iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Geoffrey Mesbahi

Brian J. Enquist @bjenquist.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Please pass along... 🌿 Explore 25.9 MILLION plant trait measurements across 54 traits in BIEN 4.2! Search, visualize & download trait data across species, genera & families. No coding needed! (But code examples given so that you can learn). Try it ... benquist.shinyapps.io/bien-traits-...

benquist.shinyapps.io

Query traits by species, genus, family, or trait type with full provenance tracking

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Reposted by Geoffrey Mesbahi

Mongabay @mongabay.com · 19/07/2026

A 33-year study on Costa Rica’s white-faced capuchin monkeys reveals that extreme climate events force the primates to abandon their social norms. Severe droughts cause food scarcity, driving intense competition, territorial sensitivity and shifting group dynamics. Adam Litchkofski reports.

mongabay.cc

How Costa Rica’s extreme climate changes the social behaviors of white-faced capuchin

COSTA RICA: Dawn is yet to break when primatologist Susan Perry and her field research team move through Costa Rica’s tropical dry forest for a day in the field studying Central American white-faced…

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Providing a greater diversity of plants could therefore support animal welfare and potentially also feed intake and performance 🩺🧀🥩 Our new paper is freely available: Forage selection of dairy cows grazing contrasting multispecies swards is influenced by cow characteristics doi.org/10.1016/j.va...

Bull sleeping in the middle of the cow herd. Probably enjoying a nice grazing season :)

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

It is also relevant for pasture design and seed mixture selection 📜🌱 If individual cows differ in their preferences and requirements, diverse multispecies grasslands may give them more opportunities to select their own diet. (You are almost there 💪 One more post, the last picture is the best!)

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

In other words, cows within the same herd do not necessarily use a pasture in the same way. This is something to consider when interpreting grazing behaviour based on herd-level results.

Cow ruminating among flowers of red clover, dandelion and raygrass.

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

In our latest study, we observed dairy cows grazing four contrasting multispecies swards ☘️🐄🌼 Their forage choices were associated with individual characteristics such as age, physiological status and health.

Swiss Fleckvieh cows. One is half ruminating half sleeping, while four other cows are actively grazing.

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

🚨 New paper out! 🚨 When studying grazing behaviour, results are often reported at the herd level. But individual cows can differ considerably in what they choose to eat 🐄🌱 ▶️ doi.org/10.1016/j.va... 🧵 1/5 🧪

Swiss Fleckvieh cow grazing a multispecies grassland. The grassland is composed of grasses, legumes and forbs. We can see white clover, dandelion, chicory, plantain and lotus.

Herd of Swiss Fleckvieh cow grazing a multispecies grassland, with rainy clouds incoming.

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Reposted by Geoffrey Mesbahi

Mika Rantanen @mikarantane.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

In terms of temperature anomaly for the last three months (MJJ 2026 period), France is the most anomalous country in the world with +2.8 °C above the 1991-2020 average.

Map showing 2-m temperature anomaly for May 2026 to Jul 2026 from ERA5 reanalysis. France and the whole western Europe is dark red, indicating much warmer than normal conditions.

Bar diagram showing the top 10 and bottom 10 countries in terms of temperature anomalies from normal. France ranks the first warmest.

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Reposted by Geoffrey Mesbahi

Common Tern Project @commonternproject.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Question: do I know anyone near Nantes who would be willing to pick up a dead gull-billed tern and its logger? L49 has sadly been killed near a road. I’d be very grateful for a picture and the logger and would of course reimburse postage.

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

The excursion took place during a heatwave, making one thing obvious: the shade provided by trees benefits not only livestock but also people. A nice reminder that agroforestry is becoming increasingly relevant in a warming climate. Looking forward to the next #EURAF conference! Who knows where...

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

🚌 The conference also included a field excursion to the famous wooded pastures of the Jura Mountains. We visited a traditional farm, and a farm planting increasing numbers of trees to help adapt to climate change. It was a great opportunity to see agroforestry in practice.

Agroforestry plot in arable land, close to Delemont in Switzerland

Mulberry fodder tree, Switzerland. The tree is pollarded at 50 cm above the ground to increase the number of branches, and keeping the leaves accessible for the browsing cows.

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Abstracts: - UAV-derived canopy volume predicts leaf biomass in pollarded forage trees geoffreymesbahi.netlify.app/publication/... - Integrating forage trees into organic arable crop–grassland rotations: Design of a multifunctional agroforestry system geoffreymesbahi.netlify.app/publication/...

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

🌳🐄🌽🍎 My second presentation focused on a new multifunctional agroforestry experiment at FiBL 🇨🇭 We're establishing a system combining an crops-grassland rotation with trees producing timber, biomass, fruits and (obviously) fodder! This plot also serves as a research and demonstration site 🧪

Map of the agroforestry plot, representing timber trees and fodder trees. One area is dedicated to research: timber trees are planted every 12 meters, and the space between two timber trees is filled with 7 fodder trees.

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

I presented two ongoing projects 🧪 🌳✈️ First, at @inrae-france.bsky.social , we tested whether a low-cost drone equipped with a simple RGB camera can estimate the leaf biomass of fodder trees. The answer is: yes, it works surprisingly well! But species-specific equations are needed. #drone #UAV

A drone (or UAV) flying, surrounded by blue sky

Drone on the ground, in an agroforestry plot

Aerial piecture and DSM of trees seen from the sky

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Last week I had the pleasure of attending #EURAF2026 in beautiful Neuchâtel, Switzerland 🇨🇭 A great conference with inspiring talks, friendly discussions, excellent food, and a venue just a few steps from the lake. Thanks to the organisers for a fantastic event!

View of Lake Neuchâtel, from above Neuchâtel city

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Philippe Grandcolas @pgisyeb.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Situation que la loi d’urgence agricole ne fera qu’empirer : les mégabassines ne compenseront pas l’échaudage, agrandir les élevages ne les protègera pas et l’acétamipride ne rafraîchira pas les cultures. Deux VRAIS problèmes de l’agriculture : le changement climatique et les prix d’achat #Duplomb

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Reposted by Geoffrey Mesbahi

Bertrand Dumont @bdumontae.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

👋 sheep lovers, new paper online "Replacing external inputs with ecosystem services to produce lamb meat can increase exposure to ecosystem disservices" ✅ 29 indicators were used to assess the scores for services and disservices flowing from and into 5 lamb meat systems 👉 doi.org/10.1017/S174...

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

2/ Our recommendations: ✍️ • researchers: archive both data and code, with clear READMEs • journals: employ Data/Code Editors • institutions: strengthen open science training • funders: set clearer expectations on open data & code practices 🧪

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Reposted by Geoffrey Mesbahi

Sarah Taber @sarahtaber.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Happy Tuesday! Who's ready to hear about 1. Flesh-eating maggots (mostly go after cattle) 2. They're native to the US 3. The USDA has kept them out of the US since the 1960s 4. But the flesh-eating maggots are making a 21st century comeback. And believe it or not it may be thanks to MAGA.

Screenshot of a CDC presentation slide on screwworm, titled "History of New World screwworm." There's a map showing its gradual eradication from the US, then southward through central America from the 1960s through the 1980s.

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Bonus 🎤 In June, at the Joint Meeting of EAAP Mountain Livestock Farming & FAO-CIHEAM Mountain Pastures, in Lanquart 🇨🇭, I will present a broader comparison of these systems: methane emissions, meat productivity and quality, animal health, and carcass value. Hope to meet some of you there! 🧪 5/4 🙃

Screenshot of the Mountain Grassland and Livestock Joint Conference website. We can see cows grazing close to a pond, in an alpine environment.

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

What this study suggests 👇 • The Hohenheim Gas Test may help compare individuals, not only feeds • Condensed tannins may mainly act in the short term (when ingested with feed) • Diverse mountain pastures may select a more fibrolytic rumen microbiota 4/4

A wooden frame (a.k.a quadrat) on an Alpine pasture. The quadrats are used to assess the botanical composition of the pastures.

View from one of the Alpine pastures. These pastures were located in Switzerland, close to the Albulapass, almost 2000 m a.s.l.

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

The higher condensed tannin content of alpine pastures did *not* reduce methanogenesis as expected. Genotype effects were significant, but smaller than those of the feeding system🐄🐂 This highlights how strongly feeding environments shape rumen function. 3/4

Calves from the indoor system feeding hay

Calves from the lowland pasture-based system

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

At #FiBL 🇨🇭, we compared one indoor hay-based system and three pasture-based systems along an elevation gradient ⛰️ Plant diversity, phenolic compounds and condensed tannins increased with elevation. Unexpectedly, methane production was *higher* in the mountain systems. 2/4

Flower from the Alpine system. We can see a great botanical diversity, producing condensed tannin-rich feeds

The three genotypes grazing side by side in the lowland pasture-based system. From left to right: Limousin x Brown Swiss, Brown Swiss, and Swiss Fleckvieh

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

🚨 My latest paper has just been published! 🎉 For the Horizon Europe project #Re-Livestock , we studied in vitro methane production in 48 male dairy calves from 3 genotypes raised in 4 grass-based systems. Main result: feeding system mattered more than genotype. doi.org/10.1016/j.li... 🧪 🧵 1/4

Screenshot of the paper title: The methanogenic potential of grass-fed dairy calves is mostly impacted by the feeding system, not the genotype. Published in Livestock Science, volume 309, July 2026

Graphical abstract of the paper.
Protocol: 48 calves from 3 breeds, distributed in 4 grass-based system (3 pasture-based, on indoor hay-based). Rumen fluid incubated for 24 hours.
Results: Effect of system > Effect of genotype. Greater in vitro methane production in extensive mountaineous systems compared to the lowland more intensive systems

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EAAP - European Federation of Animal Science @eaap-animalscience.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Good news!🚀 Booklet and Book of Abstracts of the EAAP Mountain Grassland and Livestock Joint Conference is now available! The event will take place in Plantahof, Landquart (Switzerland), from 15th to 17th June 2026 Have a look here and register to the event!🧐 mlg2026.eaap.org

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The Observer @theobserveruk.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

The prize that could make ‘talking to the animals’ a reality Scientists are decoding the chirps, squeaks and calls of finches, bonobos and more in pursuit of a $10m award aimed at understanding how animals communicate, James Tapper reports bit.ly/4nDelSF

bit.ly

The prize that could make ‘talking to the animals’ a reality

Scientists are decoding the chirps, squeaks and calls of finches, bonobos and more in pursuit of a $10m award aimed at understanding how animals communicate

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Polar Observer @polarobs.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Parution de l'Atlas de la flore des Terres australes françaises, premier ouvrage de référence entièrement consacré à la flore des îles australes françaises #TAAF, publié aux éditions Biotope en coédition avec les Publications scientifiques du @mnhn.fr. taaf.fr/actualite/pu...

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John Kostyack @kostyack.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Have you heard the propaganda about how C02 pollution is "plant food"? Yes, it causes crops to grow faster and produce higher yields, but it also means there's more sugar and fewer nutrients. Fossil fuels damage food supplies at a time when billions are already suffering from nutrient deficiency.

washingtonpost.com

The invisible force making food less nutritious

Surging concentrations of carbon in the atmosphere have produced potent changes in the way plants grow, draining the nutrients from food.

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Reposted by Geoffrey Mesbahi

EAAP - European Federation of Animal Science @eaap-animalscience.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

77th EAAP Annual Meeting in Hamburg: Register by June 1st to Benefit from Early-Bird Rates ⏳ The countdown is on! Join us in Hamburg from 7–11 September 2026 🌍 🎯 Early-bird deadline: June 1st, 2026 Register now to save your spot (and money!) 💸 🔗 eaap2026.org See you in Hamburg 🇩🇪

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European Research Council (ERC) @erc.europa.eu · 29/04/2026

NEWS: The ERC Scientific Council has listened to the concerns from members of the research community about changes to the re-submission rules, intended to manage the surge in demand for grants. The Scientific Council will readjust some of the changes: link.europa.eu/TBqRQJ

link.europa.eu

ERC Scientific Council readjusts rules for reapplication

The ERC Scientific Council has listened to the concerns from members of the research community about the recent announcement on changes to the re-submission rules. The changes, intended to manage the ...

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Reposted by Geoffrey Mesbahi

Sergey Rosbakh @srosbakh.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Five more days to apply! PhD position in our long-term Arctic project based at Leibniz University Hannover with fieldwork in Abisko. Focus: berries, functional traits, climate change & future food systems (with a microclimate angle). Please share: www.uni-hannover.de/en/jobs/id/8...

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Mathilde L. Tissier @mathildetissier.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Our letter in @science.org on the scientific consensus behind our conclusion: "legislation should prioritize and scale up sustainable practices & alternatives to pesticides, [...] and provide sustained support to farmers committed to agroecological transition."

science.org

France must protect pollinators over pesticides

Pollinating insects, which are essential to biodiversity, plant reproduction, and crop production, are in decline (1, 2). In Europe, pollinator populations have declined markedly over recent decades (...

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Reposted by Geoffrey Mesbahi

Mike Murphy @mjamurphy.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Frontlines of the climate crisis: 1 in 3 people in Somalia face severe food insecurity. Repeated droughts, harvest failures and livestock losses are fueling conflict and displacement, while food and energy prices surge.

aje.news

More than 6 million Somalis face hunger amid climate shocks and conflict

Drought, failed rains, and conflict drive 6.5 million Somalis into hunger; children face acute malnutrition risks.

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Reposted by Geoffrey Mesbahi

Ecol. Solutions & Evidence | Applied Ecol. Resources @aer-ese-bes.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

We're accepting proposals for our Special Feature! We invite scientists and practitioners to share experiences from management projects that didn't go to plan, but still provided important insights into how best to manage ecosystems and species🌱 ⏰Submit by 30th April More here👇 buff.ly/EXXBFsJ

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Robert Finger @robertfinger.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

'Environmental claims, climate promises, and ‘greenwashing’ by meat and dairy companies' Relevant paper by Bach et al. in PLOS Climate doi.org/10.1371/jour...

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Dr Pierre Mariotte @pierremariotte.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

🌳🌱🍄‍🟫🪲🕷️🐜 This week we are sampling micro, meso and #macrofauna in our fodder #tree #hedgerows and in adjacent grazed #grassland to assess the impact of this #agroforestry system on #soil #biodiversity #AgroForageTreeProject @snsf.ch @agroscope.bsky.social

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Rémi Cardinael @remicardinael.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

📢 #PhD offer: "Towards better carbon accounting for agroforestry systems at global scale" 🌳 🌽 🐄 🌍 . Fully funded by @cirad.bsky.social and GALILEO EU-AU project. Deadline to apply: May 31, 2026. #agroforestry #carbon #IPCC #naturalclimatesolution More details here: www.cirad.fr/content/down...

cirad.fr

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Functional Agrobiodiversity & Agroecology @funcagroeco.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

📢 Join our #EcologySeminar! Dr. Filip Harabiš will shed light on the question of whether ponds in agricultural landscapes function as biodiversity hotspots or ecological traps 🐸 🌾 🪲 📅 Wed 22April at 10:15 AM ❗️ Only online 📩 DM for webinar link @agrarunigoe.bsky.social @uni-goettingen.de

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Our World in Data @ourworldindata.org · 20/04/2026

In a world that often feels deeply polarized, it is rare to find a topic where almost everyone agrees. The treatment of farm animals is one of them. Surveys across many countries show that a strong majority of people, regardless of their diet, oppose common practices in animal agriculture.

Bar chart of survey responses from about 1,000 UK adults in 2022 where most respondents rate a range of common farming practices for chickens, cows and pigs as "not acceptable," highlighting a gap between public concern for farm animals and current practices. Data source: Bryant Research (2022). License: CC BY.

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Journal of Animal Ecology @animalecology.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

📖 Yellow fever outbreak temporarily changes dispersal patterns in an endangered primate These results indicate a spatial rearrangement of individuals during the outbreak potentially due to non-random mortality leading to changes in social group structure🐵 🧪 🦠 🔎 buff.ly/ioA0767

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Nigel Raine @nigeleraine.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Grassland management & wild #bee biodiversity: conservation lessons from native & non-native systems in S Ontario. New review, led by Kyr Lightburn, discusses the importance of integrating incentive-based management & targeted restoration in working lands to enhance habitat: doi.org/10.1139/face...

Grassland habitats in Southern Ontario illustrating the diversity of vegetation structure and ﬂoral communities across
various sites. Panels (a)–(d) show non-native rotationally grazed pastures, while panels (e)–(h) show non-grazed, native grassland
habitats. Panel (b) shows blue vane traps in ﬁeld for bee surveying. Photos (e)–(h) courtesy of Janean Sharkey.

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Robin Lacassin @rlacassin.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Received a review request for a journal I wasn't aware of. Manuscript title and abstract were fanciful. An opportunity to "discover" 😆 that Springer Nature copied MDPI with a bunch of (semi)predatory journals named "discover something". Be sure not to review or publish in these journals. ⚒️ 🧪 1/2

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Agricology @agricology.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

COMING SOON...🌳🐄 Our latest Tech Guide and online Hub (released later this week) will explore the role of #TreeFodder as a supplementary livestock feed, bringing together peer-reviewed research & farmer experience. We can't wait to share this one with you! 🤩

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Geoffrey Mesbahi @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Prochaine étape : évaluer la palatabilité de ces espèces -> Est-ce que les animaux les consomment avec enthousiasme ? 🌲🐮🌳❓ Parce qu’un fourrage riche en nutriments… mais boudé par les animaux, ça ne sert pas à grand-chose

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