The polar regions receive less solar energy than anywhere else on Earth, with the greatest year-round variation in daily light exposure; this produces highly seasonal environments, with short summers and long, cold winters. Polar environments are also characterised by a reduced daily amplitude of solar illumination. This is obvious around the solstices, when the Sun remains continuously above (polar ...

Large mammalian herbivores (LMH) shape vertebrate communities and structure food webs in many terrestrial ecosystems. However, the mechanisms that underlie the effects of LMH on other vertebrates are poorly understood. In France, domestic LMH have grazed alpine and mountain grasslands for thousands of years, profoundly influencing landscapes and wildlife. As LMH modify habitat structure, favour ...

Despite great promise for understanding the impacts and extent of climate change on aquatic animals, their species, and ecological communities, it is surprising that tracking tools, like biotelemetry and biologging devices, have not been extensively used to understand climate change or develop and evaluate potential interventions that may forestall or mitigate its effects. In this review, we provide ...

Knowledge about the breeding biology and potential threats on the breeding grounds is important for conservation of threatened species. The main breeding range of the Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus (LWFG) forms a belt along the southern part of the Russian arctic and, although their main nesting habitat has been described based on observations of broods or pairs with breeding behaviour, ...

The geological history of Sinai is complicated and differs from the other parts of the Arabian Nubian Shield. Some rocks in Sinai have a signature from the Grenvillian crust, as evidenced in Wadi Seih area. The ultimate objective of this research is to clarify the progression of episodic island arc accretion events from the amalgamation of Rodinia to the assembly of Gondwana supercontinent.Geochemical, ...

Phthalates are used in plastics, found throughout the marine environment and have the potential to cause adverse health effects. In the present study, we quantified blubber concentrations of 11 phthalates in 16 samples from stranded and/or free-living marine mammals from the Norwegian coast: the killer whale (Orcinus orca), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala ...

The heating and moistening of inhaled air, and the cooling and moisture removal from exhaled air, are crucial for the survival of animals under severe environmental conditions. Arctic mammals have evolved specific adaptive mechanisms to retain warmth and water and restrict heat loss during breathing. Here, the role of the porous turbinates of the nasal cavities of Arctic and subtropical seals is ...

High latitudes are experiencing intense ecosystem changes with climate warming. The underlying methane (CH4) cycling dynamics remain unresolved, despite its crucial climatic feedback. Atmospheric CH₄ emissions are heterogeneous, resulting from local geochemical drivers, global climatic factors, and microbial production/consumption balance. Holistic studies are mandatory to capture ...

How the multiple facets of soil fungal diversity vary worldwide remains virtually unknown, hindering the management of this essential species-rich group. By sequencing high-resolution DNA markers in over 4000 topsoil samples from natural and human-altered ecosystems across all continents, we illustrate the distributions and drivers of different levels of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of fungi ...

Arctic tundra vegetation is affected by rapid climatic change and fluctuating herbivore population sizes. Broad-billed geese, after their arrival in spring, feed intensively on belowground rhizomes, thereby disturbing soil, mosses, and vascular plant vegetation. Understanding of how springtime snowmelt patterns drive goose behavior is thus key to better predict the state of Arctic tundra ecosystems. ...