Svenja B. Kroeger
Research Scientist
(+47) 908 21 036
svenja.kroeger@nibio.no
Place
Trondheim
Visiting address
Klæbuveien 153, bygg C 1.etasje, 7031 Trondheim
Biography
Evolutionary ecologist with a background in life-history evolution and senescence. My research focus is on understanding impacts of environmental variation, including anthropogenic disturbance, such as infrastructure development, on animal populations and biodiversity in general. I have worked with a range of study systems including insects, plants, mammals and birds, and my particular expertise lies with sciurids.
Degrees:
Ph.D. in Ecology at the University of Aberdeen (2017)
B.Sc. (Hons) in Animal Biology at the University of Stirling (2013)
Abstract
Studies in natural populations are essential to understand the evolutionary ecology of senescence and terminal allocation. While there are an increasing number of studies investigating late-life variation in different life-history traits of wild populations, little is known about these patterns in social behaviour. We used long-term individual based data on yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) to quantify how affiliative social behaviours and different life-history traits vary with age and in the last year of life, and how patterns compare between the two. We found that some social behaviours and all life-history traits varied with age, whereas terminal last year of life effects were only observed in life-history traits. Our results imply that affiliative social behaviours do not act as a mechanism to adjust allocation among traits when close to death, and highlight the importance of adopting an integrative approach, studying late-life variation and senescence across multiple different traits, to allow the identification of potential trade-offs. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ageing and sociality: why, when and how does sociality change ageing patterns?’
Authors
Svenja B. Kroeger Daniel T. Blumstein Kenneth B. Armitage Jane Margaret Reid Julien G.A. MartinAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Semi-naturlige enger er artsrike naturtyper formet av langvarig beite og slått, og er en viktig del av norsk natur- og kulturarv. I dag er mange av disse engene truet av gjengroing, intensivering og nedbygging. Gjennom Arealrepresentativ overvåking av semi-naturlig eng (ASO), et overvåkingsprogram finansiert av Miljødirektoratet, samles kunnskap om areal, økologisk tilstand, biologisk mangfold og endringer over tid. Denne kunnskapen er viktig for forvaltning og bevaring av semi-naturlige enger i Norge.
Authors
Ascensão, Fernando Barrientos, Rafael Araya-Gamboa, Daniela Bannock, Carol Baxter-Gilbert, James Bhardwaj, Manisha Biasotto, Larissa D. Boyle, Sean P. Camacho, Carlos Carmona, Guillermo Celi, Jorge E. Chiles, Sarah Clevenger, Anthony P. Colino Rabanal, Victor J. Collinson-Jonker, Wendy J. Corlett, Richard T. Darryl, Jones N. Deacon, Charl Engert, Jayden E. Ford, Adam Goldfarb, Benjamin Grilo, Clara Haider, Sylvia Hans Martin Hanslin Hernandez-Hernandez, Javier Hughes, Alice C. Huijser, Marcel P. Jaeger, Jochen A. G. Jakes, Andrew F. Januchowski-Hartley, Stephanie R. Jones, Paul F. Kindel, Andreas Kollmann, Johannes Svenja B. Kroeger Lamb, Clayton Langen, Tom A. Laurance, William F. Leal, Cecilia G. Lennartsson, Tommy Lourenço, Rui Mahmoud, Mahmoud Ibrahim Malo, Juan E. Maslo, Brooke McClure, Christopher J. W. Medrano-Vizcaíno, Pablo Megía-Palma, Rodrigo Mestre, Frederico Millán, Javier Milton, Suzanne J. Moreira, Francisco Morelli, Federico Mulero-Pázmány, Margarita Navarro, Laetitia M. Paige, L. Christine Petrovan, Silviu Phillips, Benjamin B. Popp, Jesse N. Quiles, Pablo Raiter, Keren Gila Rodriguez, Airam Román, Jacinto Rytwinski, Trina Samways, Michael J. Santoro, Simone Santos, Sara M. Schlacher, Thomas A. Seidler, Renee G. Selva, Nuria Shilling, Fraser M. Soanes, Kylie Stokes, Josie Sánchez de Miguel, Alejandro Teixeira, Fernanda Zimmermann Thompson, Cassie J. Varela, Diego Wang, Yun Weston, Michael A. van der Grift, Edgar A. van der Ree, Rodney D’Amico, MarcelloAbstract
Road Ecology has experienced rapid growth as a field, yet significant knowledge and research gaps remain, particularly regarding underexplored impacts of roads on fauna and flora, ecosystems and landscapes, as mitigation methods and management solutions to avoid or reduce negative impacts. Here, we synthesize the key research needs identified throughout the book and emphasize topics that have received limited attention, highlighting the growing need for interdisciplinary and technologically advanced studies, and innovative statistical methodologies to assess infrastructure impacts and the combined effects of different types of infrastructures (such as roads and powerlines) on biodiversity. We highlight the need for more comprehensive studies on ecosystem functioning, evolutionary effects, and the role of roadside habitats, while calling for improvements in the cost-effectiveness of mitigation measures and large-scale assessments of road impacts. Emerging research priorities for Road Ecology include a growing emphasis on interdisciplinary and technologically advanced studies, and innovative statistical methodologies to assess infrastructure impacts and the combined effects of multiple infrastructures (such as roads and powerlines) on biodiversity. The impact of new infrastructure in areas supporting multiple migratory species is also becoming a priority issue, especially in regions where there is significant growth in infrastructure projects. Interdisciplinary efforts should prioritize strategies that balance infrastructure development with biodiversity conservation, especially in rapidly developing regions.
Abstract
While the potential of road verges as habitats with conservation value is increasingly recognised, a better understanding of the drivers of differences in species diversity and richness is needed to devise appropriate management strategies. We quantified the effects of a set of key environmental variables on plant species richness along four roads in Sweden, all showing variation in vegetation along their stretches. We identified variables of particular importance but found that their effects differed depending on location, highlighting strong context dependence. We concluded that species richness was generally higher in road verges with low vegetation (e.g. low-productive habitats) and with less dense vegetation cover (e.g. habitats characterised by ground disturbance resulting in exposed or sparsely vegetated soil), and increased further with higher sun exposure. Our study contributes to the understanding of which environmental conditions and mechanisms should be considered when constructing and maintaining road verges and represents a step towards a unifying framework for road verge habitat ecology.
