HERDWISE explores how the social organisation of large herbivores shapes ecosystems. Horses as well as other large herbivores are ecosystem engineers, influencing vegetation structure, habitat diversity, ecosystem complexity and thus overall biodiversity. The ability to act as an ecosystem engineer however can result from a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
While previous research have focused on external factors – such as resource availability driving habitat use and diet – the HERDWISE study investigates the role of intrinsic factors as well as interaction between behavioural and environmental drivers shaping ecosystems. Specifically, our project aims to explore how the social structure of large herbivores influences their activity patterns, foraging behaviour, and spatial use behaviour and how these intrinsic-driven factors are reflected on the heterogeneity of habitats
Using the horse as the primary study system and comparing “socially natural” reproductive groups with “socially managed” non-reproductive groups, we combine GPS tracking, drone observations, stable isotope analysis, and satellite imagery to link horse behaviour to habitat heterogeneity.
Our goal is to understand how different social structures influence behavioural patterns and, ultimately, habitat complexity, providing evidence to guide biodiversity conservation and rewilding management decisions.
Tine Petersen is a master student in Ecology conducting her thesis within the HERDWISE project’s first work-package. With joint supevision by Aarhus Universitet and København Universitet, Tine works on assessing the differences in activity-time budget of horses in rewilding settings as a function of their social structure.
Nell Tassous is an engineering student in Biology and Agronomy (Dijon), Nell is conducting her internship within HERDWISE, having launched a pilot study on the development of a protocol on the assessment of diet of horses from tail-hair isotope ratios.
Mathieu Portmann is a master student specializing in Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution (Aix Marseille), Mathieu is conducting his internship within HERDWISE, developing computer-vision-assisted annotations using machine learning methods to recognise and quantify herbivore activity-time budget from UAV-videos.
Léa Chansieaud is a bachelor student on a one-year Erasmus program in Denmark, Léa joined the HERDWISE project with the elaborating a video-based ethogram on social behaviours of horses in rewilding settings, providing basis for fine-scale social behavioural evaluation.
