Disputas og prøveforelesning - MSc in Biology Ingrid Paulsen

Later, at 12.15 she will defend her thesis entitled: "Monitoring herbivore–environment relationships in a changing Arctic landscape"

Acting Dean Roy Dalmo will lead the disputation.

Popular Science Summary
Arctic herbivores face challenges due to environmental changes. This thesis examines habitat use, suitability, and overlap of vertebrate herbivores in Svalbard, using remote sensing tools and traditional field data. Key findings include the importance of continuous moss tundra, heath, and forage quantity for Svalbard reindeer. Minimal habitat overlap was found among reindeer, ptarmigan, and geese. Remote sensing tools, while useful, have limitations compared to field surveys, especially in capturing reindeer abundance and plant biomass in certain habitats. The study highlights the need for synergy between remote sensing and field data to understand herbivore-environment relationships. Future tundra greening may increase habitat suitability and overlap between species. Overall, remote sensing can track changes, but understanding why, require integration with field observations.

Evaluation Committee

• Professor Isabel Barrio, Faculty of Environmental and Forest Science, Agricultural University of Iceland, Iceland (1. opponent)
• Senior researcher Floris van Beest, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Denmark (2. opponent)
• Associate Professor Lennart Nilsen, AMB (internal member and leader of the committee)

Streaming

Both the trial lecture and defense and will be streamed and recorded:

• Trial lecture
• Defense

Thesis

 The thesis is available through Munin