New NIOO publication: Large mammalian #herbivores affect arthropod #foodwebs via changes in #vegetation characteristics and #microclimate. #natureconservation #plantanimalinteractions #ungulates #trophicrewilding
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14163

"The reports of my death were greatly exaggerated"

Stunning comeback by this resprouting Butea monosperma seedling two months after it was written as dead. We'll see whether these gymnastics were helpful at all against its competitor.

I am about to wrap up my experiment on plant responses to #nutrient inputs from the dung of large #herbivores

#plants🌱 #ecology

When I lived in #Youbou & had #RooseveltElk visit daily. I miss living on edge of wilderness. Hoping I can get back to homesteading life in the future, with a better kindred partner who shares similar simple lifestyle dreams 🙌
https://youtu.be/xtNS0prY0CY

#nature #elk #wildlife #ungulate #cowichan #mammal #wapiti #LargestElkSpecies #BullElk #vanisle #VancouverIsland #PNW #PacificNorthwest #herbivores #BritishColumbia #Canada #Westcoast #Cascadia #ProtectElkHabitats #StopEcocide #StopClearcutting

It’s well understood that #overgrazing by #herbivores like #kangaroos can change #ecosystems dramatically, but the impact excessive grazing has on the cover of dead vegetation – and cascading effects on small #vertebrates like #lizards, #desert #frogs and #dunnarts
#Conservation #EarthScience #Environmental #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2023/01/con01302301.html

Pearl barley casserole. #food #foodporn #veggielife #vegetarian #herbivores

#Grazing with large #herbivores in #nature #conservation Séminaire/Webinaire at Tour du Valat mercredi 25/01/2023 –11h https://tourduvalat.org/agenda/seminaire-webinaire-mercredi-25-01-2023-grazing-with-large-herbivores-in-nature-conservation/

#Bison are large, muscular #mammals with a distinct appearance. They have a shaggy brown #coat, a massive #head with curved #horns, and a humped back. Bison can grow to be up to 6.5 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 2,000 #pounds. They are #herbivores, feeding on #grasses and other plants. Bison are social #animals and can often be found grazing in large #herds. They are known for their #strength and have been important to many #Indigenous #cultures throughout #history.

Excellent #research showing how large wild #herbivores are an important #climate solution - by reducing fire risk, helping to move #carbon underground, building more diverse and resilient #ecosystems and protecting permafrost.
https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/counterintuitive-large-wild-herbivores-may-help-slow-climate-change/

RT @JosianeSegar@twitter.com

Classic debate: are #herbivores good or bad for forests?
Science answer: It depends.

We used 52 European forests to determine the long-term effects of herbivory & found super divergent effects depending on N-deposition

Check out our paper @NatureComms@twitter.com
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-35282-6

🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/JosianeSegar/status/1605893664525283328

#ecology #herbivores #megaherbivores #mammals #smallMammals #mammalogy

RT @WSL_research
#PhD Alert! Interested in urban #ecology and the links between people’s preferences for #plants and the effects on #pollinators and #herbivores in cities? WSL’s #Conservation #Biology is looking for a PhD student! https://apply.refline.ch/273855/1420/pub/2/index.html #urbanecology #ScienceJobs #Phdposition

Högintressant om hur stora #betesdjur hjälper att förflytta #kol ner i marken. Exemplen berör inte vår tempererade zon, men varför skulle det vara annorlunda här?

#herbivores #kolinlagring
https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/counterintuitive-large-wild-herbivores-may-help-slow-climate-change/

Animal herbivores hamper nitrogen fixation in tropical forests https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/973838 #ecology #NitrogenFixation #herbivores

RT @MegaFaunaMe
I've extended the application deadline for this exciting postdoc position to study large mammal impacts on ecological stoichiometry and plant diversity. New deadline 15 Jan and start date 1 Apr!😃 #ecologicalstoichiometry #rewilding #megafauna #herbivores
https://www.au.dk/om/stillinger/job/readvertisement-large-mammal-impacts-on-the-spatiotemporal-environmental-heterogeneity-in-elemental-availability

Another uninformed statement from the article:

“If all humans were herbivores then there would be no need to raise animals for meat. That would mean we’d only ever see cows, sheep, chickens and pigs at the zoo.” – That’s right, no need to raise and kill animals for meat. But there are lots of other ways of sharing the planet with these animals. For example, animal sanctuaries. Also, farmed animals could become companion animals (though not in the numbers like today).

Shame on you, @theconversationau

#Companion Animals #FarmedAnimals #herbivores

#Introduction time

I am a researcher interested in many things in #ecology, animal #behaviour and #evolution.

I work in #India , mostly on #wild Asian #elephants, to understand animal societies, especially the #dominance relationships and #competition within and between #groups.

I also work on #tropical #forests using #field survey and sometimes #remotesensing.

I am widening my research to the functional ecology of large #herbivores, to understand their role in plant #community assembly.

#JournalClub
We discussed the latest paper from our lab's PI
"Light competition drives herbivore and nutrient effects on plant diversity", Eskelinen et al. 2022, Nature
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05383-9

- Competition for #light is a main mechanism leading to #diversity loss following #fertilisation and absence of grazers

- #Herbivores effect can outpace the effects of fertilisation on light competition

Check also the News and views in the same issue:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03458-1?error=cookies_not_supported&code=94abe1d9-d479-4a43-9a71-b812c12f5519&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#ref-CR11

Kinnaura #herders #migrate across an elevational gradient of 5000 meters with their #livestock in the #Himalaya. Our recent paper talks about the #parasite transmission implication for their livestock and wild #herbivores along this route
https://pastoralismjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13570-022-00257-1
Can you locate the livestock #herd in the picture?

#Mastodon is a family of stocky, furry #herbivores that lived all over the North American continent during the late Neogene Period and weighed in at 8,000-10,000 lbs!

Its name, meaning "breast tooth" comes from the nipple-like shape of its teeth, which aided the mastodon in browsing on twigs and branches! Its contemporary relative, the #mammoth, preferred softer fare, meaning the two didn't compete for resources.

Changing climate likely led to the demise of both about 10,000 years ago.

Poor timing to post this right before switching servers so here's a re-post of my introduction:

I think it's time for a #introduction. I'm Jay and I'm stoked to interact with the online #science community now that it's migrating off the bird site.

I'm an evolutionary biologist who studies interactions between Datura #plants and the #herbivores that feed on them. My work focuses on how plants and #insects shape each others evolutionary trajectories.