90:2637-2650.
  • Cozzi G, Hollerbach L, Suter SM, Reiners TE, Tettamanti F, Ozgul A (2021) Eyes, ears, or nose? Comparison of three non-invasive methods to survey wolf recolonisation. Mammalian Biology 101:881.893.
  • Lahm D, Cozzi G, Sommer S, Wangchuk S, Lham K, Ozgul A (2021)Ecological determinants of livestock depredation by the snow leopard in Bhutan. Journal of Zoology 314:275-284.
  • Hofmann D, McNutt JW, Ozgul A, Behr DM, Cozzi G (2021) Bound within boundaries: Do protected areas cover movement corridors of their most mobile, protected species? Journal of Applied Ecology 58:1133-1144
  • Paniw M, Cozzi G, Sommer S, Ozgul A (2021) Demographic processes in socially structured populations. In:
    Salguero-Gómez R, Gamelon M (eds) Demographic Methods across the Tree of Life. Oxford University Press.
  • Blanckenhorn WU, Cozzi G, Jaeggli G, Busso JP (2021) Experimental size- and sex-specific predation on dung flies by amphibian and arthropod predators. Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution 76:127-136
  • Chakravarty P, Cozzi G, Hooman D, Manser M, Ozgul A, Aminian K (2020) Seek and learn: automated identification of microevents in animal behaviour using envelopes of acceleration data and machine learning. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 11:1639-1651
  • Behr DM, McNutt JW, Ozgul A, Cozzi G (2020) When to stay and when to leave? Proximate causes of dispersal in an endangered social carnivore. Journal of Animal Ecology 89:2356-2366
  • Cozzi G, Behr DM, Webster H, Claase M, Bryce CM, Modise B, McNutt JW, Ozgul A (2020) African wild dog dispersal and implications for management. Journal of Wildlife Management 204:614-621
  • Chakravarty P; Maalberg M; Cozzi G; Ozgul A; Aminian K (2019) Animal behaviour recognition using magnetometers. Movement Ecology https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-019-0172-6
  • Morale-Gonzalez A, Ruiz-Villar H, Ozgul A, Maag N*, Cozzi G* (2019) Group size and social status affect scent marking in dispersing female meerkats Behavioural Ecology 30:1602-1610   *shared authorship 
  • Chakravarty P, Cozzi G, Ozgul A, Aminian K (2019) A novel biomechanical approach for animal behaviour recognition using accelerometers. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 10:802-814
  • Maag N, Cozzi G, Bateman A, Heistermann M, Ganswind A, Manser M, Clutton-Brock T, Ozgul A (2019) Cost of dispersal in a social mammal – body mass loss and increased stress. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 286:20190033
  • Paniw M, Maag N, Cozzi G, Clutton-Brock T, Ozgul A (2019). Life-history responses of meerkats to seasonal changes in extreme environments. Science 363:631-635
  • Maag N, Cozzi G, Clutton-Brock T, Ozgul A (2018) Density-dependent dispersal strategies in a cooperative breeder. Ecology 99:1932-1941
  • Cozzi G, Maag N, Börger L, Clutton-Brock T, Ozgul A (2018) Socially informed dispersal in a territorial cooperative breeder. Journal of Animal Ecology 87:838-849
  • Behr DM, Ozgul A, Cozzi G (2017). Combining human acceptance and habitat suitability in a unified socio-ecological suitability model: a case study for the wolf in Switzerland. Journal of Applied Ecology 54:1919-1929
  • Chamber AL*, Cozzi G*, Broekhuis F, Hartley R, McNutt JW  (2017) Serosurvey for selected viral pathogens among sympatric species of the African large predator guild in northern Botswana. Journal of Wildlife Disease  53:170-175  *shared first authorship
  • Cozzi G, Chynoweth M, Kusak J, Coban E, Coban A, Ozgul A, Sekercioglu C (2016) Anthropogenic food resources foster the coexistence of distinct life history strategies: year-round sedentary and migratory brown bears. Journal of Zoology 300:142-150
  • Durant SM, Becker MS, Creel S, Bashir S, Dickman AJ, Beudels-Jamar RC, Lichtenfeld L, Hilborn R, Wall J, Wittemyer G, Badamjav L, Blake S, Boitani L, Breitenmoser C, Broekhuis F, Christianson D, Cozzi G, Davenport TRB, […], Pettorelli N. (2015) Developing fencing policies for dry land ecosystems. Journal of Applied Ecology 52:544-551
  • Cozzi G, Börger L, Hutter P, Abegg D, Beran C, McNutt JW, Ozgul A (2015) Effects of trophy hunting leftovers on the ranging behaviour of large carnivores: A case study on spotted hyenas. PLOS ONE DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121471
  • Cozzi G, Broekhuis F, McNutt JW, Schmid B (2013) Density and habitat use of lions and spotted hyenas in northern Botswana and the influence of survey and ecological variables on call-in survey estimation. Biodiversity and Conservation 22:2937-2956
  • Creel S, Becker M, Durant S, Msoka J, Matandiko W, Dickman A, Christianson D, Droge E, Mweetwa T, Pettorelli N, Rosenblatt E, Schuette P, Woodroffe R, Bashir S, Beudels-Jamar R, Blake S, Borner M, Breitenmoser C, Broekhuis F, Cozzi G, Davenport TRB, […], Zimmermann A  (2013) Conserving large populations of lions – the argument for fences has holes. Ecology Letters 16:1413-1416
  • Broekhuis F, Cozzi G, Valeix M, McNutt JW, Macdonald DW (2013) Risk avoidance in sympatric large carnivores: reactive or predictive? Journal of Animal Ecology 82:1098-1105
  • Cozzi G (2013) Patterns of habitat use and segregation among African large carnivores. PhD Thesis Zurich University, Zurich – CH
  • Cozzi G, Broekhuis F, McNutt JW, Schmid B (2013) Comparison of the effects of artificial and natural barriers on large African carnivores: Implications for inter-specific relationships and connectivity. Journal of Animal Ecology 82:707-715
  • Cozzi G,Broekhuis F, McNutt JW, LA Turnbull, Macdonald DW, Schmid B (2012) Fear of the dark or dinner by moonlight? Reduced temporal partitioning among Africa’s large carnivores. Ecology 93:2590-2599
  • Cozzi G, Müller CB, Krauss J (2008) How do local habitat management and landscape structure at different spatial scales affect fritillary butterfly distribution on fragmented wetlands? Landscape Ecology 3:269-283
  • Krauss J, Cozzi G (2005) Fritillary butterfly conservation on fragmented fens in Switzerland. In: Studies on the Ecology and Conservation of Butterflies in Europe (eds.: E Kühn, R Feldmann, JA Thomas, J Settele), Vol. 1, pag. 17, PENSOFT Publishers.