Publications by authors named "Mathilde Defourneaux"

Article Synopsis
  • Northern herbivores significantly impact tundra ecosystems, but the effects of herbivore diversity on these ecosystems have been largely overlooked, especially with ongoing climate and land-use changes.
  • This systematic review analyzed numerous studies (201 articles and over 3700 individual comparisons) to understand how different levels of herbivore diversity (measured by functional group richness) influence ecosystem processes and functions in the tundra.
  • The findings highlight a concentrated body of research from specific locations, emphasizing the need for more comprehensive studies across diverse Arctic regions to grasp the full effects of herbivore diversity on ecosystem functionality.
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Sub-lethal effects of warming temperatures are an important, yet sometimes overlooked impact of climate change that may threaten the long-term survival of numerous species. This, like many other effects of climate change, is especially concerning for cold-adapted ectotherms living in rapidly warming polar regions. This study examines the effects of warmer temperatures on cold-adapted Diptera, using the long-lived sub-Antarctic sphaerocerid fly, Anatalanta aptera, as a focal species.

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Article Synopsis
  • Changes in wild and domestic herbivore populations affect grazing systems, especially in low productivity areas like Iceland, where increasing wild herbivore populations pose challenges to farming.
  • A study from 1986 to 2020 examined changes in herbivore densities, metabolic biomass, and plant consumption in improved and unimproved lands.
  • Despite a shift toward wildlife dominance in herbivore communities, wild herbivores contributed minimally to overall biomass and consumption, indicating the need for better management strategies for both wild and domestic herbivores in cohabiting environments.
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Rangeland ecosystems are changing worldwide with the abandonment of extensive pastoralism practices and greater interest for species coexistence. However, the lack of compiled data on current changes in the abundance and distribution of herbivores challenges rangeland management decisions. Here we gathered and made available for the first time the most extensive set of occurrence data for rangeland herbivores in Iceland in an Open Access framework for transparent and repeatable science-based decisions.

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