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Ross TR, Thiemann GW, Kirschhoffer BJ, Kirschhoffer J, York G, Derocher AE, Johnson AC, Lunn NJ, McGeachy D, Trim V, Northrup JM. Telemetry without collars: performance of fur- and ear-mounted satellite tags for evaluating the movement and behaviour of polar bears. ANIMAL BIOTELEMETRY 2024; 12:18. [PMID: 39022453 PMCID: PMC11249465 DOI: 10.1186/s40317-024-00373-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
The study of animal movement provides insights into underlying ecological processes and informs analyses of behaviour and resource use, which have implications for species management and conservation. The tools used to study animal movement have evolved over the past decades, allowing for data collection from a variety of species, including those living in remote environments. Satellite-linked radio and GPS collars have been used to study polar bear (Ursus maritimus) ecology and movements throughout the circumpolar Arctic for over 50 years. However, due to morphology and growth constraints, only adult female polar bears can be reliably collared. Collars have proven to be safe, but there has been opposition to their use, resulting in a deficiency in data across much of the species' range. To bolster knowledge of movement characteristics and behaviours for polar bears other than adult females, while also providing an alternative to collars, we tested the use of fur- and ear-mounted telemetry tags that can be affixed to polar bears of any sex and age. We tested three fur tag designs (SeaTrkr, tribrush and pentagon tags), which we affixed to 15 adult and 1 subadult male polar bears along the coast of Hudson Bay during August-September 2021-2022. Fur tags were compared with ear tags deployed on 42 subadult and adult male polar bears captured on the coast or the sea ice between 2016 and 2022. We used data from the tags to quantify the amount of time subadult and adult males spent resting versus traveling while on land. Our results show the three fur tag designs remained functional for shorter mean durations (SeaTrkr = 58 days; tribrush = 47 days; pentagon = 22 days) than ear tags (121 days), but positional error estimates were comparable among the Argos-equipped tags. The GPS/Iridium-equipped SeaTrkr fur tags provided higher resolution and more frequent location data. Combined, the tags provided sufficient data to model different behavioural states. Furthermore, as hypothesized, subadult and adult male polar bears spent the majority of their time resting while on land, increasing time spent traveling as temperatures cooled. Fur tags show promise as a short-term means of collecting movement data from free-ranging polar bears. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40317-024-00373-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler R. Ross
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Gregory W. Thiemann
- Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, York University, Toronto, ON Canada
| | | | | | - Geoff York
- Polar Bears International, Bozeman, MT USA
| | - Andrew E. Derocher
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB Canada
| | - Amy C. Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB Canada
- Ecofish Research Ltd., Courtenay, BC Canada
| | | | - David McGeachy
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Edmonton, AB Canada
| | - Vicki Trim
- Department of Agriculture and Resource Development, Manitoba Sustainable Development, Thompson, MB Canada
| | - Joseph M. Northrup
- Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Peterborough, ON Canada
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2
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Viollat L, Millon A, Ponchon C, Ravayrol A, Couturier T, Besnard A. Both movements and breeding performance are affected by individual experience in the Bonelli's eagle Aquila fasciata. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70081. [PMID: 39050653 PMCID: PMC11268896 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Movement is a key behaviour to better understand how individuals respond to their environment. Movement behaviours are affected by both extrinsic factors that individuals face, such as weather conditions, and intrinsic factors, such as sex and experience. Because of the energy costs it entails, movement behaviours can have direct consequences on an individual's demographic parameters-and ultimately on population dynamics. However, the relationship between extrinsic factors, intrinsic factors, daily movement behaviour and demographic parameters such as breeding performance is poorly known, in particular for central place forager territorial species. We investigated here the link between movement behaviours and breeding performance of the French population of Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata), a territorial and sedentary long-lived raptor, and how this link may depend on extrinsic and intrinsic factors. By using data from annual monitoring of breeding performance for the population and GPS tracking of 48 individuals (26 males and 22 females), we found that the breeding performance of this population was mainly driven by whether a new individual was recruited into the territory, and only slightly by weather conditions. Movement behaviours (proportion of time in flight, range of movement and straightness of trajectories) showed large between-individual variation. Those behaviours were related with weather conditions (wind and rainfall) at a daily scale, as well as with individual's experience. We found only one significant correlation between movements and breeding performance: male Bonelli's eagles spending more time flying during chick-rearing phase had lower productivity. Movement behaviours and breeding performance were also indirectly linked through individual's experience, with more experienced birds having better breeding success and a shorter range of movement and spent less time in flight. This suggests that experienced individuals progressively acquire knowledge of their breeding territory, are more efficient in finding prey, and adapt their foraging strategies to weather conditions to minimise energy costs, allowing them higher breeding performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lise Viollat
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE‐PSL University, IRDMontpellierFrance
- Aix Marseille Université, Institut Méditerranéen Biodiversité et Ecologie Marine et Continentale, CNRS, IRD, Avignon Université, Technopôle Arbois‐MéditerranéeAix‐en‐ProvenceFrance
- CEN PACASaint‐Martin de CrauFrance
| | - Alexandre Millon
- Aix Marseille Université, Institut Méditerranéen Biodiversité et Ecologie Marine et Continentale, CNRS, IRD, Avignon Université, Technopôle Arbois‐MéditerranéeAix‐en‐ProvenceFrance
| | | | | | - Thibaut Couturier
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE‐PSL University, IRDMontpellierFrance
| | - Aurélien Besnard
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE‐PSL University, IRDMontpellierFrance
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3
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Hansen KW, Ranc N, Morgan J, Jordan NR, McNutt JW, Wilson A, Wilmers CC. How territoriality and sociality influence the habitat selection and movements of a large carnivore. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11217. [PMID: 38628916 PMCID: PMC11019303 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
While territoriality is one of the key mechanisms influencing carnivore space use, most studies quantify resource selection and movement in the absence of conspecific influence or territorial structure. Our analysis incorporated social information in a resource selection framework to investigate mechanisms of territoriality and intra-specific competition on the habitat selection of a large, social carnivore. We fit integrated step selection functions to 3-h GPS data from 12 collared African wild dog packs in the Okavango Delta and estimated selection coefficients using a conditional Poisson likelihood with random effects. Packs selected for their neighbors' 30-day boundary (defined as their 95% kernel density estimate) and for their own 90-day core (defined as their 50% kernel density estimate). Neighbors' 30-day boundary had a greater influence on resource selection than any habitat feature. Habitat selection differed when they were within versus beyond their neighbors' 30-day boundary. Pack size, pack tenure, pup presence, and seasonality all mediated how packs responded to neighbors' space use, and seasonal dynamics altered the strength of residency. While newly-formed packs and packs with pups avoided their neighbors' boundary, older packs and those without pups selected for it. Packs also selected for the boundary of larger neighboring packs more strongly than that of smaller ones. Social structure within packs has implications for how they interact with conspecifics, and therefore how they are distributed across the landscape. Future research should continue to investigate how territorial processes are mediated by social dynamics and, in turn, how territorial structure mediates resource selection and movement. These results could inform the development of a human-wildlife conflict (HWC) mitigation tool by co-opting the mechanisms of conspecific interactions to manage space use of endangered carnivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Whitney Hansen
- Environmental Studies Department University of California Santa Cruz California USA
- Botswana Predator Conservation Maun Botswana
| | - Nathan Ranc
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS Castanet-Tolosan France
| | - John Morgan
- Environmental Studies Department University of California Santa Cruz California USA
| | - Neil R Jordan
- Botswana Predator Conservation Maun Botswana
- Center for Ecosystem Science University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Taronga Conservation Society Australia Dubbo New South Wales Australia
| | | | - Alan Wilson
- Structure & Motion Lab, Comparative Biomedical Sciences Royal Veterinary College London UK
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4
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Gobbens E, Beardsworth CE, Dekinga A, ten Horn J, Toledo S, Nathan R, Bijleveld AI. Environmental factors influencing red knot ( Calidris canutus islandica) departure times of relocation flights within the non-breeding period. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10954. [PMID: 38450319 PMCID: PMC10915501 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Deciding when to depart on long-distance, sometimes global, movements can be especially important for flying species. Adverse weather conditions can affect energetic flight costs and navigational ability. While departure timings and conditions have been well-studied for migratory flights to and from the breeding range, few studies have focussed on flights within the non-breeding season. Yet in some cases, overwintering ranges can be large enough that ecological barriers, and a lack of resting sites en route, may resist movement, especially in unfavorable environmental conditions. Understanding the conditions that will enable or prohibit flights within an overwintering range is particularly relevant in light of climate change, whereby increases in extreme weather events may reduce the connectivity of sites. We tracked 495 (n = 251 in 2019; n = 244 in 2020) overwintering red knots (Calidris canutus islandica) in the Dutch Wadden Sea and investigated how many departed towards the UK (on westward relocation flights), which requires flying over the North Sea. For those that departed, we used a resource selection model to determine the effect of environmental conditions on the timing of relocation flights. Specifically, we investigated the effects of wind, rain, atmospheric pressure, cloud cover, and migratory timing relative to sunset and tidal cycle, which have all been shown to be crucial to migratory departure conditions. Approximately 37% (2019) and 36% (2020) of tagged red knots departed on westward relocation flights, indicating differences between individuals' space use within the overwintering range. Red knots selected for departures between 1 and 2.5 h after sunset, approximately 4 h before high tide, with tailwinds and little cloud cover. However, rainfall and changes in atmospheric pressure appear unimportant. Our study reveals environmental conditions that are important for relocation flights across an ecological barrier, indicating potential consequences of climate change on connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evy Gobbens
- Department of Coastal SystemsNIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea ResearchDen BurgTexelThe Netherlands
| | - Christine E. Beardsworth
- Department of Coastal SystemsNIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea ResearchDen BurgTexelThe Netherlands
- School of Biological and Environmental SciencesLiverpool John Moores UniversityLiverpoolUK
| | - Anne Dekinga
- Department of Coastal SystemsNIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea ResearchDen BurgTexelThe Netherlands
| | - Job ten Horn
- Department of Coastal SystemsNIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea ResearchDen BurgTexelThe Netherlands
| | - Sivan Toledo
- Blavatnik School of Computer ScienceTel‐Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
| | - Ran Nathan
- Movement Ecology Laboratory, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life SciencesThe Hebrew University of JerusalemJerusalemIsrael
| | - Allert I. Bijleveld
- Department of Coastal SystemsNIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea ResearchDen BurgTexelThe Netherlands
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5
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English HM, Börger L, Kane A, Ciuti S. Advances in biologging can identify nuanced energetic costs and gains in predators. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:7. [PMID: 38254232 PMCID: PMC10802026 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00448-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Foraging is a key driver of animal movement patterns, with specific challenges for predators which must search for mobile prey. These patterns are increasingly impacted by global changes, principally in land use and climate. Understanding the degree of flexibility in predator foraging and social strategies is pertinent to wildlife conservation under global change, including potential top-down effects on wider ecosystems. Here we propose key future research directions to better understand foraging strategies and social flexibility in predators. In particular, rapid continued advances in biologging technology are helping to record and understand dynamic behavioural and movement responses of animals to environmental changes, and their energetic consequences. Data collection can be optimised by calibrating behavioural interpretation methods in captive settings and strategic tagging decisions within and between social groups. Importantly, many species' social systems are increasingly being found to be more flexible than originally described in the literature, which may be more readily detectable through biologging approaches than behavioural observation. Integrating the effects of the physical landscape and biotic interactions will be key to explaining and predicting animal movements and energetic balance in a changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly M English
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Adam Kane
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Simone Ciuti
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
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6
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McClintock BT, Lander ME. A multistate Langevin diffusion for inferring behavior-specific habitat selection and utilization distributions. Ecology 2024; 105:e4186. [PMID: 37794831 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
The identification of important habitat and the behavior(s) associated with it is critical to conservation and place-based management decisions. Behavior also links life-history requirements and habitat use, which are key to understanding why animals use certain habitats. Animal population studies often use tracking data to quantify space use and habitat selection, but they typically either ignore movement behavior (e.g., foraging, migrating, nesting) or adopt a two-stage approach that can induce bias and fail to propagate uncertainty. We develop a habitat-driven Langevin diffusion for animals that exhibit distinct movement behavior states, thereby providing a novel single-stage statistical method for inferring behavior-specific habitat selection and utilization distributions in continuous time. Practitioners can customize, fit, assess, and simulate our integrated model using the provided R package. Simulation experiments demonstrated that the model worked well under a range of sampling scenarios as long as observations were of sufficient temporal resolution. Our simulations also demonstrated the importance of accounting for different behaviors and the misleading inferences that can result when these are ignored. We provide case studies using plains zebra (Equus quagga) and Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) telemetry data. In the zebra example, our model identified distinct "encamped" and "exploratory" states, where the encamped state was characterized by strong selection for grassland and avoidance of other vegetation types, which may represent selection for foraging resources. In the sea lion example, our model identified distinct movement behavior modes typically associated with this marine central-place forager and, unlike previous analyses, found foraging-type movements to be associated with steeper offshore slopes characteristic of the continental shelf, submarine canyons, and seamounts that are believed to enhance prey concentrations. This is the first single-stage approach for inferring behavior-specific habitat selection and utilization distributions from tracking data that can be readily implemented with user-friendly software. As certain behaviors are often more relevant to specific conservation or management objectives, practitioners can use our model to help inform the identification and prioritization of important habitats. Moreover, by linking individual-level movement behaviors to population-level spatial processes, the multistate Langevin diffusion can advance inferences at the intersection of population, movement, and landscape ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett T McClintock
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Michelle E Lander
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Seattle, Washington, USA
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7
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Romero-Ruiz A, Rivero MJ, Milne A, Morgan S, Meo Filho P, Pulley S, Segura C, Harris P, Lee MR, Coleman K, Cardenas L, Whitmore AP. Grazing livestock move by Lévy walks: Implications for soil health and environment. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 345:118835. [PMID: 37659361 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Grazing livestock plays an important role in the context of food security, agricultural sustainability and climate change. Understanding how livestock move and interact with their environment may offer new insights on how grazing practices impact soil and ecosystem functions at spatial and temporal scales where knowledge is currently limited. We characterized daily and seasonal grazing patterns using Global Positioning System (GPS) data from two grazing strategies: conventionally- and rotationally-grazed pastures. Livestock movement was consistent with the so-called Lévy walks, and could thus be simulated with Lévy-walk based probability density functions. Our newly introduced "Moovement model" links grazing patterns with soil structure and related functions by coupling animal movement and soil structure dynamics models, allowing to predict spatially-explicit changes in key soil properties. Predicted post-grazing management-specific bulk densities were consistent with field measurements and confirmed that rotational grazing produced similar disturbance as conventional grazing despite hosting higher stock densities. Harnessing information on livestock movement and its impacts in soil structure within a modelling framework can help testing and optimizing grazing strategies for ameliorating their impact on soil health and environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - M Jordana Rivero
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, UK
| | - Alice Milne
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK
| | - Sarah Morgan
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, UK
| | - Paulo Meo Filho
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, UK
| | - Simon Pulley
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, UK
| | - Carmen Segura
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, UK
| | - Paul Harris
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, UK
| | - Michael Rf Lee
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, UK
| | - Kevin Coleman
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK
| | - Laura Cardenas
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, UK
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Fayet AL, Sanchez C, Appoo J, Constance J, Clucas G, Turnbull LA, Bunbury N. Marked differences in foraging area use and susceptibility to predation between two closely-related tropical seabirds. Oecologia 2023; 203:167-179. [PMID: 37815598 PMCID: PMC10615964 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05459-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Ecological theory predicts that closely-related species must occupy different niches to coexist. How marine top predators achieve this during breeding, when they often gather in large multi-species colonies and are constrained to central-place foraging, has been mostly studied in productive temperate and polar oceans with abundant resources, but less so in poorer, tropical waters. Here, we track the foraging movements of two closely-related sympatric seabirds-the white-tailed and red-tailed tropicbirds Phaethon lepturus and P. rubricauda-breeding on Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles, to investigate potential mechanisms of niche segregation and shed light on their contrasting population trends. Combining data from GPS, immersion, depth and accelerometry loggers, we show that the two species have similar behaviour at sea, but are completely segregated spatially, with red-tailed tropicbirds flying further to feed and using different feeding areas than white-tailed tropicbirds. Using nest-based camera traps, we show that low breeding success of both species-which likely drives observed population declines-is caused by high nest predation. However, the two species are targeted by different predators, with native avian predators mainly targeting red-tailed tropicbird nests, and invasive rats raiding white-tailed tropicbird nests when they leave their eggs unattended. Our findings provide new insight into the foraging ecology of tropicbirds and have important conservation implications. The extensive range and spatial segregation highlight the importance of considering large-scale protection of waters around tropical seabird colonies, while the high level of nest predation provides evidence in support of rat eradication and investigating potential nest protection from native avian predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annette L Fayet
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway.
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Cheryl Sanchez
- Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Seychelles
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Jennifer Appoo
- Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Seychelles
- UMR ENTROPIE, Université de La Réunion, Saint-Denis, La Réunion, France
| | | | - Gemma Clucas
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
| | | | - Nancy Bunbury
- Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Seychelles
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
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9
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Vishnu CS, Marshall BM, Ramesh C, Thirumurugan V, Talukdar G, Das A. Home range ecology of Indian rock pythons (Python molurus) in Sathyamangalam and Mudumalai Tiger Reserves, Tamil Nadu, Southern India. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9749. [PMID: 37328577 PMCID: PMC10275859 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36974-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The Indian rock pythons (Python molurus) are classified as a near-threatened snake species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN); they are native to the Indian subcontinent and have experienced population declines caused primarily by poaching and habitat loss. We hand-captured the 14 rock pythons from villages, agricultural lands, and core forests to examine the species' home ranges. We later released/translocated them in different kilometer ranges at the Tiger Reserves. From December 2018 to December 2020, we obtained 401 radio-telemetry locations, with an average tracking duration of (444 ± 212 days), and a mean of 29 ± SD 16 data points per individual. We quantified home ranges and measured morphometric and ecological factors (sex, body size, and location) associated with intraspecific differences in home range size. We analyzed the home ranges of rock pythons using Auto correlated Kernel Density Estimates (AKDE). AKDEs can account for the auto-correlated nature of animal movement data and mitigate against biases stemming from inconsistent tracking time lags. Home range size varied from 1.4 ha to 8.1 km2 and averaged 4.2 km2. Differences in home range sizes could not be connected to body mass. Initial indications suggest that rock python home ranges are larger than other pythons.
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Affiliation(s)
- C S Vishnu
- Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248002, India
| | | | - Chinnasamy Ramesh
- Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248002, India.
| | | | - Gautam Talukdar
- Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248002, India
| | - Abhijit Das
- Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248002, India
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Guido JM, Cecchetto NR, Plaza PI, Donázar JA, Lambertucci SA. The Influence of Age, Sex and Season on Andean Condor Ranging Behavior during the Immature Stage. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:1234. [PMID: 37048490 PMCID: PMC10092982 DOI: 10.3390/ani13071234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Immature individuals move from their natal area to the area where they settle and reproduce, and this may take several years. This process is essential for long-lived species such as vultures and condors, which spend long periods as immature and move extensively. We studied the movement behavior of 26 GPS-tagged immature Andean condors (Vultur gryphus) from northwestern Patagonia throughout the immature stage, analyzing whether these patterns differed according to age, sex and season. We found that season and age influenced home range size and flight distances, the warm season being when immature condors move most; movement patterns were greater in sub-adults than in juveniles. The age effect was associated with the sex of individuals, with males increasing their home range more than females. Our results provide the first description of how immature Andean condor movement patterns are affected by internal and external factors. This information could be key to understanding condor responses to environmental change and threats at different stages during their immature phase. Until now, condor conservation efforts have not considered the areas used by dispersing individuals. Our results increase our understanding of ranging behavior during the immature stage of this threatened bird, enabling us to improve the conservation policies and management strategies designed to protect them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorgelina María Guido
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación (GRINBIC), Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA (Universidad Nacional del Comahue–CONICET), Pasaje Gutiérrez 1125, San Carlos de Bariloche R8400FRF, Río Negro, Argentina
- The Peregrine Fund, 5668 West Flying Hawk Lane, Boise, ID 83709, USA
| | - Nicolás Rodolfo Cecchetto
- Grupo de Ecología de la Polinización (EcoPol), Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA (Universidad Nacional del Comahue–CONICET), Pasaje Gutiérrez 1125, San Carlos de Bariloche R8400FRF, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Pablo Ignacio Plaza
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación (GRINBIC), Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA (Universidad Nacional del Comahue–CONICET), Pasaje Gutiérrez 1125, San Carlos de Bariloche R8400FRF, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - José Antonio Donázar
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Sergio Agustín Lambertucci
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación (GRINBIC), Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA (Universidad Nacional del Comahue–CONICET), Pasaje Gutiérrez 1125, San Carlos de Bariloche R8400FRF, Río Negro, Argentina
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11
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Cointe M, Burte V, Perez G, Mailleret L, Calcagno V. A double-spiral maze and hi-resolution tracking pipeline to study dispersal by groups of minute insects. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5200. [PMID: 36997620 PMCID: PMC10063622 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31630-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Minute insects such as parasitic micro-wasps have high basic and applied importance for their widespread use as biocontrol agents. Their dispersal is a phenotype of particular interest. Classically, it is evaluated using field releases, but those are time consuming, costly, and their results highly variable, preventing high-throughput and repeatability. Alternatively, dispersal can be studied using small-scale assays, but those neglect important higher-scale processes. Consequently, proper evaluation of dispersal is often complicated or lacking in academic studies and biocontrol breeding programs. Here we introduce a new method, the double-spiral maze, that allows the study of spatial propagation of groups of micro-wasps at relevant scales (several hours and meters), retaining high throughput and experimental power. The method records the location of every individual at every time, enabling accurate estimates of diffusion coefficients or other dispersal metrics. We describe this affordable, scalable, and easy-to-implement method, and illustrate its application with a species of agricultural interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Cointe
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Sophia Antipolis, France.
| | - V Burte
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - G Perez
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - L Mailleret
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Sophia Antipolis, France
- Université Côte d'Azur, Inria, INRAE, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Biocore, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - V Calcagno
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Sophia Antipolis, France
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12
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Heathcote RJP, Whiteside MA, Beardsworth CE, Van Horik JO, Laker PR, Toledo S, Orchan Y, Nathan R, Madden JR. Spatial memory predicts home range size and predation risk in pheasants. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:461-471. [PMID: 36690732 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01950-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Most animals confine their activities to a discrete home range, long assumed to reflect the fitness benefits of obtaining spatial knowledge about the landscape. However, few empirical studies have linked spatial memory to home range development or determined how selection operates on spatial memory via the latter's role in mediating space use. We assayed the cognitive ability of juvenile pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) reared under identical conditions before releasing them into the wild. Then, we used high-throughput tracking to record their movements as they developed their home ranges, and determined the location, timing and cause of mortality events. Individuals with greater spatial reference memory developed larger home ranges. Mortality risk from predators was highest at the periphery of an individual's home range in areas where they had less experience and opportunity to obtain spatial information. Predation risk was lower in individuals with greater spatial memory and larger core home ranges, suggesting selection may operate on spatial memory by increasing the ability to learn about predation risk across the landscape. Our results reveal that spatial memory, determined from abstract cognitive assays, shapes home range development and variation, and suggests predation risk selects for spatial memory via experience-dependent spatial variation in mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J P Heathcote
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. .,Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
| | - Mark A Whiteside
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.,School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Christine E Beardsworth
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.,NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, Den Burg, the Netherlands.,School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jayden O Van Horik
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.,University of Exeter Clinical Trials Unit, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK
| | - Philippa R Laker
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Sivan Toledo
- Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Yotam Orchan
- Movement Ecology Laboratory, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ran Nathan
- Movement Ecology Laboratory, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Joah R Madden
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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13
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Müller MF, Banks SC, Crewe TL, Campbell HA. The rise of animal biotelemetry and genetics research data integration. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9885. [PMID: 36937069 PMCID: PMC10019913 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The advancement and availability of innovative animal biotelemetry and genomic technologies are improving our understanding of how the movements of individuals influence gene flow within and between populations and ultimately drive evolutionary and ecological processes. There is a growing body of work that is integrating what were once disparate fields of biology, and here, we reviewed the published literature up until January 2023 (139 papers) to better understand the drivers of this research and how it is improving our knowledge of animal biology. The review showed that the predominant drivers for this research were as follows: (1) understanding how individual-based movements affect animal populations, (2) analyzing the relationship between genetic relatedness and social structuring, and (3) studying how the landscape affects the flow of genes, and how this is impacted by environmental change. However, there was a divergence between taxa as to the most prevalent research aim and the methodologies applied. We also found that after 2010 there was an increase in studies that integrated the two data types using innovative statistical techniques instead of analyzing the data independently using traditional statistics from the respective fields. This new approach greatly improved our understanding of the link between the individual, the population, and the environment and is being used to better conserve and manage species. We discuss the challenges and limitations, as well as the potential for growth and diversification of this research approach. The paper provides a guide for researchers who wish to consider applying these disparate disciplines and advance the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara F. Müller
- Research Institute for the Environment and LivelihoodsFaculty of Science and Technology, Charles Darwin UniversityNorthern TerritoryDarwinAustralia
| | - Sam C. Banks
- Research Institute for the Environment and LivelihoodsFaculty of Science and Technology, Charles Darwin UniversityNorthern TerritoryDarwinAustralia
| | - Tara L. Crewe
- Department of Natural Resources and RenewablesGovernment of Nova ScotiaKentvilleNova ScotiaCanada
| | - Hamish A. Campbell
- Research Institute for the Environment and LivelihoodsFaculty of Science and Technology, Charles Darwin UniversityNorthern TerritoryDarwinAustralia
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14
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Burte V, Cointe M, Perez G, Mailleret L, Calcagno V. When complex movement yields simple dispersal: behavioural heterogeneity, spatial spread and parasitism in groups of micro-wasps. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:13. [PMID: 36859387 PMCID: PMC9976481 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00371-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding how behavioural dynamics, inter-individual variability and individual interactions scale-up to shape the spatial spread and dispersal of animal populations is a major challenge in ecology. For biocontrol agents, such as the microscopic Trichogramma parasitic wasps, an understanding of movement strategies is also critical to predict pest-suppression performance in the field. METHODS We experimentally studied the spatial propagation of groups of parasitoids and their patterns of parasitism. We investigated whether population spread is density-dependent, how it is affected by the presence of hosts, and whether the spatial distribution of parasitism (dispersal kernel) can be predicted from the observed spread of individuals. Using a novel experimental device and high-throughput imaging techniques, we continuously tracked the spatial spread of groups of parasitoids over large temporal and spatial scales (8 h; and 6 m, ca. 12,000 body lengths). We could thus study how population density, the presence of hosts and their spatial distribution impacted the rate of population spread, the spatial distribution of individuals during population expansion, the overall rate of parasitism and the dispersal kernel (position of parasitism events). RESULTS Higher population density accelerated population spread, but only transiently: the rate of spread reverted to low values after 4 h, in a "tortoise-hare" effect. Interestingly, the presence of hosts suppressed this transiency and permitted a sustained high rate of population spread. Importantly, we found that population spread did not obey classical diffusion, but involved dynamical switches between resident and explorer movement modes. Population distribution was therefore not Gaussian, though surprisingly the distribution of parasitism (dispersal kernel) was. CONCLUSIONS Even homogenous asexual groups of insects develop behavioural heterogeneities over a few hours, and the latter control patterns of population spread. Behavioural switching between resident and explorer states determined population distribution, density-dependence and dispersal. A simple Gaussian dispersal kernel did not reflect classical diffusion, but rather the interplay of several non-linearities at individual level. These results highlight the need to take into account behaviour and inter-individual heterogeneity to understand population spread in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Burte
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Melina Cointe
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Guy Perez
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Ludovic Mailleret
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Sophia Antipolis, France
- Université Côte d'Azur, Inria, INRAE, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Biocore, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Vincent Calcagno
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Sophia Antipolis, France.
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15
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Proença-Ferreira A, Borda-de-Água L, Porto M, Mira A, Moreira F, Pita R. dispfit: An R package to estimate species dispersal kernels. ECOL INFORM 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2023.102018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
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16
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Gade MR, Gould PR, Wilk AJ, Donlon KC, Brown ML, Behan ML, Roseman MA, Tutterow AM, Amber ED, Wagner RB, Hoffman AS, Myers JM, Peterman WE. Demography and space-use of Eastern Red-backed Salamanders ( Plethodon cinereus) between mature and successional forests. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9764. [PMID: 36713486 PMCID: PMC9873592 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Space-use and demographic processes are critical to the persistence of populations across space and time. Despite their importance, estimates of these processes are often derived from a limited number of populations spanning broad habitat or environmental gradients. With increasing appreciation of the role fine-scale environmental variation in microgeographic adaptation, there is a need and value to assessing within-site variation in space-use and demographic patterns. In this study, we analyze 3 years of spatial capture-recapture data on the Eastern Red-backed Salamander collected from a mixed-use deciduous forest site in central Ohio, USA. Study plots were situated in both a mature forest stand and successional forest stand separated by <100-m distance. Our results showed that salamander density was reduced on successional plots, which corresponded with greater distance between nearest neighbors, less overlap in core use areas, greater space-use, and greater shifts in activity centers when compared to salamanders occupying the mature habitat. By contrast, individual growth rates of salamanders occupying the successional forest were significantly greater than salamanders in the mature forest. These estimates result in successional plot salamanders reaching maturity more than 1 year earlier than salamanders on the mature forest plots and increasing their estimated lifetime fecundity by as much as 43%. The patterns we observed in space-use and individual growth are likely the result of density-dependent processes, potentially reflecting differences in resource availability or quality. Our study highlights how fine-scale, within-site variation can shape population demographics. As research into the demographic and population consequences of climate change and habitat loss and alteration continue, future research should take care to acknowledge the role that fine-scale variation may play, especially for abiotically sensitive organisms with limited vagility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meaghan R. Gade
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA,Department of Ecology and EvolutionYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Philip R. Gould
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Andrew J. Wilk
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Kate C. Donlon
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - MacKenzie L. Brown
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Marnie L. Behan
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Marissa A. Roseman
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Annalee M. Tutterow
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Evan D. Amber
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Ryan B. Wagner
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Andrew S. Hoffman
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Jennifer M. Myers
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - William E. Peterman
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
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17
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Cullen JA, Attias N, Desbiez AL, Valle D. Biologging as an important tool to uncover behaviors of cryptic species: an analysis of giant armadillos ( Priodontes maximus). PeerJ 2023; 11:e14726. [PMID: 36691484 PMCID: PMC9864128 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in biologging have increased the understanding of how animals interact with their environment, especially for cryptic species. For example, giant armadillos (Priodontes maximus) are the largest extant species of armadillo but are rarely encountered due to their fossorial and nocturnal behavior. Through the analysis of speed, turning angles, and accelerometer activity counts, we estimated behavioral states, characterized activity budgets, and investigated the state-habitat associations exhibited by individuals monitored with GPS telemetry in the Brazilian Pantanal from 2019 to 2020. This methodology is proposed as a useful framework for the identification of priority habitat. Using the non-parametric Bayesian mixture model for movement (M3), we estimated four latent behavioral states that were named 'vigilance-excavation', 'local search', 'exploratory', and 'transit'. These states appeared to correspond with behavior near burrows or termite mounds, foraging, ranging, and rapid movements, respectively. The first and last hours of activity presented relatively high proportions of the vigilance-excavation state, while most of the activity period was dominated by local search and exploratory states. The vigilance-excavation state occurred more frequently in regions between forest and closed savannas, whereas local search was more likely in high proportions of closed savanna. Exploratory behavior probability increased in areas with high proportions of both forest and closed savanna. Our results establish a baseline for behavioral complexity, activity budgets, and habitat associations in a relatively pristine environment that can be used for future work to investigate anthropogenic impacts on giant armadillo behavior and fitness. The integration of accelerometer and GPS-derived movement data through our mixture model has the potential to become a powerful methodological approach for the conservation of other cryptic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua A. Cullen
- Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States of America,School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Nina Attias
- Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres (ICAS), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil,Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Arnaud L.J. Desbiez
- Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres (ICAS), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil,Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (IPÊ), Nazaré Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil,Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Denis Valle
- School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
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18
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Davis CL, Muñoz DJ, Amburgey SM, Dinsmore CR, Teitsworth EW, Miller DAW. Multistate model to estimate sex‐specific dispersal rates and distances for a wetland‐breeding amphibian population. Ecosphere 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Courtney L. Davis
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
- Intercollege Graduate Ecology Program, Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology Cornell University Ithaca New York USA
| | - David J. Muñoz
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
- Intercollege Graduate Ecology Program, Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
| | - Staci M. Amburgey
- Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences University of Washington Seattle Washington USA
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Olympia Washington USA
| | - Carli R. Dinsmore
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
| | - Eric W. Teitsworth
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA
| | - David A. W. Miller
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
- Intercollege Graduate Ecology Program, Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
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19
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Manning JC. Movement, Space Use, and the Responses of Coral Reef Fish to Climate Change. Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:1725-1733. [PMID: 35883230 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic climate change and other localized stressors have led to the widespread degradation of coral reefs, characterized by losses of live coral, reduced structural complexity, and shifts in benthic community composition. These changes have altered the composition of reef fish assemblages with important consequences for ecosystem function. Animal movement and space use are critically important to population dynamics, community assembly, and species coexistence. In this perspective, I discuss how studies of reef fish movement and space use could help us to elucidate the effects of climate change on reef fish assemblages and the functions they provide. In addition to describing how reef fish space use relates to resource abundance and the intrinsic characteristics of reef fish (e.g., body size), we should begin to take a mechanistic approach to understanding movement in reef fish and to investigate the role of movement in mediating species interactions on coral reefs. Technological advances in animal tracking and biotelemetry, as well as methodological advances in the analysis of movement, will aid in this endeavor. Baseline studies of reef fish movement and space use and their effect on community assembly and species coexistence will provide us with important information for predicting how climate change will influence reef fish assemblages.
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Affiliation(s)
- J C Manning
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4295, USA
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20
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Burton-Roberts R, Cordes LS, Slotow R, Vanak AT, Thaker M, Govender N, Shannon G. Seasonal range fidelity of a megaherbivore in response to environmental change. Sci Rep 2022; 12:22008. [PMID: 36550171 PMCID: PMC9780231 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25334-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
For large herbivores living in highly dynamic environments, maintaining range fidelity has the potential to facilitate the exploitation of predictable resources while minimising energy expenditure. We evaluate this expectation by examining how the seasonal range fidelity of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in the Kruger National Park, South Africa is affected by spatiotemporal variation in environmental conditions (vegetation quality, temperature, rainfall, and fire). Eight-years of GPS collar data were used to analyse the similarity in seasonal utilisation distributions for thirteen family groups. Elephants exhibited remarkable consistency in their seasonal range fidelity across the study with rainfall emerging as a key driver of space-use. Within years, high range fidelity from summer to autumn and from autumn to winter was driven by increased rainfall and the retention of high-quality vegetation. Across years, sequential autumn seasons demonstrated the lowest levels of range fidelity due to inter-annual variability in the wet to dry season transition, resulting in unpredictable resource availability. Understanding seasonal space use is important for determining the effects of future variability in environmental conditions on elephant populations, particularly when it comes to management interventions. Indeed, over the coming decades climate change is predicted to drive greater variability in rainfall and elevated temperatures in African savanna ecosystems. The impacts of climate change also present particular challenges for elephants living in fragmented or human-transformed habitats where the opportunity for seasonal range shifts are greatly constrained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhea Burton-Roberts
- grid.7362.00000000118820937School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd UK
| | - Line S. Cordes
- grid.7362.00000000118820937School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd UK
| | - Rob Slotow
- grid.16463.360000 0001 0723 4123School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
| | - Abi Tamim Vanak
- grid.16463.360000 0001 0723 4123School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa ,grid.464760.70000 0000 8547 8046Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bangalore, India
| | - Maria Thaker
- grid.34980.360000 0001 0482 5067Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Navashni Govender
- grid.463628.d0000 0000 9533 5073Conservation Management, Kruger National Park, South African National Parks, Private Bag X402, Skukuza, 1350 South Africa ,grid.412139.c0000 0001 2191 3608School of Natural Resource Management, Nelson Mandela University, Private Bag X6531, George, 6530 South Africa
| | - Graeme Shannon
- grid.7362.00000000118820937School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd UK
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21
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Dupont G, Linden DW, Sutherland C. Improved inferences about landscape connectivity from spatial capture-recapture by integration of a movement model. Ecology 2022; 103:e3544. [PMID: 34626121 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how broad-scale patterns in animal populations emerge from individual-level processes is an enduring challenge in ecology that requires investigation at multiple scales and perspectives. Complementary to this need for diverse approaches is the recent focus on integrated modeling in statistical ecology. Population-level processes represent the core of spatial capture-recapture (SCR), with many methodological extensions that have been motivated by standing ecological theory and data-integration opportunities. The extent to which these recent advances offer inferential improvements can be limited by the data requirements for quantifying individual-level processes. This is especially true for SCR models that use non-Euclidean distance to relax the restrictive assumption that individual space use is stationary and symmetrical to make inferences about landscape connectivity. To meet the challenges of scale and data quality, we propose integrating an explicit movement model with non-Euclidean SCR for joint estimation of a shared cost parameter between individual and population processes. Here, we define a movement kernel for step selection that uses "ecological distance" instead of Euclidean distance to quantify availability for each movement step in terms of landscape cost. We compare performance of our integrated model to that of existing SCR models using realistic animal movement simulations and data collected on black bears. We demonstrate that an integrated approach offers improvements both in terms of bias and precision in estimating the shared cost parameter over models fit to spatial encounters alone. Simulations suggest these gains were only realized when step lengths were small relative to home range size, and estimates of density were insensitive to whether or not an integrated approach was used. By combining the fine spatiotemporal scale of individual movement processes with the estimation of population density in SCR, integrated approaches such as the one we develop here have the potential to unify the fields of movement, population, and landscape ecology and improve our understanding of landscape connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gates Dupont
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01003, USA.,Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, 204C French Hall, 230 Stockbridge Road, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01003, USA
| | - Daniel W Linden
- Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 01930, USA
| | - Chris Sutherland
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01003, USA.,Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9LZ, St. Andrews, United Kingdom
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22
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Gardner B, McClintock BT, Converse SJ, Hostetter NJ. Integrated animal movement and spatial capture-recapture models: Simulation, implementation, and inference. Ecology 2022; 103:e3771. [PMID: 35638187 PMCID: PMC9787507 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Over the last decade, spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models have become widespread for estimating demographic parameters in ecological studies. However, the underlying assumptions about animal movement and space use are often not realistic. This is a missed opportunity because interesting ecological questions related to animal space use, habitat selection, and behavior cannot be addressed with most SCR models, despite the fact that the data collected in SCR studies - individual animals observed at specific locations and times - can provide a rich source of information about these processes and how they relate to demographic rates. We developed SCR models that integrated more complex movement processes that are typically inferred from telemetry data, including a simple random walk, correlated random walk (i.e., short-term directional persistence), and habitat-driven Langevin diffusion. We demonstrated how to formulate, simulate from, and fit these models with standard SCR data using data-augmented Bayesian analysis methods. We evaluated their performance through a simulation study, in which we varied the detection, movement, and resource selection parameters. We also examined different numbers of sampling occasions and assessed performance gains when including auxiliary location data collected from telemetered individuals. Across all scenarios, the integrated SCR movement models performed well in terms of abundance, detection, and movement parameter estimation. We found little difference in bias for the simple random walk model when reducing the number of sampling occasions from T = 25 to T = 15. We found some bias in movement parameter estimates under several of the correlated random walk scenarios, but incorporating auxiliary location data improved parameter estimates and significantly improved mixing during model fitting. The Langevin movement model was able to recover resource selection parameters from standard SCR data, which is particularly appealing because it explicitly links the individual-level movement process with habitat selection and population density. We focused on closed population models, but the movement models developed here can be extended to open SCR models. The movement process models could also be easily extended to accommodate additional "building blocks" of random walks, such as central tendency (e.g., territoriality) or multiple movement behavior states, thereby providing a flexible and coherent framework for linking animal movement behavior to population dynamics, density, and distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth Gardner
- School of Environmental and Forest SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Brett T. McClintock
- Marine Mammal LaboratoryNOAA‐NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science CenterSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Sarah J. Converse
- U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and School of Aquatic and Fishery SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Nathan J. Hostetter
- U.S. Geological Survey, North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Applied EcologyNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighNorth CarolinaUSA
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23
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McClintock BT, Abrahms B, Chandler RB, Conn PB, Converse SJ, Emmet RL, Gardner B, Hostetter NJ, Johnson DS. An integrated path for spatial capture-recapture and animal movement modeling. Ecology 2022; 103:e3473. [PMID: 34270790 PMCID: PMC9786756 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Ecologists and conservation biologists increasingly rely on spatial capture-recapture (SCR) and movement modeling to study animal populations. Historically, SCR has focused on population-level processes (e.g., vital rates, abundance, density, and distribution), whereas animal movement modeling has focused on the behavior of individuals (e.g., activity budgets, resource selection, migration). Even though animal movement is clearly a driver of population-level patterns and dynamics, technical and conceptual developments to date have not forged a firm link between the two fields. Instead, movement modeling has typically focused on the individual level without providing a coherent scaling from individual- to population-level processes, whereas SCR has typically focused on the population level while greatly simplifying the movement processes that give rise to the observations underlying these models. In our view, the integration of SCR and animal movement modeling has tremendous potential for allowing ecologists to scale up from individuals to populations and advancing the types of inferences that can be made at the intersection of population, movement, and landscape ecology. Properly accounting for complex animal movement processes can also potentially reduce bias in estimators of population-level parameters, thereby improving inferences that are critical for species conservation and management. This introductory article to the Special Feature reviews recent advances in SCR and animal movement modeling, establishes a common notation, highlights potential advantages of linking individual-level (Lagrangian) movements to population-level (Eulerian) processes, and outlines a general conceptual framework for the integration of movement and SCR models. We then identify important avenues for future research, including key challenges and potential pitfalls in the developments and applications that lie ahead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett T. McClintock
- Marine Mammal LaboratoryNOAA‐NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science CenterSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Briana Abrahms
- Department of BiologyUniversity of WashingtonLife Sciences Building, Box 351800SeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Richard B. Chandler
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of Georgia180 E. Green St.AthensGeorgiaUSA
| | - Paul B. Conn
- Marine Mammal LaboratoryNOAA‐NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science CenterSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Sarah J. Converse
- U.S. Geological SurveyWashington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitSchool of Environmental and Forest Sciences & School of Aquatic and Fishery SciencesUniversity of WashingtonBox 355020SeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Robert L. Emmet
- Quantitative Ecology and Resource ManagementUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Beth Gardner
- School of Environmental and Forest SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Nathan J. Hostetter
- Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitSchool of Aquatic and Fishery SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Devin S. Johnson
- Marine Mammal LaboratoryNOAA‐NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science CenterSeattleWashingtonUSA
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Jreidini N, Green DM. Dispersal without drivers: Intrinsic and extrinsic variables have no impact on movement distances in a terrestrial amphibian. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9368. [PMID: 36203625 PMCID: PMC9526034 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Dispersive movements are often thought to be multicausal and driven by individual body size, sex, conspecific density, environmental variation, personality, and/or other variables. Yet such variables often do not account for most of the variation among dispersive movements in nature, leaving open the possibility that dispersion may be indeterministic. We assessed the amount of variation in 24 h movement distances that could be accounted for by potential drivers of displacement with a large empirical dataset of movement distances performed by Fowler's Toads (Anaxyrus fowleri) on the northern shore of Lake Erie at Long Point, Ontario (2002–2021, incl.). These toads are easy to sample repeatedly, can be identified individually and move parallel to the shoreline as they forage at night, potentially dispersing to new refuge sites. Using a linear mixed‐effect model that incorporated random effect terms to account for sampling variance and inter‐annual variation, we found that all potential intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of movement accounted for virtually none of the variation observed among 24 h distances moved by these animals, whether over short or large spatial scales. We examined the idea of movement personality by testing variance per individual toad and found no evidence of individuality in movement distances. We conclude that deterministic variables, whether intrinsic or extrinsic, neither can be shown to nor are necessary to drive movements in this population over all spatial scales. Stochastic, short time‐scale movements, such as daily foraging movements, can instead accumulate over time to produce large spatial‐scale movements that are dispersive in nature.
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Hostetter NJ, Regehr EV, Wilson RR, Royle JA, Converse SJ. Modeling spatiotemporal abundance and movement dynamics using an integrated spatial capture-recapture movement model. Ecology 2022; 103:e3772. [PMID: 35633152 PMCID: PMC9787655 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Animal movement is a fundamental ecological process affecting the survival and reproduction of individuals, the structure of populations, and the dynamics of communities. Methods to quantify animal movement and spatiotemporal abundances, however, are generally separate and therefore omit linkages between individual-level and population-level processes. We describe an integrated spatial capture-recapture (SCR) movement model to jointly estimate (1) the number and distribution of individuals in a defined spatial region and (2) movement of those individuals through time. We applied our model to a study of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in a 28,125 km2 survey area of the eastern Chukchi Sea, USA in 2015 that incorporated capture-recapture and telemetry data. In simulation studies, the model provided unbiased estimates of movement, abundance, and detection parameters using a bivariate normal random walk and correlated random walk movement process. Our case study provided detailed evidence of directional movement persistence for both male and female bears, where individuals regularly traversed areas larger than the survey area during the 36-day study period. Scaling from individual- to population-level inferences, we found that densities varied from <0.75 bears/625 km2 grid cell/day in nearshore cells to 1.6-2.5 bears/grid cell/day for cells surrounded by sea ice. Daily abundance estimates ranged from 53 to 69 bears, with no trend across days. The cumulative number of unique bears that used the survey area increased through time due to movements into and out of the area, resulting in an estimated 171 individuals using the survey area during the study (95% credible interval 124-250). Abundance estimates were similar to a previous multiyear integrated population model using capture-recapture and telemetry data (2008-2016; Regehr et al., Scientific Reports 8:16780, 2018). Overall, the SCR-movement model successfully quantified both individual- and population-level space use, including the effects of landscape characteristics on movement, abundance, and detection, while linking the movement and abundance processes to directly estimate density within a prescribed spatial region and temporal period. Integrated SCR-movement models provide a generalizable approach to incorporate greater movement realism into population dynamics and link movement to emergent properties including spatiotemporal densities and abundances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan J. Hostetter
- Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Aquatic and Fishery SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA,Present address:
United States Geological Survey, North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Applied EcologyNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Eric V. Regehr
- Applied Physics LaboratoryPolar Science Center, University of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Ryan R. Wilson
- Marine Mammals ManagementUnited States Fish and Wildlife ServiceAnchorageAlaskaUSA
| | - J. Andrew Royle
- United States Geological SurveyEastern Ecological Science CenterLaurelMarylandUSA
| | - Sarah J. Converse
- United States Geological Survey, Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and School of Aquatic and Fishery SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
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Chandler RB, Crawford DA, Garrison EP, Miller KV, Cherry MJ. Modeling abundance, distribution, movement and space use with camera and telemetry data. Ecology 2022; 103:e3583. [PMID: 34767254 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Studies of animal abundance and distribution are often conducted independently of research on movement, despite the important links between processes. Movement can cause rapid changes in spatial variation in density, and movement influences detection probability and therefore estimates of abundance from inferential methods such as spatial capture-recapture (SCR). Technological developments including camera traps and GPS telemetry have opened new opportunities for studying animal demography and movement, yet statistical models for these two data types have largely developed along parallel tracks. We present a hierarchical model in which both datasets are conditioned on a movement process for a clearly defined population. We fitted the model to data from 60 camera traps and 23,572 GPS telemetry locations collected on 17 male white-tailed deer in the Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida, USA during July 2015. Telemetry data were collected on a 3-4 h acquisition schedule, and we modeled the movement paths of all individuals in the region with a Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process that included individual-specific random effects. Two of the 17 deer with GPS collars were detected on cameras. An additional 20 male deer without collars were detected on cameras and individually identified based on their unique antler characteristics. Abundance was 126 (95% CI: 88-177) in the 228 km2 region, only slightly higher than estimated using a standard SCR model: 119 (84-168). The standard SCR model, however, was unable to describe individual heterogeneity in movement rates and space use as revealed by the joint model. Joint modeling allowed the telemetry data to inform the movement model and the SCR encounter model, while leveraging information in the camera data to inform abundance, distribution and movement. Unlike most existing methods for population-level inference on movement, the joint SCR-movement model can yield unbiased inferences even if non-uniform sampling is used to deploy transmitters. Potential extensions of the model include the addition of resource selection parameters, and relaxation of the closure assumption when interest lies in survival and recruitment. These developments would contribute to the emerging holistic framework for the study of animal ecology, one that uses modern technology and spatio-temporal statistics to learn about interactions between behavior and demography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard B Chandler
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, USA
| | - Daniel A Crawford
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas, 78363, USA
| | - Elina P Garrison
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gainesville, Florida, 32601, USA
| | - Karl V Miller
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, USA
| | - Michael J Cherry
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas, 78363, USA
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Cooke SJ, Bergman JN, Twardek WM, Piczak ML, Casselberry GA, Lutek K, Dahlmo LS, Birnie-Gauvin K, Griffin LP, Brownscombe JW, Raby GD, Standen EM, Horodysky AZ, Johnsen S, Danylchuk AJ, Furey NB, Gallagher AJ, Lédée EJI, Midwood JD, Gutowsky LFG, Jacoby DMP, Matley JK, Lennox RJ. The movement ecology of fishes. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2022; 101:756-779. [PMID: 35788929 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Movement of fishes in the aquatic realm is fundamental to their ecology and survival. Movement can be driven by a variety of biological, physiological and environmental factors occurring across all spatial and temporal scales. The intrinsic capacity of movement to impact fish individually (e.g., foraging) with potential knock-on effects throughout the ecosystem (e.g., food web dynamics) has garnered considerable interest in the field of movement ecology. The advancement of technology in recent decades, in combination with ever-growing threats to freshwater and marine systems, has further spurred empirical research and theoretical considerations. Given the rapid expansion within the field of movement ecology and its significant role in informing management and conservation efforts, a contemporary and multidisciplinary review about the various components influencing movement is outstanding. Using an established conceptual framework for movement ecology as a guide (i.e., Nathan et al., 2008: 19052), we synthesized the environmental and individual factors that affect the movement of fishes. Specifically, internal (e.g., energy acquisition, endocrinology, and homeostasis) and external (biotic and abiotic) environmental elements are discussed, as well as the different processes that influence individual-level (or population) decisions, such as navigation cues, motion capacity, propagation characteristics and group behaviours. In addition to environmental drivers and individual movement factors, we also explored how associated strategies help survival by optimizing physiological and other biological states. Next, we identified how movement ecology is increasingly being incorporated into management and conservation by highlighting the inherent benefits that spatio-temporal fish behaviour imbues into policy, regulatory, and remediation planning. Finally, we considered the future of movement ecology by evaluating ongoing technological innovations and both the challenges and opportunities that these advancements create for scientists and managers. As aquatic ecosystems continue to face alarming climate (and other human-driven) issues that impact animal movements, the comprehensive and multidisciplinary assessment of movement ecology will be instrumental in developing plans to guide research and promote sustainability measures for aquatic resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jordanna N Bergman
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - William M Twardek
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Morgan L Piczak
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Grace A Casselberry
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Keegan Lutek
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lotte S Dahlmo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Laboratory for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kim Birnie-Gauvin
- Section for Freshwater Fisheries and Ecology, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Lucas P Griffin
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jacob W Brownscombe
- Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Graham D Raby
- Biology Department, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emily M Standen
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrij Z Horodysky
- Department of Marine and Environmental Science, Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia, USA
| | - Sönke Johnsen
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, North Caroline, USA
| | - Andy J Danylchuk
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nathan B Furey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, USA
| | | | - Elodie J I Lédée
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jon D Midwood
- Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lee F G Gutowsky
- Environmental & Life Sciences Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - David M P Jacoby
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Jordan K Matley
- Program in Aquatic Resources, St Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Robert J Lennox
- Laboratory for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
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28
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Matthiopoulos J. Defining, estimating, and understanding the fundamental niches of complex animals in heterogeneous environments. ECOL MONOGR 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jason Matthiopoulos
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine. University of Glasgow. Glasgow. G12 8QQ Scotland
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29
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Potts JR, Giunta V, Lewis MA. Beyond resource selection: emergent spatio–temporal distributions from animal movements and stigmergent interactions. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R. Potts
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Univ. of Sheffield, Hicks Building Sheffield UK
| | - Valeria Giunta
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Univ. of Sheffield, Hicks Building Sheffield UK
| | - Mark A. Lewis
- Depts of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences and Biological Sciences, Univ. of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
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Ferreira EM, Valerio F, Medinas D, Fernandes N, Craveiro J, Costa P, Silva JP, Carrapato C, Mira A, Santos SM. Assessing behaviour states of a forest carnivore in a road-dominated landscape using Hidden Markov Models. NATURE CONSERVATION 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/natureconservation.47.72781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic infrastructures and land-use changes are major threats to animal movements across heterogeneous landscapes. Yet, the behavioural consequences of such constraints remain poorly understood. We investigated the relationship between the behaviour of the Common genet (Genetta genetta) and road proximity, within a dominant mixed forest-agricultural landscape in southern Portugal, fragmented by roads. Specifically, we aimed to: (i) identify and characterise the behavioural states displayed by genets and related movement patterns; and (ii) understand how behavioural states are influenced by proximity to main paved roads and landscape features. We used a multivariate Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to characterise the fine-scale movements (10-min fixes GPS) of seven genets tracked during 187 nights (mean 27 days per individual) during the period 2016–2019, using distance to major paved roads and landscape features as predictors. Our findings indicated that genet’s movement patterns were composed of three basic behavioural states, classified as “resting” (short step-lengths [mean = 10.6 m] and highly tortuous), “foraging” (intermediate step-lengths [mean = 46.1 m] and with a wide range in turning angle) and “travelling” (longer step-lengths [mean = 113.7 m] and mainly linear movements). Within the genet’s main activity-period (17.00 h-08.00 h), the movement model predicts that genets spend 36.7% of their time travelling, 35.4% foraging and 28.0% resting. The probability of genets displaying the travelling state was highest in areas far away from roads (> 500 m), whereas foraging and resting states were more likely in areas relatively close to roads (up to 500 m). Landscape features also had a pronounced effect on behaviour state occurrence. More specifically, travelling was most likely to occur in areas with lower forest edge density and close to riparian habitats, while foraging was more likely to occur in areas with higher forest edge density and far away from riparian habitats. The results suggest that, although roads represent a behavioural barrier to the movement of genets, they also take advantage of road proximity as foraging areas. Our study demonstrates that the HMM approach is useful for disentangling movement behaviour and understanding how animals respond to roadsides and fragmented habitats. We emphasise that road-engaged stakeholders need to consider movement behaviour of genets when targeting management practices to maximise road permeability for wildlife.
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Stabach JA, Hughey LF, Crego RD, Fleming CH, Hopcraft JGC, Leimgruber P, Morrison TA, Ogutu JO, Reid RS, Worden JS, Boone RB. Increasing Anthropogenic Disturbance Restricts Wildebeest Movement Across East African Grazing Systems. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.846171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to move is essential for animals to find mates, escape predation, and meet energy and water demands. This is especially important across grazing systems where vegetation productivity can vary drastically between seasons or years. With grasslands undergoing significant changes due to climate change and anthropogenic development, there is an urgent need to determine the relative impacts of these pressures on the movement capacity of native herbivores. To measure these impacts, we fitted 36 white-bearded wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) with GPS collars across three study areas in southern Kenya (Amboseli Basin, Athi-Kaputiei Plains, and Mara) to test the relationship between movement (e.g., directional persistence, speed, home range crossing time) and gradients of vegetation productivity (i.e., NDVI) and anthropogenic disturbance. As expected, wildebeest moved the most (21.0 km day–1; CI: 18.7–23.3) across areas where movement was facilitated by low human footprint and necessitated by low vegetation productivity (Amboseli Basin). However, in areas with moderate vegetation productivity (Athi-Kaputiei Plains), wildebeest moved the least (13.3 km day–1; CI: 11.0–15.5). This deviation from expectations was largely explained by impediments to movement associated with a large human footprint. Notably, the movements of wildebeest in this area were also less directed than the other study populations, suggesting that anthropogenic disturbance (i.e., roads, fences, and the expansion of settlements) impacts the ability of wildebeest to move and access available resources. In areas with high vegetation productivity and moderate human footprint (Mara), we observed intermediate levels of daily movement (14.2 km day–1; CI: 12.3–16.1). Wildebeest across each of the study systems used grassland habitats outside of protected areas extensively, highlighting the importance of unprotected landscapes for conserving mobile species. These results provide unique insights into the interactive effects of climate and anthropogenic development on the movements of a dominant herbivore in East Africa and present a cautionary tale for the development of grazing ecosystems elsewhere.
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32
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Lamm E, Kolodny O. Distributed Adaptations: Can a Species Be Adapted While No Single Individual Carries the Adaptation? Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.791104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Species’ adaptation to their environments occurs via a range of mechanisms of adaptation. These include genetic adaptations as well as non-traditional inheritance mechanisms such as learned behaviors, niche construction, epigenetics, horizontal gene transfer, and alteration of the composition of a host’s associated microbiome. We propose to supplement these with another modality of eco-evolutionary dynamics: cases in which adaptation to the environment occurs via what may be called a “distributed adaptation,” in which the adaptation is not conferred via something carried by an individual of the adapted species (as with genes, behavior, or associated microbes), but by some structural or compositional aspect of the population. Put differently, the adaptively relevant information cannot be reduced to information possessed by a single individual, whether genetic or otherwise. Rather, the adaptively relevant information is distributed, and is found strictly at the population level. While human culture is presumably such a case, as may be cases found in social insects, we want to suggest that there are other cases that belong to this category and to explore its evolutionary implications. In particular, we discuss the factors that affect whether adaptive information is stored in a distributed way, to what degree, and what kinds of adaptive information are most likely to be found in this modality of adaptation.
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33
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The effect of hunter-wild boar interactions and landscape heterogeneity on wild boar population size: A simulation study. Ecol Modell 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2021.109847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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34
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Ranc N, Cagnacci F, Moorcroft PR. Memory drives the formation of animal home ranges: Evidence from a reintroduction. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:716-728. [PMID: 35099847 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Most animals live in home ranges, and memory is thought to be an important process in their formation. However, a general memory-based model for characterising and predicting home range emergence has been lacking. Here, we use a mechanistic movement model to: (1) quantify the role of memory in the movements of a large mammal reintroduced into a novel environment, and (2) predict observed patterns of home range emergence in this experimental setting. We show that an interplay between memory and resource preferences is the primary process influencing the movements of reintroduced roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). Our memory-based model fitted with empirical data successfully predicts the formation of home ranges, as well as emergent properties of movement and spatial revisitation observed in the reintroduced animals. These results provide a mechanistic framework for combining memory-based movements, resource preferences, and the formation of home ranges in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Ranc
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Paul R Moorcroft
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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35
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Dickie M, Serrouya R, Avgar T, McLoughlin P, McNay RS, DeMars C, Boutin S, Ford AT. Resource exploitation efficiency collapses the home range of an apex predator. Ecology 2022; 103:e3642. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Dickie
- Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
- Department of Biology University of British Columbia Kelowna British Columbia Canada
| | - R. Serrouya
- Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - T. Avgar
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center Utah State University Logan Utah US
| | - P. McLoughlin
- Department of Biology University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place Saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada
| | - R. S. McNay
- Wildlife Infometrics, 3 – 220 Mackenzie Blvd Mackenzie British Columbia Canada
| | - C. DeMars
- Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - S. Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - A. T. Ford
- Department of Biology University of British Columbia Kelowna British Columbia Canada
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36
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Feuka AB, Nafus MG, Yackel Adams AA, Bailey LL, Hooten MB. Individual heterogeneity influences the effects of translocation on urban dispersal of an invasive reptile. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2022; 10:2. [PMID: 35033211 PMCID: PMC8761355 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00300-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Invasive reptiles pose a serious threat to global biodiversity, but early detection of individuals in an incipient population is often hindered by their cryptic nature, sporadic movements, and variation among individuals. Little is known about the mechanisms that affect the movement of these species, which limits our understanding of their dispersal. Our aim was to determine whether translocation or small-scale landscape features affect movement patterns of brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis), a destructive invasive predator on the island of Guam. METHODS We conducted a field experiment to compare the movements of resident (control) snakes to those of snakes translocated from forests and urban areas into new urban habitats. We developed a Bayesian hierarchical model to analyze snake movement mechanisms and account for attributes unique to invasive reptiles by incorporating multiple behavioral states and individual heterogeneity in movement parameters. RESULTS We did not observe strong differences in mechanistic movement parameters (turning angle or step length) among experimental treatment groups. We found some evidence that translocated snakes from both forests and urban areas made longer movements than resident snakes, but variation among individuals within treatment groups weakened this effect. Snakes translocated from forests moved more frequently from pavement than those translocated from urban areas. Snakes translocated from urban areas moved less frequently from buildings than resident snakes. Resident snakes had high individual heterogeneity in movement probability. CONCLUSIONS Our approach to modeling movement improved our understanding of invasive reptile dispersal by allowing us to examine the mechanisms that influence their movement. We also demonstrated the importance of accounting for individual heterogeneity in population-level analyses, especially when management goals involve eradication of an invasive species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail B. Feuka
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80521-2154 USA
- Colorado State University, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1474 USA
| | - Melia G. Nafus
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO 80526-8118 USA
| | - Amy A. Yackel Adams
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO 80526-8118 USA
| | - Larissa L. Bailey
- Colorado State University, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1474 USA
| | - Mevin B. Hooten
- The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Statistics and Data Sciences, Welch 5.216, 105 E 24th St D9800, Austin, TX 78705-1576 USA
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Stuber EF, Carlson BS, Jesmer BR. Spatial personalities: a meta-analysis of consistent individual differences in spatial behavior. Behav Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Individual variation in behavior, particularly consistent among-individual differences (i.e., personality), has important ecological and evolutionary implications for population and community dynamics, trait divergence, and patterns of speciation. Nevertheless, individual variation in spatial behaviors, such as home range behavior, movement characteristics, or habitat use has yet to be incorporated into the concepts or methodologies of ecology and evolutionary biology. To evaluate evidence for the existence of consistent among-individual differences in spatial behavior – which we refer to as “spatial personality” – we performed a meta-analysis of 200 repeatability estimates of home range size, movement metrics, and habitat use. We found that the existence of spatial personality is a general phenomenon, with consistently high repeatability (r) across classes of spatial behavior (r = 0.67–0.82), taxa (r = 0.31–0.79), and time between repeated measurements (r = 0.54–0.74). These results suggest: 1) repeatable spatial behavior may either be a cause or consequence of the environment experienced and lead to spatial personalities that may limit the ability of individuals to behaviorally adapt to changing landscapes; 2) interactions between spatial phenotypes and environmental conditions could result in differential reproduction, survival, and dispersal, suggesting that among-individual variation may facilitate population-level adaptation; 3) spatial patterns of species' distributions and spatial population dynamics may be better understood by shifting from a mean field analytical approach towards methods that account for spatial personalities and their associated fitness and ecological dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica F Stuber
- U.S. Geological Survey Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Wildland Resources, 5230 Old Main Hill, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ben S Carlson
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Brett R Jesmer
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, 310 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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38
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Sundaram M, Steiner E, Gordon DM. Rainfall, neighbors, and foraging: The dynamics of a population of red harvester ant colonies 1988‐2019. ECOL MONOGR 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Erik Steiner
- Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis Stanford University Stanford CA
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39
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Fukuda Y, Moritz C, Jang N, Webb G, Campbell H, Christian K, Lindner G, Banks S. Environmental resistance and habitat quality influence dispersal of the saltwater crocodile. Mol Ecol 2021; 31:1076-1092. [PMID: 34865283 PMCID: PMC9299799 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Landscape genetics commonly focuses on the effects of environmental resistance on animal dispersal patterns, but there is an emerging focus on testing environmental effects on emigration and settlement choices. In this study, we used landscape genetics approaches to quantify dispersal patterns in the world's largest crocodilian, the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), and demonstrated environmental influences on three processes that comprise dispersal: emigration, movement and settlement. We found that both environmental resistance and properties of the source and destination catchments (proportion of breeding habitat) were important factors influencing observed dispersal events. Our habitat quality variables related to hypotheses about resource competition and represented the ratio of breeding habitat (which limits carrying capacity), suggesting that competition for habitat influences emigration and settlement choices, together with the strong effect of environmental resistance to movement (where high-quality habitat was associated with greatest environmental permeability). Approximately 42% of crocodiles were migrants from populations other than their sampling locations and some outstandingly productive populations had a much higher proportion of emigration rather than immigration. The distance most commonly travelled between source and destination was 150-200 km although a few travelled much longer distances, up to 600-700 km. Given the extensive dispersal range, individual catchments or hydrographic regions that combine two or three adjacent catchments are an appropriate scale for population management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Fukuda
- Research School of Biology and Center for Biodiversity Analysis, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security, Northern Territory Government, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Craig Moritz
- Research School of Biology and Center for Biodiversity Analysis, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Namchul Jang
- Namchul Photography, Palmerston, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Grahame Webb
- Wildlife Management International Pty Ltd, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Hamish Campbell
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, College of Engineering, IT and the Environment, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Keith Christian
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, College of Engineering, IT and the Environment, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Garry Lindner
- Parks Australia, Australian Government, Jabiru, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Sam Banks
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, College of Engineering, IT and the Environment, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
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Roex N, Mann GKH, Hunter LTB, Balme GA. Big competition for small spots? Conspecific density drives home range size in male and female leopards. J Zool (1987) 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- N. Roex
- Panthera New York NY USA
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
| | - G. K. H. Mann
- Panthera New York NY USA
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
| | | | - G. A. Balme
- Panthera New York NY USA
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
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Karelus DL, Geary BW, Harveson LA, Harveson PM. Movement ecology and space-use by mountain lions in West Texas. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
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García-Alfonso M, van Overveld T, Gangoso L, Serrano D, Donázar JA. Disentangling drivers of power line use by vultures: Potential to reduce electrocutions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 793:148534. [PMID: 34182458 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Accidents on power lines are the leading cause of mortality for many raptor species. In order to prioritise corrective measures, much effort has been focused on identifying the factors associated with collision and electrocution risk. However, most studies lack of precise data about the use of pylons and its underlying driving factors, often relying on biased information based on recorded fatalities. Here, we used multiple years of high-resolution data from 49-GPS tagged Canarian Egyptian Vultures (Neophron percnopterus majorensis) to overcome these typical biases. Birds of our target population use electric pylons extensively for perching (diurnal) and roosting (nocturnal), so accidents with these infrastructures are nowadays the main cause of mortality. Predictive models of pylon intensity of use were fitted for diurnal and nocturnal behaviour, accounting for power line, environmental, and individual vulture's features. Using these measures as a proxy for mortality risk, our model predictions were validated with out-of-sample data of actual mortality recorded during 17 years. Vultures used more pylons during daytime, but those chosen at night were used more intensively. In both time periods, the intensity of use of pylons was determined by similar drivers: vultures avoided pylons close to roads and territories of conspecifics, preferentially used pylons located in areas with higher abundance of food resources, and spread their use during the breeding season. Individuals used pylons unevenly according to their sex, age, and territorial status, indicating that site-specific mitigation measures may affect different fractions of the population. Our modelling procedures predicted actual mortality reasonably well, showing that prioritising mitigation measures on relatively few pylons (6%) could drastically reduce accidents (50%). Our findings demonstrate that combining knowledge on fine-scale individual behaviour and pylon type and distribution is key to target cost-effective conservation actions aimed at effectively reducing avian mortality on power lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina García-Alfonso
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Thijs van Overveld
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Laura Gangoso
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, C/José Antonio Novais 2, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - David Serrano
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - José A Donázar
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
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Gunner RM, Holton MD, Scantlebury DM, Hopkins P, Shepard ELC, Fell AJ, Garde B, Quintana F, Gómez-Laich A, Yoda K, Yamamoto T, English H, Ferreira S, Govender D, Viljoen P, Bruns A, van Schalkwyk OL, Cole NC, Tatayah V, Börger L, Redcliffe J, Bell SH, Marks NJ, Bennett NC, Tonini MH, Williams HJ, Duarte CM, van Rooyen MC, Bertelsen MF, Tambling CJ, Wilson RP. How often should dead-reckoned animal movement paths be corrected for drift? ANIMAL BIOTELEMETRY 2021; 9:43. [PMID: 34900262 PMCID: PMC7612089 DOI: 10.1186/s40317-021-00265-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding what animals do in time and space is important for a range of ecological questions, however accurate estimates of how animals use space is challenging. Within the use of animal-attached tags, radio telemetry (including the Global Positioning System, 'GPS') is typically used to verify an animal's location periodically. Straight lines are typically drawn between these 'Verified Positions' ('VPs') so the interpolation of space-use is limited by the temporal and spatial resolution of the system's measurement. As such, parameters such as route-taken and distance travelled can be poorly represented when using VP systems alone. Dead-reckoning has been suggested as a technique to improve the accuracy and resolution of reconstructed movement paths, whilst maximising battery life of VP systems. This typically involves deriving travel vectors from motion sensor systems and periodically correcting path dimensions for drift with simultaneously deployed VP systems. How often paths should be corrected for drift, however, has remained unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS Here, we review the utility of dead-reckoning across four contrasting model species using different forms of locomotion (the African lion Panthera leo, the red-tailed tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda, the Magellanic penguin Spheniscus magellanicus, and the imperial cormorant Leucocarbo atriceps). Simulations were performed to examine the extent of dead-reckoning error, relative to VPs, as a function of Verified Position correction (VP correction) rate and the effect of this on estimates of distance moved. Dead-reckoning error was greatest for animals travelling within air and water. We demonstrate how sources of measurement error can arise within VP-corrected dead-reckoned tracks and propose advancements to this procedure to maximise dead-reckoning accuracy. CONCLUSIONS We review the utility of VP-corrected dead-reckoning according to movement type and consider a range of ecological questions that would benefit from dead-reckoning, primarily concerning animal-barrier interactions and foraging strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard M. Gunner
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - Mark D. Holton
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - David M. Scantlebury
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Phil Hopkins
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - Emily L. C. Shepard
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - Adam J. Fell
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK
| | - Baptiste Garde
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - Flavio Quintana
- Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos (IBIOMAR), CONICET. Boulevard Brown, 2915, U9120ACD Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
| | - Agustina Gómez-Laich
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución & Instituto de Ecología, Genética Y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), CONICET, Pabellón II Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ken Yoda
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takashi Yamamoto
- Organization for the Strategic Coordination of Research and Intellectual Properties, Meiji University, Nakano, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Holly English
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Sam Ferreira
- Savanna and Grassland Research Unit, Scientific Services Skukuza, South African National Parks, Kruger National Park, Skukuza 1350, South Africa
| | - Danny Govender
- Savanna and Grassland Research Unit, Scientific Services Skukuza, South African National Parks, Kruger National Park, Skukuza 1350, South Africa
| | - Pauli Viljoen
- Savanna and Grassland Research Unit, Scientific Services Skukuza, South African National Parks, Kruger National Park, Skukuza 1350, South Africa
| | - Angela Bruns
- Veterinary Wildlife Services, South African National Parks, 97 Memorial Road, Old Testing Grounds, Kimberley 8301, South Africa
| | - O. Louis van Schalkwyk
- Department of Agriculture, Government of South Africa, Land Reform and Rural Development, Pretoria 001, South Africa
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Nik C. Cole
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Les Augrès Manor, Channel Islands, Trinity JE3 5BP, Jersey, UK
- Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Grannum Road, Indian Ocean, Vacoas, Mauritius
| | - Vikash Tatayah
- Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Grannum Road, Indian Ocean, Vacoas, Mauritius
| | - Luca Börger
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
- Centre for Biomathematics, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - James Redcliffe
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - Stephen H. Bell
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Nikki J. Marks
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Nigel C. Bennett
- Mammal Research Institute. Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 002., South Africa
| | - Mariano H. Tonini
- Instituto Andino Patagónico de Tecnologías Biológicas y Geoambientales, Grupo GEA, IPATEC-UNCO-CONICET, San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Hannah J. Williams
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Carlos M. Duarte
- Red Sea Research Centre, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Martin C. van Rooyen
- Mammal Research Institute. Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 002., South Africa
| | - Mads F. Bertelsen
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Roskildevej 38, DK-2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Craig J. Tambling
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Fort Hare, Alice Campus, Ring Road, Alice 5700, South Africa
| | - Rory P. Wilson
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Manuel Morales
- Grupo de Ecología Cuantitativa, INIBIOMA‐CONICET, Univ. Nacional del Comahue Bariloche Argentina
| | - Teresa Morán López
- Grupo de Ecología Cuantitativa, INIBIOMA‐CONICET, Univ. Nacional del Comahue Bariloche Argentina
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Bopp JJ, Sclafani M, Frisk MG, McKown K, Ziegler‐Fede C, Smith DR, Cerrato RM. Telemetry reveals migratory drivers and disparate space use across seasons and age‐groups in American horseshoe crabs. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Justin J. Bopp
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Stony Brook University 145 Endeavour Hall Stony Brook New York 11794 USA
| | - Matthew Sclafani
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Stony Brook University 145 Endeavour Hall Stony Brook New York 11794 USA
- Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County 23 Griffing Avenue # 100 Riverhead New York 1190 USA
| | - Michael G. Frisk
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Stony Brook University 145 Endeavour Hall Stony Brook New York 11794 USA
| | - Kim McKown
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 205 North Belle Meade Road, Suite 1 East Setauket New York 11733 USA
| | - Catherine Ziegler‐Fede
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 205 North Belle Meade Road, Suite 1 East Setauket New York 11733 USA
| | - David R. Smith
- United States Geological Survey Eastern Ecological Science Center 11649 Kearneysville Road Kearneysville West Virginia 25430 USA
| | - Robert M. Cerrato
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Stony Brook University 145 Endeavour Hall Stony Brook New York 11794 USA
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Oro D, Bécares J, Bartumeus F, Arcos JM. High frequency of prospecting for informed dispersal and colonisation in a social species at large spatial scale. Oecologia 2021; 197:395-409. [PMID: 34550445 PMCID: PMC8505276 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05040-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Animals explore and prospect space searching for resources and individuals may disperse, targeting suitable patches to increase fitness. Nevertheless, dispersal is costly because it implies leaving the patch where the individual has gathered information and reduced uncertainty. In social species, information gathered during the prospection process for deciding whether and where to disperse is not only personal but also public, i.e. conspecific density and breeding performance. In empty patches, public information is not available and dispersal for colonisation would be more challenging. Here we study the prospecting in a metapopulation of colonial Audouin's gulls using PTT platform terminal transmitters tagging for up to 4 years and GPS tagging during the incubation period. A large percentage of birds (65%) prospected occupied patches; strikingly, 62% of prospectors also visited empty patches that were colonised in later years. Frequency and intensity of prospecting were higher for failed breeders, who dispersed more than successful breeders. Prospecting and dispersal also occurred mostly to neighbouring patches where population density was higher. GPSs revealed that many breeders (59%) prospected while actively incubating, which suggests that they gathered information before knowing the fate of their reproduction. Prospecting may be enhanced in species adapted to breed in ephemeral habitats, such as Audouin's gulls. Interestingly, none of the tracked individuals colonised an empty patch despite having prospected over a period of up to three consecutive years. Lack of public information in empty patches may drive extended prospecting, long time delays in colonisation and non-linear transient phenomena in metapopulation dynamics and species range expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Oro
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes-CEAB (CSIC), Acces Cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain.
| | - Juan Bécares
- SEO/BirdLife-Marine Programe, Delegació de Catalunya, 08026, Barcelona, Spain.,CORY'S-Investigación y Conservación de la Biodiversidad, 08016, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Frederic Bartumeus
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes-CEAB (CSIC), Acces Cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain
| | - José Manuel Arcos
- SEO/BirdLife-Marine Programe, Delegació de Catalunya, 08026, Barcelona, Spain
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Urbano F, Cagnacci F. Data Management and Sharing for Collaborative Science: Lessons Learnt From the Euromammals Initiative. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.727023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The current and future consequences of anthropogenic impacts such as climate change and habitat loss on ecosystems will be better understood and therefore addressed if diverse ecological data from multiple environmental contexts are more effectively shared. Re-use requires that data are readily available to the scientific scrutiny of the research community. A number of repositories to store shared data have emerged in different ecological domains and developments are underway to define common data and metadata standards. Nevertheless, the goal is far from being achieved and many challenges still need to be addressed. The definition of best practices for data sharing and re-use can benefit from the experience accumulated by pilot collaborative projects. The Euromammals bottom-up initiative has pioneered collaborative science in spatial animal ecology since 2007. It involves more than 150 institutes to address scientific, management and conservation questions regarding terrestrial mammal species in Europe using data stored in a shared database. In this manuscript we present some key lessons that we have learnt from the process of making shared data and knowledge accessible to researchers and we stress the importance of data management for data quality assurance. We suggest putting in place a pro-active data review before data are made available in shared repositories via robust technical support and users’ training in data management and standards. We recommend pursuing the definition of common data collection protocols, data and metadata standards, and shared vocabularies with direct involvement of the community to boost their implementation. We stress the importance of knowledge sharing, in addition to data sharing. We show the crucial relevance of collaborative networking with pro-active involvement of data providers in all stages of the scientific process. Our main message is that for data-sharing collaborative efforts to obtain substantial and durable scientific returns, the goals should not only consist in the creation of e-infrastructures and software tools but primarily in the establishment of a network and community trust. This requires moderate investment, but over long-term horizons.
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Kämmerle J, Taubmann J, Andrén H, Fiedler W, Coppes J. Environmental and seasonal correlates of capercaillie movement traits in a Swedish wind farm. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:11762-11773. [PMID: 34522339 PMCID: PMC8427587 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 06/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals continuously interact with their environment through behavioral decisions, rendering the appropriate choice of movement speed and directionality an important phenotypic trait. Anthropogenic activities may alter animal behavior, including movement. A detailed understanding of movement decisions is therefore of great relevance for science and conservation alike. The study of movement decisions in relation to environmental and seasonal cues requires continuous observation of movement behavior, recently made possible by high-resolution telemetry. We studied movement traits of 13 capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), a mainly ground-moving forest bird species of conservation interest, over two summer seasons in a Swedish windfarm using high-resolution GPS tracking data (5-min sampling interval). We filtered and removed unreliable movement steps using accelerometer data and step characteristics. We explored variation in movement speed and directionality in relation to environmental and seasonal covariates using generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs). We found evidence for clear daily and seasonal variation in speed and directionality of movement that reflected behavioral adjustments to biological and environmental seasonality. Capercaillie moved slower when more turbines were visible and faster close to turbine access roads. Movement speed and directionality were highest on open bogs, lowest on recent clear-cuts (<5 y.o.), and intermediate in all types of forest. Our results provide novel insights into the seasonal and environmental correlates of capercaillie movement patterns and supplement previous behavioral observations on lekking behavior and wind turbine avoidance with a more mechanistic understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jim‐Lino Kämmerle
- FVA Wildlife InstituteForest Research Institute of Baden‐Wuerttemberg FVAFreiburgGermany
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and ManagementUniversity of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Julia Taubmann
- FVA Wildlife InstituteForest Research Institute of Baden‐Wuerttemberg FVAFreiburgGermany
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and ManagementUniversity of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Henrik Andrén
- Grimsö Wildlife Research StationDepartment of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesRiddarhyttanSweden
| | - Wolfgang Fiedler
- Department of Migration and Immuno‐EcologyMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorRadolfzellGermany
| | - Joy Coppes
- FVA Wildlife InstituteForest Research Institute of Baden‐Wuerttemberg FVAFreiburgGermany
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Giroux A, Ortega Z, Oliveira-Santos LGR, Attias N, Bertassoni A, Desbiez ALJ. Sexual, allometric and forest cover effects on giant anteaters' movement ecology. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0253345. [PMID: 34407068 PMCID: PMC8372905 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowing the influence of intrinsic and environmental traits on animals’ movement is a central interest of ecology and can aid to enhance management decisions. The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is a vulnerable mammal that presents low capacity for physiological thermoregulation and uses forests as thermal shelters. Here, we aim to provide reliable estimates of giant anteaters’ movement patterns and home range size, as well as untangle the role of intrinsic and environmental drivers on their movement. We GPS-tracked 19 giant anteaters in Brazilian savannah. We used a continuous-time movement model to estimate their movement patterns (described by home range crossing time, daily distance moved and directionality), and provide an autocorrelated kernel density estimate of home range size. Then, we used mixed structural equations to integratively model the effects of sex, body mass and proportion of forest cover on movement patterns and home range size, considering the complex net of interactions between these variables. Male giant anteaters presented more intensive space use and larger home range than females with similar body mass, as it is expected in polygynous social mating systems. Males and females increased home range size with increasing body mass, but the allometric scaling of intensity of space use was negative for males and positive for females, indicating different strategies in search for resources. With decreasing proportion of forest cover inside their home ranges, and, consequently, decreasing thermal quality of their habitat, giant anteaters increased home range size, possibly to maximize the chances of accessing thermal shelters. As frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and deforestation are increasing, effective management efforts need to consider the role of forests as an important thermal resource driving spatial requirements of this species. We highlight that both intrinsic and environmental drivers of animal movement should be integrated to better guide management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Giroux
- Ecology Department, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
- * E-mail:
| | - Zaida Ortega
- Ecology Department, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
- Zoology Department, University of Granada, Granada, Granada, Spain
| | | | - Nina Attias
- Institute for the Conservation of Wild Animals (ICAS), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Alessandra Bertassoni
- Ecology and Evolution Department, Federal University of Goiás (UFG), Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
- Institute for Research and Conservation of Tamanduas in Brazil (Tamanduá Institute), Parnaíba, Piauí, Brazil
| | - Arnaud Léonard Jean Desbiez
- Institute for the Conservation of Wild Animals (ICAS), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
- Institute for Ecological Research (IPÊ), Nazaré Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
- Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), Murrayfield, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Falcón-Cortés A, Boyer D, Merrill E, Frair JL, Morales JM. Hierarchical, Memory-Based Movement Models for Translocated Elk (Cervus canadensis). Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.702925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of spatial memory is well-documented in many animal species and has been shown to be critical for the emergence of spatial learning. Adaptive behaviors based on learning can emerge thanks to an interdependence between the acquisition of information over time and movement decisions. The study of how spatio-ecological knowledge is constructed throughout the life of an individual has not been carried out in a quantitative and comprehensive way, hindered by the lack of knowledge of the information an animal already has of its environment at the time monitoring begins. Identifying how animals use memory to make beneficial decisions is fundamental to developing a general theory of animal movement and space use. Here we propose several mobility models based on memory and perform hierarchical Bayesian inference on 11-month trajectories of 21 elk after they were released in a completely new environment. Almost all the observed animals exhibited preferential returns to previously visited patches, such that memory and random exploration phases occurred. Memory decay was mild or negligible over the study period. The fact that individual elk rapidly become used to a relatively small number of patches was consistent with the hypothesis that they seek places with predictable resources and reduced mortality risks such as predation.
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