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Jens-Christian Svenning

@jcsvenning.bsky.social

6.1K followers 610 following 290 posts

Scientist: #biodiversity, #macroecology, #climatechange, #restoration & #rewilding, #novelecosystems, #plants & #vegetation, #megafauna, #human-#nature relations & #remotesensing. Director, https://econovo.au.dk/

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Jens-Christian Svenning is a Danish ecologist, biogeographer and academic. He is a professor at the Department of Biology at Aarhus University, Denmark where he also serves as the director of DNRF Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), established in 2023. .. more

Environmental science 59%

Geography 16%

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Jens-Christian Svenning @jcsvenning.bsky.social · Jan 1

The evidence for Homo sapiens playing the dominant role in the global #megafauna #extinctions constitutes one of the clearest, well-supported patterns in #ecology. See our 2024 review www.cambridge.org/core/journal... #paleobiology #archeology #hunting #ecosystem #Pleistocene #defaunation #rewilding

The late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions: Patterns, causes, ecological consequences and implications for ecosystem management in the Anthropocene | Cambridge Prisms: Extinction | Cambridge Core

The late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions: Patterns, causes, ecological consequences and implications for ecosystem management in the Anthropocene - Volume 2

www.cambridge.org

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Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning

Nordic Journal of Botany @nordicjbotany.bsky.social · 1d

Did you know that there are many possibilities to publish #OpenAccess with us?
➡️Funder & institution agreements: vist.ly/49psa
➡️Discounts & waivers: vist.ly/49ps9
➡️NJB waivers: vist.ly/49psb

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Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning, Steve Carver

Ordo Fraterna Fibonacci @ordofibonacci.bsky.social · 8d

Extinct megafauna dominated human subsistence in southern South America before 11,600 years ago
Science Advances
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Extinct megafauna dominated human subsistence in southern South America before 11,600 years ago

The high position of megafauna among the hunting prey of humans in South America reinforces their central role in extinctions.

www.science.org

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Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning

Emilio Vilanova @evilanova.bsky.social · 8d

www.science.org/content/arti...

AI reveals vast ‘ghost forests’ along U.S. coast

Machine learning method counts nearly 12 million dead trees, many likely killed by rising seas

www.science.org

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Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning

Christine N Meynard @cnmeynard.bsky.social · 8d

I am very happy to assume my new role as EiC in Ecography. This represents a huge honor to me, thanks to @miguelbaraujo.bsky.social and @nordicoikos.bsky.social for the trust they have put on me, and to all the editors and authors who have made of this journal what it is.

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Jens-Christian Svenning @jcsvenning.bsky.social · 9d

🌳🍃 New study: Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) shows high adaptability, thriving in disturbed landscapes, shifting niches across continents, and with potential to expand further and contribute to ecosystem resilience under global change 🌍 See our paper👉 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #trees

A global-change winner? Global expansion potential, ecological drivers and hybridization risk of the disturbance-promoted honey locust (Gleditsia) - Discover Plants

Rapid environmental change and anthropogenic activities are reshaping plant distributional patterns and facilitating novel species compositions. The disturbance-tolerant, globally distributed Honey Locust (Gleditsia) provides a compelling case for studying these novel dynamics. In this study we assessed (1) the realized and potential distribution of the North American Gleditsia triacanthos in its native and introduced ranges, (2) ecological range determinants, (3) potential niche shifts between the North and South American populations of G. triacanthos, and (4) overlaps in the introduced distribution of G. triacanthos and native congeners, as an indicator of risks of hybridization or competitive exclusion. These analyses were based on species distribution modelling, using the Maximum Entropy algorithm. Habitat suitability of G. triacanthos was highest in regions with high Human Modification Index values, indicating anthropogenic disturbance as a major driver of its potential range. The results show a niche difference between the native North American and introduced South American populations of G. triacanthos, supporting high plasticity and local adaptive capacity as previously reported. Further, the results show wide potential for overlapping distributions between G. tricanthos and congeneric species outside North America, pointing to substantial potential for hybridization. This likely poses risks to the genetic integrity of geographically restricted taxa, such as G. caspica in the Caucasus region, but might also provide genetic diversity that could help local populations adapt to global change or, alternatively, create new invasive hybrid linages. Understanding the distributional dynamics and biotic interactions of globally expanding species like G. triacanthos is critical for anticipating ecological change and guiding adaptive conservation and management strategies.

link.springer.com

Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning

Alan McElligott @amcell.bsky.social · 10d

2025. The ancestors of ostriches and emus were long-distance fliers. Here's how we worked this out phys.org/news/2025-09...

The ancestors of ostriches and emus were long-distance fliers. Here's how we worked this out

Aside from being a delight to watch, flight in birds is regarded by many cultures as a symbol of freedom, and a source of inspiration for humans to build our own flying machines. This makes those bird...

phys.org

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Reposted by Jonathan Lenoir

Jens-Christian Svenning @jcsvenning.bsky.social · 13d

Interested in #alien species - check our graduated framework for #nativeness here 🌿🌐 #invasivespecies #nonnative

Hans Henrik Bruun @hhbruun.bsky.social · 13d

Nativeness cannot be binary, if is to make sense and be practically applicable at the scale of countries.
We propose a graduated definition, in which species native to neighbouring territories are considered "near-native"
doi.org/10.1002/oik....

A graduated nativeness definition for overcoming dilemmas and difficulties of vascular plant species

Nativeness is a concept central to biodiversity conservation and invasion biology, but there are several problems related to a classic binary nativeness definition. Dilemmas arise from the dynamic na...

doi.org

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Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning, Jonathan Lenoir

Hans Henrik Bruun @hhbruun.bsky.social · 13d

A graduated nativeness definition for overcoming dilemmas and difficulties of vascular plant species

doi.org

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Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning

Søren Torbjørn Svendsen @sorentsvendsen.bsky.social · 13d

Kulturhistorie forbundet med naturen.

@jcsvenning.bsky.social og Peter Friis Møller var i K-live forleden for at fortælle om de mulige ændringer i sammensætningen af træer i DK. Bøgen forsvinder måske.

Det er der også kommet denne artikel ud af.

#dknatur #dkgreen

www.dr.dk/nyheder/vide...

Det kan være væk om under 100 år. Men hvad er Danmark uden bøgetræet?

Om under 100 år risikerer Danmark at skulle sige farvel til bøgetræet - og kan man så fortsat kalde det vores nationaltræ?

www.dr.dk

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Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning, Garry Peterson, Steve Carver , and 1 more Jens‐Christian Svenning, Garry Peterson, Steve Carver, Stephen D. Murphy

Valentin Moser @vmoser.bsky.social · 14d

Beavers boost bats! Beaver ponds had higher bat richness (4→5 spp/night), 1.6× activity, and 2.3× feeding vs. controls. Structural changes (standing deadwood, more heterogeneous canopy) and more prey help explain why:
Journal of Animal Ecology:
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Habitat heterogeneity and food availability in beaver‐engineered streams foster bat richness, activity and feeding

Beavers reshape ecosystems in ways that benefit bat richness, activity and feeding activity. We linked increased habitat structures (standing deadwood and canopy heterogeneity) and prey abundance to ...

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Jens-Christian Svenning @jcsvenning.bsky.social · 14d

Thanks! Here's a free read link: rdcu.be/ev5w1

Alien plants and novel ecosystems in the Greater Tropics

Nature Reviews Biodiversity - The Greater Tropics are under substantial ecological pressure driven by anthropogenic change, including the introduction of alien plants. This Review explores the...

rdcu.be

Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning

GBIF Morpho 🦋 @gbifmorpho.bsky.social · 15d

New paper by @jcsvenning.bsky.social in Nature Reviews Biodiversity using @gbif.org mediated data:

Alien plants and novel ecosystems in the Greater Tropics

#CiteTheDOI: ✅

https://doi.org/10.1038/s44358-025-00068-3

Alien plants and novel ecosystems in the Greater Tropics - Nature Reviews Biodiversity

The Greater Tropics are under substantial ecological pressure driven by anthropogenic change, including the introduction of alien plants. This Review explores the pattern of alien plant invasions and their effects on ecosystems across the Greater Tropics, as well as potential avenues for ecosystem recovery and resilience.

doi.org

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Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning, Jonathan Lenoir, Pieter A. Zuidema

Timo Conradi @timoconradi.bsky.social · 15d

Attribution of vegetation change to climate change: here we compared vegetation time series to simulations from a process model forced with observed and counterfactual (detrended) climate data. Trends in climate necessary for the model to emulate vegetation trends www.nature.com/articles/s41... 1/3

Shifts in vegetation activity of terrestrial ecosystems attributable to climate trends - Nature Geoscience

An analysis fusing satellite data with a process-based model of plant growth attributes changes in vegetation activity across terrestrial ecosystems to climatic changes.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning, Ben Bond‐Lamberty

juli g pausas @jgpausas.bsky.social · 15d

Sequoia sempervirens (redwood; world's tallest tree) is well adapted to high-intensity crown fires (eg 2020), but Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant sequoia; world's most massive tree) is adapted to surface fires only!
bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

🧪🌍🔥🌿🌳🔥🪴 @botsocamerica.bsky.social

Sequoia sempervirens (Coast redwood) resprouting epicormically after a high-intensity fire

Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant sequoia) with a fire scar in the base from a surface fire

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Jens-Christian Svenning @jcsvenning.bsky.social · 18d

Well, GE does in fact do more good than harm

Jens-Christian Svenning @jcsvenning.bsky.social · 18d

Nothing compared to what climate change risk doing - and nothing compared to industrial agriculture... The quantitative perspective is crucial ♨️

Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning, Stephen R. Carpenter

IPBES @ipbes.net · 19d

Environmental challenges, like extreme weather events & critical changes in Earth systems, remain a priority, underlining the importance of risk mitigation in an interconnected world.🌐⚠️
—WEF Global Risks Report 2025

https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/global-risks-report-2025-bleak-predictions/

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Jens-Christian Svenning @jcsvenning.bsky.social · 19d

And also our work on the risk to #trees and #forests: nat.au.dk/en/about-the...

Climate change is on track to shift key tree species like beech and Norway spruce north: European forests will be completely changed by the year 2100.

In just a few decades, the climate in many of the world’s forests will be so changed that many trees will have difficulty surviving. For example, in wide parts of lowland Central Europe, there is a ri...

nat.au.dk

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Jens-Christian Svenning @jcsvenning.bsky.social · 19d

See our research: Quantifying the human cost of global #warming www.nature.com/articles/s41... #heatstresss #mortality #climaterisk

Quantifying the human cost of global warming - Nature Sustainability

As an alternative to monetary estimates, this study expresses the costs of climate change in terms of numbers of people left outside the ‘human climate niche’, which reflects the historically highly c...

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Tim M. Blackburn

Jens-Christian Svenning @jcsvenning.bsky.social · 19d

Debating the aesthetics of #wind & #solar is a luxury. The real crisis is climate change—threatening billions with deadly heat & catastrophic ecosystem breakdowns ♨️🥵🔥 Green #energy is a necessity🍃 Challenges exist (noise, land use) but are manageable - biggest risk is inaction #dkpol #climatechange

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Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning

Ruth Mottram @ruthmottram.bsky.social · 19d

Danish national anthem sings that Denmark will last as long as the beech trees are reflected in the blue waves of the sea.
I have often wondered which we lose first: beech trees or #seaLevelRise.
This from @jcsvenning.bsky.social et al suggests it will be the trees

videnskab.dk/naturvidensk...

Juletræet og Danmarks nationaltræ dør sandsynligvis i skovene i dette århundrede

Tusindvis af træarter og store skovarealer trues af klimaforandringer, viser nyt dansk studie.

videnskab.dk

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Jens-Christian Svenning @jcsvenning.bsky.social · 22d

With this methodology, you'd also find that native herbivores generally "harm" plants and native carnivores generally "harm" their prey & competition - unsurprisingly, intuitively & given the huge literature on herbivory, competition, predation etc 🌿

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Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning

Center for Large Landscape Conservation @largelandscapes.org · 22d

A new study underscores the importance of free-roaming bison in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Researchers looked at the impact of migrating bison herds on Yellowstone’s landscape and found that these large mammals play a key role in the nitrogen cycle.

www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/r...

Restoring Bison to Yellowstone Has 'Reawakened' the Ecosystem as the Large Animals Migrate, Study Suggests

An analysis of plant diversity and soil health across the bison migration corridor suggests free-roaming bison lead to more nutrient-rich plants

www.smithsonianmag.com

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Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning

IPBES @ipbes.net · 22d

🌊 One-quarter of freshwater species are at risk of extinction, warns the IUCN Red List.

From crabs to fish, these creatures are vital for ecosystems and human livelihoods. Pollution, habitat loss, and invasive species drive this crisis.🐟🦐

📷 IUCN
🗞️ iucn.org/press-releas...

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Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning

Nordic Journal of Botany @nordicjbotany.bsky.social · 22d

NEW ISSUE: The NJB September cover shows Passiflora quimiana, a new species from the Cordillera del Cóndor, described in the article by Kuethe et al.
vist.ly/4754h
<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:xcdhjuzb7t6aqdy5ii5q275y" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@nordicoikos.bsky.social #OpenAccess