1
|
Elings J, Bruneel S, Pauwels IS, Schneider M, Kopecki I, Coeck J, Mawer R, Goethals PLM. Finding navigation cues near fishways. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:313-327. [PMID: 37813384 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13023] [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: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Many fish species depend on migration for various parts of their life cycle. Well-known examples include diadromous fish such as salmon and eels that need both fresh water and salt water to complete their life cycle. Migration also occurs within species that depend only on fresh water. In recent decades, anthropogenic pressures on freshwater systems have increased greatly, and have resulted, among other effects, in drastic habitat fragmentation. Fishways have been developed to mitigate the resulting habitat fragmentation, but these are not always effective. To improve fishway efficiency, the variety of navigation cues used by fish must be better understood: fish use a multitude of sensory inputs ranging from flow variables to olfactory cues. The reaction of a fish is highly dependent on the intensity of the cue, the fish species involved, and individual traits. Recently developed monitoring technologies allow us to gain insights into different combinations of environmental and physiological conditions. By combining fish behavioural models with environmental models, interactions among these components can be investigated. Several methods can be used to analyse fish migration, with state-space models, hidden Markov models, and individual-based models potentially being the most relevant since they can use individual data and can tie them to explicit spatial locations within the considered system. The aim of this review is to analyse the navigational cues used by fish and the models that can be applied to gather knowledge on these processes. Such knowledge could greatly improve the design and operation of fishways for a wider range of fish species and conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jelger Elings
- Aquatic Ecology Research Unit, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent, B-9000, Belgium
| | - Stijn Bruneel
- Aquatic Ecology Research Unit, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent, B-9000, Belgium
| | - Ine S Pauwels
- INBO, Team Aquatic Management, Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Havenlaan 88, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Matthias Schneider
- SJE Ecohydraulic Engineering GmbH, Dilleniusstrasse 13, Backnang, 71522, Germany
| | - Ianina Kopecki
- SJE Ecohydraulic Engineering GmbH, Dilleniusstrasse 13, Backnang, 71522, Germany
| | - Johan Coeck
- INBO, Team Aquatic Management, Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Havenlaan 88, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Rachel Mawer
- Aquatic Ecology Research Unit, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent, B-9000, Belgium
| | - Peter L M Goethals
- Aquatic Ecology Research Unit, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent, B-9000, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Thompson PR, Harrington PD, Mallory CD, Lele SR, Bayne EM, Derocher AE, Edwards MA, Campbell M, Lewis MA. Simultaneous estimation of the temporal and spatial extent of animal migration using step lengths and turning angles. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:1. [PMID: 38191509 PMCID: PMC10775566 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00444-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animals of many different species, trophic levels, and life history strategies migrate, and the improvement of animal tracking technology allows ecologists to collect increasing amounts of detailed data on these movements. Understanding when animals migrate is important for managing their populations, but is still difficult despite modelling advancements. METHODS We designed a model that parametrically estimates the timing of migration from animal tracking data. Our model identifies the beginning and end of migratory movements as signaled by change-points in step length and turning angle distributions. To this end, we can also use the model to estimate how an animal's movement changes when it begins migrating. In addition to a thorough simulation analysis, we tested our model on three datasets: migratory ferruginous hawks (Buteo regalis) in the Great Plains, barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) in northern Canada, and non-migratory brown bears (Ursus arctos) from the Canadian Arctic. RESULTS Our simulation analysis suggests that our model is most useful for datasets where an increase in movement speed or directional autocorrelation is clearly detectable. We estimated the beginning and end of migration in caribou and hawks to the nearest day, while confirming a lack of migratory behaviour in the brown bears. In addition to estimating when caribou and ferruginous hawks migrated, our model also identified differences in how they migrated; ferruginous hawks achieved efficient migrations by drastically increasing their movement rates while caribou migration was achieved through significant increases in directional persistence. CONCLUSIONS Our approach is applicable to many animal movement studies and includes parameters that can facilitate comparison between different species or datasets. We hope that rigorous assessment of migration metrics will aid understanding of both how and why animals move.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter R Thompson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
| | - Peter D Harrington
- Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | - Subhash R Lele
- Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Erin M Bayne
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Andrew E Derocher
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Mark A Edwards
- Office of the Chief Scientist, Environment and Protected Areas, Government of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | - Mark A Lewis
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Sauvé CC, Berentsen AR, Llanos SF, Gilbert AT, Leighton PA. Home range overlap between small Indian mongooses and free roaming domestic dogs in Puerto Rico: implications for rabies management. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22944. [PMID: 38135706 PMCID: PMC10746706 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50261-7] [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: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata) is the primary terrestrial wildlife rabies reservoir on at least four Caribbean islands, including Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, mongooses represent a risk to public health, based on direct human exposure and indirectly through the transmission of rabies virus to domestic animals. To date, the fundamental ecological relationships of space use among mongooses and between mongooses and domestic animals remain poorly understood. This study is the first to report mongoose home range estimates based on GPS telemetry, as well as concurrent space use among mongooses and free roaming domestic dogs (FRDD; Canis lupus familiaris). Mean (± SE) home range estimates from 19 mongooses in this study (145 ± 21 ha and 60 ± 14 ha for males and females, respectively) were greater than those reported in prior radiotelemetry studies in Puerto Rico. At the scale of their home range, mongooses preferentially used dry forest and shrubland areas, but tended to avoid brackish water vegetation, salt marshes, barren lands and developed areas. Home ranges from five FRDDs were highly variable in size (range 13-285 ha) and may be influenced by availability of reliable anthropogenic resources. Mongooses displayed high home range overlap (general overlap index, GOI = 82%). Home range overlap among mongooses and FRDDs was intermediate (GOI = 50%) and greater than home range overlap by FRDDs (GOI = 10%). Our results provide evidence that space use by both species presents opportunities for interspecific interaction and contact and suggests that human provisioning of dogs may play a role in limiting interactions between stray dogs and mongooses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline C Sauvé
- Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 3200 Rue Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, Canada.
| | - Are R Berentsen
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO, 80521, USA
| | - Steven F Llanos
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, PO Box 38, Lajas, PR, 00667, USA
| | - Amy T Gilbert
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO, 80521, USA
| | - Patrick A Leighton
- Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 3200 Rue Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hewitt DE, Johnson DD, Suthers IM, Taylor MD. Crabs ride the tide: incoming tides promote foraging of Giant Mud Crab (Scylla serrata). MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:21. [PMID: 37069648 PMCID: PMC10108527 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00384-3] [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: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Effective fisheries management of mobile species relies on robust knowledge of animal behaviour and habitat-use. Indices of behaviour can be useful for interpreting catch-per-unit-effort data which acts as a proxy for relative abundance. Information about habitat-use can inform stocking release strategies or the design of marine protected areas. The Giant Mud Crab (Scylla serrata; Family: Portunidae) is a swimming estuarine crab that supports significant fisheries harvest throughout the Indo-West Pacific, but little is known about the fine-scale movement and behaviour of this species. METHODS We tagged 18 adult Giant Mud Crab with accelerometer-equipped acoustic tags to track their fine-scale movement using a hyperbolic positioning system, alongside high temporal resolution environmental data (e.g., water temperature), in a temperate south-east Australian estuary. A hidden Markov model was used to classify movement (i.e., step length, turning angle) and acceleration data into discrete behaviours, while also considering the possibility of individual variation in behavioural dynamics. We then investigated the influence of environmental covariates on these behaviours based on previously published observations. RESULTS We fitted a model with two well-distinguished behavioural states describing periods of inactivity and foraging, and found no evidence of individual variation in behavioural dynamics. Inactive periods were most common (79% of time), and foraging was most likely during low, incoming tides; while inactivity was more likely as the high tide receded. Model selection removed time (hour) of day and water temperature (°C) as covariates, suggesting that they do not influence Giant Mud Crab behavioural dynamics at the temporal scale investigated. CONCLUSIONS Our study is the first to quantitatively link fine-scale movement and behaviour of Giant Mud Crab to environmental variation. Our results suggest Giant Mud Crab are a predominantly sessile species, and support their status as an opportunistic scavenger. We demonstrate a relationship between the tidal cycle and foraging that is likely to minimize predation risk while maximizing energetic efficiency. These results may explain why tidal covariates influence catch rates in swimming crabs, and provide a foundation for standardisation and interpretation of catch-per-unit-effort data-a commonly used metric in fisheries science.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Hewitt
- Fisheries and Marine Environmental Research Lab, Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science, University of New South Wales, NSW, Sydney, 2052, Australia.
- New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, NSW, Locked Bag 1, Nelson Bay, 2315, Australia.
| | - Daniel D Johnson
- New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, NSW, Locked Bag 1, Nelson Bay, 2315, Australia
| | - Iain M Suthers
- Fisheries and Marine Environmental Research Lab, Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science, University of New South Wales, NSW, Sydney, 2052, Australia
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, Australia
| | - Matthew D Taylor
- Fisheries and Marine Environmental Research Lab, Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science, University of New South Wales, NSW, Sydney, 2052, Australia
- New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, NSW, Locked Bag 1, Nelson Bay, 2315, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Qureshi YM, Voloshin V, Facchinelli L, McCall PJ, Chervova O, Towers CE, Covington JA, Towers DP. Finding a Husband: Using Explainable AI to Define Male Mosquito Flight Differences. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12040496. [PMID: 37106697 PMCID: PMC10135534 DOI: 10.3390/biology12040496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Mosquito-borne diseases account for around one million deaths annually. There is a constant need for novel intervention mechanisms to mitigate transmission, especially as current insecticidal methods become less effective with the rise of insecticide resistance among mosquito populations. Previously, we used a near infra-red tracking system to describe the behaviour of mosquitoes at a human-occupied bed net, work that eventually led to an entirely novel bed net design. Advancing that approach, here we report on the use of trajectory analysis of a mosquito flight, using machine learning methods. This largely unexplored application has significant potential for providing useful insights into the behaviour of mosquitoes and other insects. In this work, a novel methodology applies anomaly detection to distinguish male mosquito tracks from females and couples. The proposed pipeline uses new feature engineering techniques and splits each track into segments such that detailed flight behaviour differences influence the classifier rather than the experimental constraints such as the field of view of the tracking system. Each segment is individually classified and the outcomes are combined to classify whole tracks. By interpreting the model using SHAP values, the features of flight that contribute to the differences between sexes are found and are explained by expert opinion. This methodology was tested using 3D tracks generated from mosquito mating swarms in the field and obtained a balanced accuracy of 64.5% and an ROC AUC score of 68.4%. Such a system can be used in a wide variety of trajectory domains to detect and analyse the behaviours of different classes, e.g., sex, strain, and species. The results of this study can support genetic mosquito control interventions for which mating represents a key event for their success.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yasser M Qureshi
- School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Vitaly Voloshin
- School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
- Royal Botanical Garden, Kew, London TW9 3AE, UK
| | - Luca Facchinelli
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
| | - Philip J McCall
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
| | - Olga Chervova
- University of College London Cancer Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6DD, UK
| | - Cathy E Towers
- School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | | | - David P Towers
- School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Luisa Vissat L, Cain S, Toledo S, Spiegel O, Getz WM. Categorizing the geometry of animal diel movement patterns with examples from high-resolution barn owl tracking. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:15. [PMID: 36945057 PMCID: PMC10029274 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00367-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Movement is central to understanding the ecology of animals. The most robustly definable segments of an individual's lifetime track are its diel activity routines (DARs). This robustness is due to fixed start and end points set by a 24-h clock that depends on the individual's quotidian schedule. An analysis of day-to-day variation in the DARs of individuals, their comparisons among individuals, and the questions that can be asked, particularly in the context of lunar and annual cycles, depends on the relocation frequency and spatial accuracy of movement data. Here we present methods for categorizing the geometry of DARs for high frequency (seconds to minutes) movement data. METHODS Our method involves an initial categorization of DARs using data pooled across all individuals. We approached this categorization using a Ward clustering algorithm that employs four scalar "whole-path metrics" of trajectory geometry: 1. net displacement (distance between start and end points), 2. maximum displacement from start point, 3. maximum diameter, and 4. maximum width. We illustrate the general approach using reverse-GPS data obtained from 44 barn owls, Tyto alba, in north-eastern Israel. We conducted a principle components analysis (PCA) to obtain a factor, PC1, that essentially captures the scale of movement. We then used a generalized linear mixed model with PC1 as the dependent variable to assess the effects of age and sex on movement. RESULTS We clustered 6230 individual DARs into 7 categories representing different shapes and scale of the owls nightly routines. Five categories based on size and elongation were classified as closed (i.e. returning to the same roost), one as partially open (returning to a nearby roost) and one as fully open (leaving for another region). Our PCA revealed that the DAR scale factor, PC1, accounted for 86.5% of the existing variation. It also showed that PC2 captures the openness of the DAR and accounted for another 8.4% of the variation. We also constructed spatio-temporal distributions of DAR types for individuals and groups of individuals aggregated by age, sex, and seasonal quadrimester, as well as identify some idiosyncratic behavior of individuals within family groups in relation to location. Finally, we showed in two ways that DARs were significantly larger in young than adults and in males than females. CONCLUSION Our study offers a new method for using high-frequency movement data to classify animal diel movement routines. Insights into the types and distributions of the geometric shape and size of DARs in populations may well prove to be more invaluable for predicting the space-use response of individuals and populations to climate and land-use changes than other currently used movement track methods of analysis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ludovica Luisa Vissat
- Department Environmental Science, Policy and Managemente, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Shlomo Cain
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978 Israel
| | - Sivan Toledo
- Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Orr Spiegel
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978 Israel
| | - Wayne M. Getz
- Department Environmental Science, Policy and Managemente, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
- School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal 4000 South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Animal-mediated plant niche tracking in a changing climate. Trends Ecol Evol 2023:S0169-5347(23)00034-4. [PMID: 36932024 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Over half of plant species are animal-dispersed, and our understanding of how animals can help plants move in response to climate change - a process known as niche tracking - is limited, but advancing rapidly. Recent research efforts find evidence that animals are helping plants track their niches. They also identify key conditions needed for animal-mediated niche tracking to occur, including alignment of the timing of seed availability, the directionality of animal movements, and microhabitat conditions where seeds are deposited. A research framework that measures niche tracking effectiveness by considering all parts of the niche-tracking process, and links together data and models from multiple disciplines, will lead to further insight and inform actions to help ecosystems adapt to a changing world.
Collapse
|
8
|
Teitelbaum CS, Bachner NC, Hall RJ. Post‐migratory nonbreeding movements of birds: A review and case study. Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
|
9
|
Sueur C, Martinet L, Beltzung B, Pelé M. Making Drawings Speak Through Mathematical Metrics. HUMAN NATURE (HAWTHORNE, N.Y.) 2022; 33:400-424. [PMID: 36515859 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-022-09436-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Figurative drawing is a skill that takes time to learn, and it evolves during different childhood phases that begin with scribbling and end with representational drawing. Between these phases, it is difficult to assess when and how children demonstrate intentions and representativeness in their drawings. The marks produced are increasingly goal-oriented and efficient as the child's skills progress from scribbles to figurative drawings. Pre-figurative activities provide an opportunity to focus on drawing processes. We applied fourteen metrics to two different datasets (N = 65 and N = 344) to better understand the intentional and representational processes behind drawing, and combined these metrics using principal component analysis (PCA) in different biologically significant dimensions. Three dimensions were identified: efficiency based on spatial metrics, diversity with color metrics, and temporal sequentiality. The metrics at play in each dimension are similar for both datasets, and PCA explains 77% of the variance in both datasets. Gender had no effect, but age influenced all three dimensions differently. These analyses for instance differentiate scribbles by children from those drawn by adults. The three dimensions highlighted by this study provide a better understanding of the emergence of intentions and representativeness in drawings. We discussed the perspectives of such findings in comparative psychology and evolutionary anthropology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cédric Sueur
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087, Strasbourg, France.
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France.
| | - Lison Martinet
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087, Strasbourg, France
| | - Benjamin Beltzung
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087, Strasbourg, France
| | - Marie Pelé
- Anthropo-Lab, ETHICS EA7446, Lille Catholic University, Lille, France
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Togunov RR, Derocher AE, Lunn NJ, Auger-Méthé M. Drivers of polar bear behavior and the possible effects of prey availability on foraging strategy. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2022; 10:50. [PMID: 36384775 PMCID: PMC9670556 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00351-4] [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: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Change in behavior is one of the earliest responses to variation in habitat suitability. It is therefore important to understand the conditions that promote different behaviors, particularly in areas undergoing environmental change. Animal movement is tightly linked to behavior and remote tracking can be used to study ethology when direct observation is not possible. METHODS We used movement data from 14 polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in Hudson Bay, Canada, during the foraging season (January-June), when bears inhabit the sea ice. We developed an error-tolerant method to correct for sea ice drift in tracking data. Next, we used hidden Markov models with movement and orientation relative to wind to study three behaviors (stationary, area-restricted search, and olfactory search) and examine effects of 11 covariates on behavior. RESULTS Polar bears spent approximately 47% of their time in the stationary drift state, 29% in olfactory search, and 24% in area-restricted search. High energy behaviors occurred later in the day (around 20:00) compared to other populations. Second, olfactory search increased as the season progressed, which may reflect a shift in foraging strategy from still-hunting to active search linked to a shift in seal availability (i.e., increase in haul-outs from winter to the spring pupping and molting seasons). Last, we found spatial patterns of distribution linked to season, ice concentration, and bear age that may be tied to habitat quality and competitive exclusion. CONCLUSIONS Our observations were generally consistent with predictions of the marginal value theorem, and differences between our findings and other populations could be explained by regional or temporal variation in resource availability. Our novel movement analyses and finding can help identify periods, regions, and conditions of critical habitat.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ron R. Togunov
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, The University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z4 Vancouver, Canada
- Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4 Canada
| | - Andrew E. Derocher
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2E9 Canada
| | - Nicholas J. Lunn
- Wildlife Research Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Edmonton, T6G 2E9 Canada
| | - Marie Auger-Méthé
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, The University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z4 Vancouver, Canada
- Department of Statistics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4 Canada
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Court M, Paula JR, Macau M, Otjacques E, Repolho T, Rosa R, Lopes VM. Camouflage and Exploratory Avoidance of Newborn Cuttlefish under Warming and Acidification. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:1394. [PMID: 36290300 PMCID: PMC9598447 DOI: 10.3390/biology11101394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Ocean warming and acidification have been shown to elicit deleterious effects on cephalopod mollusks, especially during early ontogeny, albeit effects on behavior remain largely unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate, for the first time, the effect of end-of-the-century projected levels of ocean warming (W; + 3 °C) and acidification (A; 980 µatm pCO2) on Sepia officinalis hatchlings' exploratory behavior and ability to camouflage in different substrate complexities (sand and black and white gravel). Cuttlefish were recorded in open field tests, from which mobility and exploratory avoidance behavior data were obtained. Latency to camouflage was registered remotely, and pixel intensity of body planes and background gravel were extracted from photographs. Hatching success was lowered under A and W combined (AW; 72.7%) compared to control conditions (C; 98.8%). Motion-related behaviors were not affected by the treatments. AW delayed camouflage response in the gravel substrate compared to W alone. Moreover, cuttlefish exhibited a higher contrast and consequently a stronger disruptive pattern under W, with no changes in background matching. These findings suggest that, although climate change may elicit relevant physiological challenges to cuttlefish, camouflage and mobility of these mollusks are not undermined under the ocean of tomorrow.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie Court
- MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre & ARNET—Aquatic Research Network, Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Nossa Senhora do Cabo, 939, 2750-374 Cascais, Portugal
| | - José Ricardo Paula
- MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre & ARNET—Aquatic Research Network, Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Nossa Senhora do Cabo, 939, 2750-374 Cascais, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Marta Macau
- MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre & ARNET—Aquatic Research Network, Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Nossa Senhora do Cabo, 939, 2750-374 Cascais, Portugal
| | - Eve Otjacques
- MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre & ARNET—Aquatic Research Network, Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Nossa Senhora do Cabo, 939, 2750-374 Cascais, Portugal
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Division of Biosphere Sciences and Engineering, Church Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Tiago Repolho
- MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre & ARNET—Aquatic Research Network, Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Nossa Senhora do Cabo, 939, 2750-374 Cascais, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Rui Rosa
- MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre & ARNET—Aquatic Research Network, Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Nossa Senhora do Cabo, 939, 2750-374 Cascais, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Vanessa Madeira Lopes
- MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre & ARNET—Aquatic Research Network, Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Nossa Senhora do Cabo, 939, 2750-374 Cascais, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Fagan WF, Saborio C, Hoffman TD, Gurarie E, Cantrell RS, Cosner C. What’s in a resource gradient? Comparing alternative cues for foraging in dynamic environments via movement, perception, and memory. THEOR ECOL-NETH 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12080-022-00542-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
AbstractConsumers must track and acquire resources in complex landscapes. Much discussion has focused on the concept of a ‘resource gradient’ and the mechanisms by which consumers can take advantage of such gradients as they navigate their landscapes in search of resources. However, the concept of tracking resource gradients means different things in different contexts. Here, we take a synthetic approach and consider six different definitions of what it means to search for resources based on density or gradients in density. These include scenarios where consumers change their movement behavior based on the density of conspecifics, on the density of resources, and on spatial or temporal gradients in resources. We also consider scenarios involving non-local perception and a form of memory. Using a continuous space, continuous time model that allows consumers to switch between resource-tracking and random motion, we investigate the relative performance of these six different strategies. Consumers’ success in matching the spatiotemporal distributions of their resources differs starkly across the six scenarios. Movement strategies based on perception and response to temporal (rather than spatial) resource gradients afforded consumers with the best opportunities to match resource distributions. All scenarios would allow for optimization of resource-matching in terms of the underlying parameters, providing opportunities for evolutionary adaptation, and links back to classical studies of foraging ecology.
Collapse
|
13
|
Nilsson DE, Smolka J, Bok M. The vertical light-gradient and its potential impact on animal distribution and behavior. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.951328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The visual environment provides vital cues allowing animals to assess habitat quality, weather conditions or measure time of day. Together with other sensory cues and physiological conditions, the visual environment sets behavioral states that make the animal more prone to engage in some behaviors, and less in others. This master-control of behavior serves a fundamental and essential role in determining the distribution and behavior of all animals. Although it is obvious that visual information contains vital input for setting behavioral states, the precise nature of these visual cues remains unknown. Here we use a recently described method to quantify the distribution of light reaching animals’ eyes in different environments. The method records the vertical gradient (as a function of elevation angle) of intensity, spatial structure and spectral balance. Comparison of measurements from different types of environments, weather conditions, times of day, and seasons reveal that these aspects can be readily discriminated from one another. The vertical gradients of radiance, spatial structure (contrast) and color are thus reliable indicators that are likely to have a strong impact on animal behavior and spatial distribution.
Collapse
|
14
|
Prima MC, Duchesne T, Merkle JA, Chamaillé-Jammes S, Fortin D. Multi-mode movement decisions across widely ranging behavioral processes. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272538. [PMID: 35951664 PMCID: PMC9371300 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Movement of organisms plays a fundamental role in the evolution and diversity of life. Animals typically move at an irregular pace over time and space, alternating among movement states. Understanding movement decisions and developing mechanistic models of animal distribution dynamics can thus be contingent to adequate discrimination of behavioral phases. Existing methods to disentangle movement states typically require a follow-up analysis to identify state-dependent drivers of animal movement, which overlooks statistical uncertainty that comes with the state delineation process. Here, we developed population-level, multi-state step selection functions (HMM-SSF) that can identify simultaneously the different behavioral bouts and the specific underlying behavior-habitat relationship. Using simulated data and relocation data from mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), plains bison (Bison bison bison) and plains zebra (Equus quagga), we illustrated the HMM-SSF robustness, versatility, and predictive ability for animals involved in distinct behavioral processes: foraging, migrating and avoiding a nearby predator. Individuals displayed different habitat selection pattern during the encamped and the travelling phase. Some landscape attributes switched from being selected to avoided, depending on the movement phase. We further showed that HMM-SSF can detect multi-modes of movement triggered by predators, with prey switching to the travelling phase when predators are in close vicinity. HMM-SSFs thus can be used to gain a mechanistic understanding of how animals use their environment in relation to the complex interplay between their needs to move, their knowledge of the environment and navigation capacity, their motion capacity and the external factors related to landscape heterogeneity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Thierry Duchesne
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Jerod A. Merkle
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Simon Chamaillé-Jammes
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- LTSER France, Zone Atelier “Hwange”, Hwange National Park, Dete, Zimbabwe
| | - Daniel Fortin
- Department of Biology, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Sex-Specific Movement Responses of Reeves’s Pheasant to Human Disturbance: Importance of Body Characteristics and Reproductive Behavior. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12131619. [PMID: 35804518 PMCID: PMC9264924 DOI: 10.3390/ani12131619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Human disturbance has a strong impact on the movement of wild animals. The Reeves’s Pheasant is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and a nationally protected species in China. This study evaluated how the movement patterns of this species responded to human disturbance. We observed large differences in movement characteristics between sexes during the breeding season of Reeves’s Pheasants, and found that reproduction had a significant effect on the movement of females. Males shifted their movement peaks to earlier times in the day to avoid the presence peaks of humans. The greater the distance to human-modified habitat, the higher the movement intensity of males, and the lower the movement intensity of females. This study suggested that the potential impacts of different forms of human disturbance on wildlife should be considered in future conservation planning. Abstract Human disturbance has a strong impact on the movement of wild animals. However, it remains unclear how the movement patterns of the Reeves’s Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) respond to human disturbance in human-dominated landscapes. We tracked the movement of 40 adult individual Reeves’s Pheasants during the breeding season, and used the dynamic Brownian bridge motion model and kernel density estimation to analyze the diurnal movement patterns of Reeves’s Pheasants and their response to human presence. We analyzed the paths of Reeves’s Pheasants based on a partial least squares path model, considering habitat conditions, body characteristics, and reproductive behaviors. We found that males had two clear diurnal movement peaks, whereas reproductive and non-reproductive females did not show such movement peaks. Males shifted their movement peaks to earlier times in the day to avoid the presence peaks of humans. The correlation between human-modified habitat and the movement intensity of Reeves’s Pheasant differed between sexes. For males, the distance to forest paths had a positive correlation with their movement intensity through affecting body conditions. For females, the distance to forest paths and farmland had a negative correlation with their movement intensity through affecting habitat conditions and reproductive behaviors. Our study provides a scientific basis for the protection of the Reeves’s Pheasant and other related terrestrial forest-dwelling birds.
Collapse
|
16
|
Overton C, Casazza M, Bretz J, McDuie F, Matchett E, Mackell D, Lorenz A, Mott A, Herzog M, Ackerman J. Machine learned daily life history classification using low frequency tracking data and automated modelling pipelines: application to North American waterfowl. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2022; 10:23. [PMID: 35578372 PMCID: PMC9109391 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00324-7] [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: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Identifying animal behaviors, life history states, and movement patterns is a prerequisite for many animal behavior analyses and effective management of wildlife and habitats. Most approaches classify short-term movement patterns with high frequency location or accelerometry data. However, patterns reflecting life history across longer time scales can have greater relevance to species biology or management needs, especially when available in near real-time. Given limitations in collecting and using such data to accurately classify complex behaviors in the long-term, we used hourly GPS data from 5 waterfowl species to produce daily activity classifications with machine-learned models using "automated modelling pipelines". METHODS Automated pipelines are computer-generated code that complete many tasks including feature engineering, multi-framework model development, training, validation, and hyperparameter tuning to produce daily classifications from eight activity patterns reflecting waterfowl life history or movement states. We developed several input features for modeling grouped into three broad categories, hereafter "feature sets": GPS locations, habitat information, and movement history. Each feature set used different data sources or data collected across different time intervals to develop the "features" (independent variables) used in models. RESULTS Automated modelling pipelines rapidly developed easily reproducible data preprocessing and analysis steps, identification and optimization of the best performing model and provided outputs for interpreting feature importance. Unequal expression of life history states caused unbalanced classes, so we evaluated feature set importance using a weighted F1-score to balance model recall and precision among individual classes. Although the best model using the least restrictive feature set (only 24 hourly relocations in a day) produced effective classifications (weighted F1 = 0.887), models using all feature sets performed substantially better (weighted F1 = 0.95), particularly for rarer but demographically more impactful life history states (i.e., nesting). CONCLUSIONS Automated pipelines generated models producing highly accurate classifications of complex daily activity patterns using relatively low frequency GPS and incorporating more classes than previous GPS studies. Near real-time classification is possible which is ideal for time-sensitive needs such as identifying reproduction. Including habitat and longer sequences of spatial information produced more accurate classifications but incurred slight delays in processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cory Overton
- Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA.
| | - Michael Casazza
- Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
| | - Joseph Bretz
- Cloud Hosting Solutions, U.S. Geological Survey, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Fiona McDuie
- Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
- Moss Landing Laboratories, San Jose State University Research Foundation, San Jose, CA, USA
| | - Elliott Matchett
- Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
| | - Desmond Mackell
- Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
| | - Austen Lorenz
- Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
| | - Andrea Mott
- Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
| | - Mark Herzog
- Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
| | - Josh Ackerman
- Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Carpenter BG, Sieving KE, Terhune T, Picardi S, Griffith A, Sheilds R, Pittman HT. Linking wild turkey hen movement data to nesting behavior. WILDLIFE SOC B 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bobbi G. Carpenter
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Gainesville FL 32601 USA
| | - Kathryn E. Sieving
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville FL 32611‐0430 USA
| | | | - Simona Picardi
- Department of Wildland Resources and Jack H. Berryman Institute Utah State University Logan UT 84322 USA
| | | | - Roger Sheilds
- Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Nashville TN 37211 USA
| | - Henry Tyler Pittman
- Extension Agent, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences University of Florida Trenton FL 32693 USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Eriksen A, Versluijs E, Fuchs B, Zimmermann B, Wabakken P, Ordiz A, Sunde P, Wikenros C, Sand H, Gillich B, Michler F, Nordli K, Carricondo-Sanchez D, Gorini L, Rieger S. A Standardized Method for Experimental Human Approach Trials on Wild Wolves. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.793307] [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
As wolves recolonize areas of Europe ranging from moderate to high anthropogenic impact, fear of wolves is a recurring source of conflict. Shared tools for evaluating wolf responses to humans, and comparing such responses across their range, can be valuable. Experiments in which humans approach wild wolves can increase our understanding of how wolves respond to humans, facilitating human-wolf coexistence. We have developed the first standardized protocol for evaluating wolf responses to approaching humans using high-resolution GPS data, and tested it on wild wolves. We present a field protocol for experimentally approaching GPS-collared wolves, a descriptive comparison of two statistical methods for detecting a measurable flight response, a tutorial for identifying wolf flight initiation and resettling positions, and an evaluation of the method when reducing GPS positioning frequency. The field protocol, a data collection form, and the tutorial with R code for extracting flight parameters are provided. This protocol will facilitate studies of wolf responses to approaching humans, applicable at a local, national, and international level. Data compiled in a standardized way from multiple study areas can be used to quantify the variation in wolf responses to humans within and between populations, and in relation to predictors such as social status, landscape factors, or human population density, and to establish a baseline distribution of wolf response patterns given a number of known predictors. The variation in wolf responses can be used to assess the degree to which results can be generalized to areas where GPS studies are not feasible, e.g., for predicting the range of likely wolf behaviors, assessing the likelihood of wolf-human encounters, and complementing existing tools for evaluating reports of bold wolves. Showing how wolves respond to human encounters should help demystify the behavior of wild wolves toward humans in their shared habitat.
Collapse
|
19
|
Vilk O, Campos D, Méndez V, Lourie E, Nathan R, Assaf M. Phase Transition in a Non-Markovian Animal Exploration Model with Preferential Returns. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 128:148301. [PMID: 35476490 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.128.148301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We study a non-Markovian and nonstationary model of animal mobility incorporating both exploration and memory in the form of preferential returns. Exact results for the probability of visiting a given number of sites are derived and a practical WKB approximation to treat the nonstationary problem is developed. A mean-field version of this model, first suggested by Song et al., [Modelling the scaling properties of human mobility, Nat. Phys. 6, 818 (2010)NPAHAX1745-247310.1038/nphys1760] was shown to well describe human movement data. We show that our generalized model adequately describes empirical movement data of Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) when accounting for interindividual variation in the population. We also study the probability of visiting any site a given number of times and derive a mean-field equation. Our analysis yields a remarkable phase transition occurring at preferential returns which scale linearly with past visits. Following empirical evidence, we suggest that this phase transition reflects a trade-off between extensive and intensive foraging modes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ohad Vilk
- Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
- Movement Ecology Lab, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
- Minerva Center for Movement Ecology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Daniel Campos
- Grup de Física Estadística, Dept. de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Vicenç Méndez
- Grup de Física Estadística, Dept. de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Emmanuel Lourie
- Movement Ecology Lab, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
- Minerva Center for Movement Ecology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Ran Nathan
- Movement Ecology Lab, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
- Minerva Center for Movement Ecology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Michael Assaf
- Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
- Institute for Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Potsdam 14476, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Gurarie E, Bracis C, Brilliantova A, Kojola I, Suutarinen J, Ovaskainen O, Potluri S, Fagan WF. Spatial Memory Drives Foraging Strategies of Wolves, but in Highly Individual Ways. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.768478] [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 ability of wild animals to navigate and survive in complex and dynamic environments depends on their ability to store relevant information and place it in a spatial context. Despite the centrality of spatial memory, and given our increasing ability to observe animal movements in the wild, it is perhaps surprising how difficult it is to demonstrate spatial memory empirically. We present a cognitive analysis of movements of several wolves (Canis lupus) in Finland during a summer period of intensive hunting and den-centered pup-rearing. We tracked several wolves in the field by visiting nearly all GPS locations outside the den, allowing us to identify the species, location and timing of nearly all prey killed. We then developed a model that assigns a spatially explicit value based on memory of predation success and territorial marking. The framework allows for estimation of multiple cognitive parameters, including temporal and spatial scales of memory. For most wolves, fitted memory-based models outperformed null models by 20 to 50% at predicting locations where wolves chose to forage. However, there was a high amount of individual variability among wolves in strength and even direction of responses to experiences. Some wolves tended to return to locations with recent predation success—following a strategy of foraging site fidelity—while others appeared to prefer a site switching strategy. These differences are possibly explained by variability in pack sizes, numbers of pups, and features of the territories. Our analysis points toward concrete strategies for incorporating spatial memory in the study of animal movements while providing nuanced insights into the behavioral strategies of individual predators.
Collapse
|
21
|
Theoret J, Cavedon M, Hegel T, Hervieux D, Schwantje H, Steenweg R, Watters M, Musiani M. Seasonal movements in caribou ecotypes of Western Canada. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2022; 10:12. [PMID: 35272704 PMCID: PMC8908644 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00312-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several migratory ungulates, including caribou, are dramatically declining. Caribou of the Barren-ground ecotype, which forms its own subspecies, are known to be mainly migratory. By contrast, within the Woodland subspecies, animals of the Boreal ecotype are known to be mainly sedentary, while those within the Northern and Central Mountain ecotypes to be partially migratory, with only some individuals migrating. Promotion of conservation actions (e.g., habitat protection) that are specific to both residents and migrants, as well as to the areas they frequent seasonally (which may be separate for migrants), requires distinguishing migration from other movement behaviours, which might be a challenge. METHODS We aimed at assessing seasonal movement behaviours, including migratory, resident, dispersing, and nomadic, for caribou belonging to the Barren-ground and Woodland subspecies and ecotypes. We examined seasonal displacement, both planar and altitudinal, and seasonal ranges overlap for 366 individuals that were GPS-collared in Northern and Western Canada. Lastly, we assessed the ability of caribou individuals to switch between migratory and non-migratory movement behaviours between years. RESULTS We detected migratory behaviour within each of the studied subspecies and ecotypes. However, seasonal ranges overlap (an index of sedentary behaviour) varied, with proportions of clear migrants (0 overlap) of 40.94% for Barren-ground caribou and 23.34% for Woodland caribou, and of 32.95%, 54.87%, and 8.86% for its Northern Mountain, Central Mountain, and Boreal ecotype, respectively. Plastic switches of individuals were also detected between migratory, resident, dispersing, and nomadic seasonal movements performed across years. CONCLUSIONS Our unexpected findings of marked seasonal movement plasticity in caribou indicate that this phenomenon should be better studied to understand the resilience of this endangered species to habitat and climatic changes. Our results that a substantial proportion of individuals engaged in seasonal migration in all studied ecotypes indicate that caribou conservation plans should account for critical habitat in both summer and winter ranges. Accordingly, conservation strategies are being devised for the Woodland subspecies and its ecotypes, which were found to be at least partially migratory in this study. Our findings that migration is detectable with both planar and altitudinal analyses of seasonal displacement provide a tool to better define seasonal ranges, also in mountainous and hilly environments, and protect habitat there.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Theoret
- Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Maria Cavedon
- Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Troy Hegel
- Yukon Department of Environment, Whitehorse, YT, Y1A 2C6, Canada
- Fish and Wildlife Stewardship Branch, Alberta Environment and Parks, 4999 98 Ave., Edmonton, AB, T6B 2X3, Canada
| | - Dave Hervieux
- Fish and Wildlife Stewardship Branch, Alberta Environment and Parks, Grande Prairie, AB, T8V 6J4, Canada
| | - Helen Schwantje
- Wildlife and Habitat Branch, Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Government of British Columbia, 2080 Labieux Road, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6J9, Canada
| | - Robin Steenweg
- Pacific Region, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 5421 Robertson Road, Delta, BC, V4K 3N2, Canada
| | - Megan Watters
- Land and Resource Specialist, 300 - 10003 110th Avenue, Fort St. John, BC, V1J 6M7, Canada
| | - Marco Musiani
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Veterinary Medicine (Joint Appointment), University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Suraci JP, Smith JA, Chamaillé‐Jammes S, Gaynor KM, Jones M, Luttbeg B, Ritchie EG, Sheriff MJ, Sih A. Beyond spatial overlap: harnessing new technologies to resolve the complexities of predator–prey interactions. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Justine A. Smith
- Dept of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, Univ. of California Davis CA USA
| | - Simon Chamaillé‐Jammes
- CEFE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD Montpellier France
- Mammal Research Inst., Dept of Zoology&Entomology, Univ. of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| | - Kaitlyn M. Gaynor
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Univ. of California Santa Barbara CA USA
| | - Menna Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Univ. of Tasmania Tasmania Australia
| | - Barney Luttbeg
- Dept of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State Univ. Stillwater OK USA
| | - Euan G. Ritchie
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin Univ. Burwood VIC Australia
| | | | - Andrew Sih
- Dept of Environmental Science and Policy, Univ. of California Davis CA USA
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Nilsson DE. The Evolution of Visual Roles – Ancient Vision Versus Object Vision. Front Neuroanat 2022; 16:789375. [PMID: 35221931 PMCID: PMC8863595 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2022.789375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Just like other complex biological features, image vision (multi-pixel light sensing) did not evolve suddenly. Animal visual systems have a long prehistory of non-imaging light sensitivity. The first spatial vision was likely very crude with only few pixels, and evolved to improve orientation behaviors previously supported by single-channel directional photoreception. The origin of image vision was simply a switch from single to multiple spatial channels, which improved the behaviors for finding a suitable habitat and position itself within it. Orientation based on spatial vision obviously involves active guidance of behaviors but, by necessity, also assessment of habitat suitability and environmental conditions. These conditions are crucial for deciding when to forage, reproduce, seek shelter, rest, etc. When spatial resolution became good enough to see other animals and interact with them, a whole range of new visual roles emerged: pursuit, escape, communication and other interactions. All these new visual roles require entirely new types of visual processing. Objects needed to be separated from the background, identified and classified to make the correct choice of interaction. Object detection and identification can be used actively to guide behaviors but of course also to assess the over-all situation. Visual roles can thus be classified as either ancient non-object-based tasks, or object vision. Each of these two categories can also be further divided into active visual tasks and visual assessment tasks. This generates four major categories of vision into which I propose that all visual roles can be categorized.
Collapse
|
24
|
Bergen S, Huso MM, Duerr AE, Braham MA, Katzner TE, Schmuecker S, Miller TA. Classifying behavior from short-interval biologging data: An example with GPS tracking of birds. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e08395. [PMID: 35154643 PMCID: PMC8819645 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in digital data collection have spurred accumulation of immense quantities of data that have potential to lead to remarkable ecological insight, but that also present analytic challenges. In the case of biologging data from birds, common analytical approaches to classifying movement behaviors are largely inappropriate for these massive data sets.We apply a framework for using K-means clustering to classify bird behavior using points from short time interval GPS tracks. K-means clustering is a well-known and computationally efficient statistical tool that has been used in animal movement studies primarily for clustering segments of consecutive points. To illustrate the utility of our approach, we apply K-means clustering to six focal variables derived from GPS data collected at 1-11 s intervals from free-flying bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) throughout the state of Iowa, USA. We illustrate how these data can be used to identify behaviors and life-stage- and age-related variation in behavior.After filtering for data quality, the K-means algorithm identified four clusters in >2 million GPS telemetry data points. These four clusters corresponded to three movement states: ascending, flapping, and gliding flight; and one non-moving state: perching. Mapping these states illustrated how they corresponded tightly to expectations derived from natural history observations; for example, long periods of ascending flight were often followed by long gliding descents, birds alternated between flapping and gliding flight.The K-means clustering approach we applied is both an efficient and effective mechanism to classify and interpret short-interval biologging data to understand movement behaviors. Furthermore, because it can apply to an abundance of very short, irregular, and high-dimensional movement data, it provides insight into small-scale variation in behavior that would not be possible with many other analytical approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Silas Bergen
- Department of Mathematics and StatisticsWinona State UniversityWinonaMinnesotaUSA
| | - Manuela M. Huso
- U.S. Geological SurveyForest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science CenterCorvallisOregonUSA
- Statistics DepartmentOregon State UniversityCorvallisOregonUSA
| | - Adam E. Duerr
- Bloom Research Inc.Los AngelesCaliforniaUSA
- West Virginia UniversityMorgantownWest VirginiaUSA
- Conservation Science Global, Inc.West Cape MayNew JerseyUSA
| | | | - Todd E. Katzner
- U.S. Geological SurveyForest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science CenterBoiseIdahoUSA
| | - Sara Schmuecker
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceIllinois‐Iowa Field OfficeMolineIllinoisUSA
| | - Tricia A. Miller
- West Virginia UniversityMorgantownWest VirginiaUSA
- Conservation Science Global, Inc.West Cape MayNew JerseyUSA
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Alavi SE, Vining AQ, Caillaud D, Hirsch BT, Havmøller RW, Havmøller LW, Kays R, Crofoot MC. A Quantitative Framework for Identifying Patterns of Route-Use in Animal Movement Data. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.743014] [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
Animal movement along repeatedly used, “habitual” routes could emerge from a variety of cognitive mechanisms, as well as in response to a diverse set of environmental features. Because of the high conservation value of identifying wildlife movement corridors, there has been extensive work focusing on environmental factors that contribute to the emergence of habitual routes between protected habitats. In parallel, significant work has focused on disentangling the cognitive mechanisms underlying animal route use, as such movement patterns are of fundamental interest to the study of decision making and navigation. We reviewed the types of processes that can generate routine patterns of animal movement, suggested a new methodological workflow for classifying one of these patterns—high fidelity path reuse—in animal tracking data, and compared the prevalence of this pattern across four sympatric species of frugivorous mammals in Panama. We found the highest prevalence of route-use in kinkajous, the only nocturnal species in our study, and propose that further development of this method could help to distinguish the processes underlying the presence of specific routes in animal movement data.
Collapse
|
26
|
Northrup JM, Vander Wal E, Bonar M, Fieberg J, Laforge MP, Leclerc M, Prokopenko CM, Gerber BD. Conceptual and methodological advances in habitat-selection modeling: guidelines for ecology and evolution. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e02470. [PMID: 34626518 PMCID: PMC9285351 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Habitat selection is a fundamental animal behavior that shapes a wide range of ecological processes, including animal movement, nutrient transfer, trophic dynamics and population distribution. Although habitat selection has been a focus of ecological studies for decades, technological, conceptual and methodological advances over the last 20 yr have led to a surge in studies addressing this process. Despite the substantial literature focused on quantifying the habitat-selection patterns of animals, there is a marked lack of guidance on best analytical practices. The conceptual foundations of the most commonly applied modeling frameworks can be confusing even to those well versed in their application. Furthermore, there has yet to be a synthesis of the advances made over the last 20 yr. Therefore, there is a need for both synthesis of the current state of knowledge on habitat selection, and guidance for those seeking to study this process. Here, we provide an approachable overview and synthesis of the literature on habitat-selection analyses (HSAs) conducted using selection functions, which are by far the most applied modeling framework for understanding the habitat-selection process. This review is purposefully non-technical and focused on understanding without heavy mathematical and statistical notation, which can confuse many practitioners. We offer an overview and history of HSAs, describing the tortuous conceptual path to our current understanding. Through this overview, we also aim to address the areas of greatest confusion in the literature. We synthesize the literature outlining the most exciting conceptual advances in the field of habitat-selection modeling, discussing the substantial ecological and evolutionary inference that can be made using contemporary techniques. We aim for this paper to provide clarity for those navigating the complex literature on HSAs while acting as a reference and best practices guide for practitioners.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph M Northrup
- Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, Peterborough, Ontario, K9L 1Z8, Canada
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9L 1Z8, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Maegwin Bonar
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9L 1Z8, Canada
| | - John Fieberg
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Michel P Laforge
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Martin Leclerc
- Département de Biologie, Caribou Ungava and Centre d'études nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Christina M Prokopenko
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Brian D Gerber
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Cullen JA, Poli CL, Fletcher RJ, Valle D. Identifying latent behavioural states in animal movement with M4, a nonparametric Bayesian method. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua A. Cullen
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
| | - Caroline L. Poli
- School of Natural Resources and Environment University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
| | - Robert J. Fletcher
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
| | - Denis Valle
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Rolland E, Trull S. Spatial mapping memory: methods used to determine the existence and type of cognitive maps in arboreal mammals. Mamm Rev 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eléonore Rolland
- 12 rue Pierre Viorrain Bagnères de Bigorre65200France
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Deutscher Pl. 6 Leipzig04103Germany
| | - Sam Trull
- The Sloth Institute at Tulemar Gardens Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas60601Costa Rica
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Bracis C, Wirsing AJ. Prey Foraging Behavior After Predator Introduction Is Driven by Resource Knowledge and Exploratory Tendency. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.698370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Predator reintroductions are often used as a means of restoring the ecosystem services that these species can provide. The ecosystem consequences of predator reintroduction depend on how prey species respond. Yet, to date, we lack a general framework for predicting these responses. To address this knowledge gap, we modeled the impacts of predator reintroduction on foragers as a function of predator characteristics (habitat domain; i.e., area threatened) and prey characteristics (knowledge of alternative habitat and exploratory tendency). Foraging prey had the capacity to both remember and return to good habitat and to remember and avoid predators. In general, we found that forager search time increased and consumption decreased after predator introduction. However, predator habitat domain played a key role in determining how much prey habitat use changed following reintroduction, and the forager's knowledge of alternative habitats and exploratory inclinations affected what types of habitat shifts occurred. Namely, habitat shifts and consumption sacrifices by prey were extreme in some cases, particularly when they were pushed far from their starting locations by broad-domain predators, whereas informed foragers spent less time searching and displayed smaller reductions to consumption than their naïve counterparts following predator exposure. More exploratory foragers exhibited larger habitat shifts, thereby sacrificing consumption but reducing encounters by relocating to refugia, whereas less exploratory foragers managed risk in place and consequently suffered increased encounters while consuming more resources. By implication, reintroductions of predators with broad habitat domains are especially likely to impose foraging and movements costs on prey, but forager spatial memory state can mitigate these effects, as informed foragers can better access alternate habitat and avoid predators with smaller reductions in consumption.
Collapse
|
30
|
G. Martín A, Fernández-Isabel A, Martín de Diego I, Beltrán M. A survey for user behavior analysis based on machine learning techniques: current models and applications. APPL INTELL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10489-020-02160-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
31
|
Thompson JJ, Morato RG, Niebuhr BB, Alegre VB, Oshima JEF, de Barros AE, Paviolo A, de la Torre JA, Lima F, McBride RT, Cunha de Paula R, Cullen L, Silveira L, Kantek DLZ, Ramalho EE, Maranhão L, Haberfeld M, Sana DA, Medellin RA, Carrillo E, Montalvo VH, Monroy-Vilchis O, Cruz P, Jacomo ATA, Alves GB, Cassaigne I, Thompson R, Sáenz-Bolaños C, Cruz JC, Alfaro LD, Hagnauer I, Xavier da Silva M, Vogliotti A, Moraes MFD, Miyazaki SS, Araujo GR, Cruz da Silva L, Leuzinger L, Carvalho MM, Rampim L, Sartorello L, Quigley H, Tortato FR, Hoogesteijn R, Crawshaw PG, Devlin AL, May Júnior JA, Powell GVN, Tobler MW, Carrillo-Percastegui SE, Payán E, Azevedo FCC, Concone HVB, Quiroga VA, Costa SA, Arrabal JP, Vanderhoeven E, Di Blanco YE, Lopes AMC, Ribeiro MC. Environmental and anthropogenic factors synergistically affect space use of jaguars. Curr Biol 2021; 31:3457-3466.e4. [PMID: 34237270 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Large terrestrial carnivores have undergone some of the largest population declines and range reductions of any species, which is of concern as they can have large effects on ecosystem dynamics and function.1-4 The jaguar (Panthera onca) is the apex predator throughout the majority of the Neotropics; however, its distribution has been reduced by >50% and it survives in increasingly isolated populations.5 Consequently, the range-wide management of the jaguar depends upon maintaining core populations connected through multi-national, transboundary cooperation, which requires understanding the movement ecology and space use of jaguars throughout their range.6-8 Using GPS telemetry data for 111 jaguars from 13 ecoregions within the four biomes that constitute the majority of jaguar habitat, we examined the landscape-level environmental and anthropogenic factors related to jaguar home range size and movement parameters. Home range size decreased with increasing net productivity and forest cover and increased with increasing road density. Speed decreased with increasing forest cover with no sexual differences, while males had more directional movements, but tortuosity in movements was not related to any landscape factors. We demonstrated a synergistic relationship between landscape-scale environmental and anthropogenic factors and jaguars' spatial needs, which has applications to the conservation strategy for the species throughout the Neotropics. Using large-scale collaboration, we overcame limitations from small sample sizes typical in large carnivore research to provide a mechanism to evaluate habitat quality for jaguars and an inferential modeling framework adaptable to the conservation of other large terrestrial carnivores.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey J Thompson
- Asociación Guyra Paraguay and CONACYT, Parque Ecológico Asunción Verde, Asunción, Paraguay; Insituto Saite, Asunción, Paraguay.
| | - Ronaldo G Morato
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, SP 12952011, Brazil
| | - Bernardo B Niebuhr
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, SP 12952011, Brazil; Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista-UNESP, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Laboratório de Ecologia Espacial e Conservação LEEC, Rio Claro, SP 13506900, Brazil; Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, SP 12945010, Brazil; Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Vanesa Bejarano Alegre
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista-UNESP, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Laboratório de Ecologia Espacial e Conservação LEEC, Rio Claro, SP 13506900, Brazil
| | - Júlia Emi F Oshima
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista-UNESP, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Laboratório de Ecologia Espacial e Conservação LEEC, Rio Claro, SP 13506900, Brazil
| | - Alan E de Barros
- Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, Trav. 14, no. 321, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Agustín Paviolo
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, Universidad Nacional de Misiones and CONICET, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones 3370, Argentina; Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones 3370, Argentina
| | - J Antonio de la Torre
- Programa Jaguares de la Selva Maya, Bioconciencia A.C., Ciudad de México, México; School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Jalan Broga, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Fernando Lima
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista-UNESP, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Laboratório de Ecologia Espacial e Conservação LEEC, Rio Claro, SP 13506900, Brazil; IPÊ-Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Nazaré Paulista, SP 12960000, Brazil
| | - Roy T McBride
- Faro Moro Eco Research, Estancia Faro Moro, Departamento de Boquerón, Paraguay
| | - Rogerio Cunha de Paula
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, SP 12952011, Brazil
| | - Laury Cullen
- IPÊ-Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Nazaré Paulista, SP 12960000, Brazil
| | | | - Daniel L Z Kantek
- Estacao Ecológica Taiamã, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Cáceres, MT 78210625, Brazil
| | - Emiliano E Ramalho
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, SP 12945010, Brazil; Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá, Tefé, AM 69553225, Brazil
| | - Louise Maranhão
- Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá, Tefé, AM 69553225, Brazil
| | - Mario Haberfeld
- Associação Onçafari, Rua Ferreira de Araújo, 221, Cj.14, Sala 4, Pinheiros, São Paulo, SP 05428-000, Brazil; Panthera, 8 West 40th Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10018, USA; Instituto SOS Pantanal, R. Gutemberg, 328 Centro, Campo Grande, MS 79002-160, Brazil
| | - Denis A Sana
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, SP 12945010, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS 91501970, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo A Medellin
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and CONACyT, Ciudad Universitaria, México D.F. 04318, México
| | - Eduardo Carrillo
- Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Heredia 1350-3000, Costa Rica
| | - Victor H Montalvo
- Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Heredia 1350-3000, Costa Rica; Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Octavio Monroy-Vilchis
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario 100, Col. Centro C.P. 50000, Toluca, Estado de México
| | - Paula Cruz
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, Universidad Nacional de Misiones and CONICET, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones 3370, Argentina; Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones 3370, Argentina
| | | | - Giselle B Alves
- Instituto Onça Pintada, Mineiros, GO 75830000, Brazil; Instituto de Biologia, Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos LEMA, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG 38408100, Brazil
| | | | - Ron Thompson
- Primero Conservation, Box 1588, Pinetop, AZ 85935, USA
| | - Carolina Sáenz-Bolaños
- Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Heredia 1350-3000, Costa Rica; Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Juan Carlos Cruz
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA; Namá Conservation, Heredia 40101, Costa Rica
| | - Luis D Alfaro
- Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Heredia 1350-3000, Costa Rica
| | - Isabel Hagnauer
- Rescate Animal Zooave, Fundación Restauración de la Naturaleza, Apdo 1327-4050, Alajuela, Costa Rica
| | | | - Alexandre Vogliotti
- Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana, Instituto Latino-Americano de Ciências da Vida e da Natureza, Foz do Iguaçu, PR 85851970, Brazil
| | | | - Selma S Miyazaki
- Estacao Ecológica Taiamã, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Cáceres, MT 78210625, Brazil
| | - Gediendson R Araujo
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Campo Grande, MS 79070-900, Brasil; Instituto Onças do Rio Negro, Fazenda Barranco Alto, Aquidauana, MS 79208000, Brazil
| | - Leanes Cruz da Silva
- Instituto Onças do Rio Negro, Fazenda Barranco Alto, Aquidauana, MS 79208000, Brazil; Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG 36570, Brazil
| | - Lucas Leuzinger
- Instituto Onças do Rio Negro, Fazenda Barranco Alto, Aquidauana, MS 79208000, Brazil
| | - Marina M Carvalho
- Instituto de Defesa e Preservação dos Felídeos Brasileiros, Corumbá de Goiás, GO 72960000, Brazil
| | - Lilian Rampim
- Associação Onçafari, Rua Ferreira de Araújo, 221, Cj.14, Sala 4, Pinheiros, São Paulo, SP 05428-000, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Sartorello
- Associação Onçafari, Rua Ferreira de Araújo, 221, Cj.14, Sala 4, Pinheiros, São Paulo, SP 05428-000, Brazil
| | - Howard Quigley
- Panthera, 8 West 40th Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10018, USA
| | | | | | - Peter G Crawshaw
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, SP 12952011, Brazil
| | - Allison L Devlin
- Panthera, 8 West 40th Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10018, USA; SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA; Wildlife Biology Program, W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Joares A May Júnior
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, SP 12945010, Brazil; Associação Onçafari, Rua Ferreira de Araújo, 221, Cj.14, Sala 4, Pinheiros, São Paulo, SP 05428-000, Brazil; Panthera, 8 West 40th Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10018, USA; Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina, Tubarão, SC 88704-900, Brazil
| | - George V N Powell
- Wildlife Protection Solutions, 2501 Welton Street, Denver, CO 80205, USA
| | - Mathias W Tobler
- San Diego Zoo Global, Institute for Conservation Research, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92027, USA
| | - Samia E Carrillo-Percastegui
- San Diego Zoo Global, Institute for Conservation Research, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92027, USA
| | - Estebán Payán
- Panthera, 8 West 40th Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10018, USA
| | - Fernando C C Azevedo
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, SP 12945010, Brazil; Universidade Federal de São João del Rei, Departamento de Ciências Naturais, São João del Rei, MG 36301160, Brazil
| | - Henrique V B Concone
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, SP 12945010, Brazil; Laboratório de Ecologia, Manejo e Conservação de Fauna Silvestre, Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Ecologia Aplicada, Universidade de São Paulo ESALQ/CENA, Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Verónica A Quiroga
- Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones 3370, Argentina; Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Centro de Zoología Aplicada, Córdoba, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas CONICET, Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal IDEA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Sebastián A Costa
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, Universidad Nacional de Misiones and CONICET, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones 3370, Argentina; Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones 3370, Argentina
| | - Juan P Arrabal
- Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones 3370, Argentina; Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical ANLIS, Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones 3370, Argentina
| | - Ezequiel Vanderhoeven
- Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones 3370, Argentina; Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical ANLIS, Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones 3370, Argentina
| | - Yamil E Di Blanco
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, Universidad Nacional de Misiones and CONICET, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones 3370, Argentina; Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones 3370, Argentina
| | - Alexandre M C Lopes
- Instituto de Pesquisa e Conservação de Tamanduás do Brasil, Parnaíba, PI 64200025, Brazil
| | - Milton Cezar Ribeiro
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista-UNESP, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Laboratório de Ecologia Espacial e Conservação LEEC, Rio Claro, SP 13506900, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Chamberlain MJ, Cohen BS, Wightman PH, Rushton E, Hinton JW. Fine-scale movements and behaviors of coyotes ( Canis latrans) during their reproductive period. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:9575-9588. [PMID: 34306644 PMCID: PMC8293769 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In canids, resident breeders hold territories but require different resources than transient individuals (i.e., dispersers), which may result in differential use of space, land cover, and food by residents and transients. In the southeastern United States, coyote (Canis latrans) reproduction occurs during spring and is energetically demanding for residents, but transients do not reproduce and therefore can exhibit feeding behaviors with lower energetic rewards. Hence, how coyotes behave in their environment likely differs between resident and transient coyotes. We captured and monitored 36 coyotes in Georgia during 2018-2019 and used data from 11 resident breeders, 12 predispersing residents (i.e., offspring of resident breeders), and 11 transients to determine space use, movements, and relationships between these behaviors and landcover characteristics. Average home range size for resident breeders and predispersing offspring was 20.7 ± 2.5 km² and 50.7 ± 10.0 km², respectively. Average size of transient ranges was 241.4 ± 114.5 km². Daily distance moved was 6.3 ± 3.0 km for resident males, 5.5 ± 2.7 km for resident females, and 6.9 ± 4.2 km for transients. We estimated first-passage time values to assess the scale at which coyotes respond to their environment, and used behavioral change-point analysis to determine that coyotes exhibited three behavioral states. We found notable differences between resident and transient coyotes in regard to how landcover characteristics influenced their behavioral states. Resident coyotes tended to select for areas with denser vegetation while resting and foraging, but for areas with less dense vegetation and canopy cover when walking. Transient coyotes selected areas closer to roads and with lower canopy cover while resting, but for areas farther from roads when foraging and walking. Our findings suggest that behaviors of both resident and transient coyotes are influenced by varying landcover characteristics, which could have implications for prey.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Bradley S. Cohen
- College of Arts and SciencesTennessee Technological UniversityCookevilleTNUSA
| | - Patrick H. Wightman
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGAUSA
| | - Emily Rushton
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources – Wildlife Resources DivisionSocial CircleGAUSA
| | - Joseph W. Hinton
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental ScienceMichigan Technological UniversityHoughtonMIUSA
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Buderman FE, Gingery TM, Diefenbach DR, Gigliotti LC, Begley-Miller D, McDill MM, Wallingford BD, Rosenberry CS, Drohan PJ. Caution is warranted when using animal space-use and movement to infer behavioral states. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2021; 9:30. [PMID: 34116712 PMCID: PMC8196457 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-021-00264-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Identifying the behavioral state for wild animals that can't be directly observed is of growing interest to the ecological community. Advances in telemetry technology and statistical methodologies allow researchers to use space-use and movement metrics to infer the underlying, latent, behavioral state of an animal without direct observations. For example, researchers studying ungulate ecology have started using these methods to quantify behaviors related to mating strategies. However, little work has been done to determine if assumed behaviors inferred from movement and space-use patterns correspond to actual behaviors of individuals. METHODS Using a dataset with male and female white-tailed deer location data, we evaluated the ability of these two methods to correctly identify male-female interaction events (MFIEs). We identified MFIEs using the proximity of their locations in space as indicators of when mating could have occurred. We then tested the ability of utilization distributions (UDs) and hidden Markov models (HMMs) rendered with single sex location data to identify these events. RESULTS For white-tailed deer, male and female space-use and movement behavior did not vary consistently when with a potential mate. There was no evidence that a probability contour threshold based on UD volume applied to an individual's UD could be used to identify MFIEs. Additionally, HMMs were unable to identify MFIEs, as single MFIEs were often split across multiple states and the primary state of each MFIE was not consistent across events. CONCLUSIONS Caution is warranted when interpreting behavioral insights rendered from statistical models applied to location data, particularly when there is no form of validation data. For these models to detect latent behaviors, the individual needs to exhibit a consistently different type of space-use and movement when engaged in the behavior. Unvalidated assumptions about that relationship may lead to incorrect inference about mating strategies or other behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frances E Buderman
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Tess M Gingery
- Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Duane R Diefenbach
- U. S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Laura C Gigliotti
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | | | - Marc M McDill
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | | | | | - Patrick J Drohan
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Dickinson ER, Twining JP, Wilson R, Stephens PA, Westander J, Marks N, Scantlebury DM. Limitations of using surrogates for behaviour classification of accelerometer data: refining methods using random forest models in Caprids. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2021; 9:28. [PMID: 34099067 PMCID: PMC8186069 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-021-00265-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal-attached devices can be used on cryptic species to measure their movement and behaviour, enabling unprecedented insights into fundamental aspects of animal ecology and behaviour. However, direct observations of subjects are often still necessary to translate biologging data accurately into meaningful behaviours. As many elusive species cannot easily be observed in the wild, captive or domestic surrogates are typically used to calibrate data from devices. However, the utility of this approach remains equivocal. METHODS Here, we assess the validity of using captive conspecifics, and phylogenetically-similar domesticated counterparts (surrogate species) for calibrating behaviour classification. Tri-axial accelerometers and tri-axial magnetometers were used with behavioural observations to build random forest models to predict the behaviours. We applied these methods using captive Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) and a domestic counterpart, pygmy goats (Capra aegagrus hircus), to predict the behaviour including terrain slope for locomotion behaviours of captive Alpine ibex. RESULTS Behavioural classification of captive Alpine ibex and domestic pygmy goats was highly accurate (> 98%). Model performance was reduced when using data split per individual, i.e., classifying behaviour of individuals not used to train models (mean ± sd = 56.1 ± 11%). Behavioural classifications using domestic counterparts, i.e., pygmy goat observations to predict ibex behaviour, however, were not sufficient to predict all behaviours of a phylogenetically similar species accurately (> 55%). CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate methods to refine the use of random forest models to classify behaviours of both captive and free-living animal species. We suggest there are two main reasons for reduced accuracy when using a domestic counterpart to predict the behaviour of a wild species in captivity; domestication leading to morphological differences and the terrain of the environment in which the animals were observed. We also identify limitations when behaviour is predicted in individuals that are not used to train models. Our results demonstrate that biologging device calibration needs to be conducted using: (i) with similar conspecifics, and (ii) in an area where they can perform behaviours on terrain that reflects that of species in the wild.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor R Dickinson
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland, UK.
| | - Joshua P Twining
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Rory Wilson
- Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - Philip A Stephens
- Conservation Ecology Group, Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Jennie Westander
- Kolmården Wildlife Park, SE-618 92, Kolmården, Sweden
- Öknaskolans Naturbruksgymnasium, SE-611 99, Tystberga, Sweden
| | - Nikki Marks
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - David M Scantlebury
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland, UK
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Sur M, Woodbridge B, Esque TC, Belthoff JR, Bloom PH, Fisher RN, Longshore K, Nussear KE, Tracey JA, Braham MA, Katzner TE. Linking behavioral states to landscape features for improved conservation management. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:7905-7916. [PMID: 34188860 PMCID: PMC8216984 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
A central theme for conservation is understanding how animals differentially use, and are affected by change in, the landscapes they inhabit. However, it has been challenging to develop conservation schemes for habitat-specific behaviors.Here we use behavioral change point analysis to identify behavioral states of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of the southwestern United States, and we identify, for each behavioral state, conservation-relevant habitat associations.We modeled behavior using 186,859 GPS points from 48 eagles and identified 2,851 distinct segments comprising four behavioral states. Altitude above ground level (AGL) best differentiated behavioral states, with two clusters of short-distance movement behaviors characterized by low AGL (state 1 AGL = 14 m (median); state 2 AGL = 11 m) and two associated with longer-distance movement behaviors and characterized by higher AGL (state 3 AGL = 108 m; state 4 AGL = 450 m).Behaviors such as perching and low-altitude hunting were associated with short-distance movements in updraft-poor environments, at higher elevations, and over steeper and more north-facing terrain. In contrast, medium-distance movements such as hunting and transiting were over gentle and south-facing slopes. Long-distance transiting occurred over the desert habitats that generate the best updraft.This information can guide management of this species, and our approach provides a template for behavior-specific habitat associations for other species of management concern.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maitreyi Sur
- Conservation Science Global, Inc.West Cape MayNJUSA
- Boise State UniversityBoiseIDUSA
| | | | - Todd C. Esque
- U.S. Geological SurveyWestern Ecological Research CenterHendersonNVUSA
| | | | | | - Robert N. Fisher
- U.S. Geological SurveyWestern Ecological Research CenterSan DiegoCAUSA
| | | | | | - Jeff A. Tracey
- U.S. Geological SurveyWestern Ecological Research CenterSan DiegoCAUSA
| | | | - Todd E. Katzner
- U.S. Geological SurveyForest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science CenterBoiseIDUSA
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Brooks DR, Nocera JJ. Using autonomous recording units and change-point analysis to determine reproductive activity in an aerial insectivore. BIOACOUSTICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2021.1921617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Delaney R. Brooks
- Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada
| | - Joseph J. Nocera
- Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Marchand P, Garel M, Morellet N, Benoit L, Chaval Y, Itty C, Petit E, Cargnelutti B, Hewison AJM, Loison A. A standardised biologging approach to infer parturition: An application in large herbivores across the hider‐follower continuum. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Marchand
- Office Français de la Biodiversité Direction de la Recherche et de l'Appui Scientifique Unité Ongulés Sauvages Juvignac France
| | - Mathieu Garel
- Office Français de la Biodiversité Direction de la Recherche et de l'Appui Scientifique Unité Ongulés Sauvages Gières France
| | - Nicolas Morellet
- Université de ToulouseINRAECEFS Castanet‐Tolosan France
- LTSER ZA PYRénées GARonne Auzeville‐Tolosane France
| | - Laura Benoit
- Université de ToulouseINRAECEFS Castanet‐Tolosan France
- LTSER ZA PYRénées GARonne Auzeville‐Tolosane France
| | - Yannick Chaval
- Université de ToulouseINRAECEFS Castanet‐Tolosan France
- LTSER ZA PYRénées GARonne Auzeville‐Tolosane France
| | - Christian Itty
- Office Français de la Biodiversité Service Appui aux Acteurs et Mobilisation des Territoires Castanet‐le‐Haut France
| | - Elodie Petit
- Office Français de la Biodiversité Direction de la Recherche et de l'Appui Scientifique Unité Sanitaire de la Faune Sévrier France
- VetAgro Sup Lyon Marcy‐l'Étoile France
| | - Bruno Cargnelutti
- Université de ToulouseINRAECEFS Castanet‐Tolosan France
- LTSER ZA PYRénées GARonne Auzeville‐Tolosane France
| | - Aidan J. M. Hewison
- Université de ToulouseINRAECEFS Castanet‐Tolosan France
- LTSER ZA PYRénées GARonne Auzeville‐Tolosane France
| | - Anne Loison
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine Univ. Grenoble AlpesUniv. Savoie Mont‐BlancCNRSLECA Grenoble France
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Garcia Fontes S, Gonçalves Morato R, Stanzani SL, Pizzigatti Corrêa PL. Jaguar movement behavior: using trajectories and association rule mining algorithms to unveil behavioral states and social interactions. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0246233. [PMID: 33539384 PMCID: PMC7861389 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal movement data are widely collected with devices such as sensors and collars, increasing the ability of researchers to monitor animal movement and providing information about animal behavioral patterns. Animal behavior is used as a basis for understanding the relationship between animals and the environment and for guiding decision-making by researchers and public agencies about environmental preservation and conservation actions. Animal movement and behavior are widely studied with a focus on identifying behavioral patterns, such as, animal group formation, the distance between animals and their home range. However, we observed a lack of research proposing a unified solution that aggregates resources for analyses of individual animal behavior and of social interactions between animals. The primary scientific contribution of this work is to present a framework that uses trajectory analysis and association rule mining [Jaiswal and Agarwal, 2012] to provide statistical measures of correlation and dependence to determine the relationship level between animals, their social interactions, and their interactions with other environmental factors based on their individual behavior and movement data. We demonstrate the usefulness of the framework by applying it to movement data from jaguars in the Pantanal, Brazil. This allowed us to describe jaguar behavior, social interactions among jaguars and their behavior in different landscapes, thus providing a highly detailed investigation of jaguar movement decisions at the fine scale.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Suelane Garcia Fontes
- Computer Engineering and Digital Systems Department—Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- * E-mail:
| | - Ronaldo Gonçalves Morato
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros (CENAP), ICMBIO, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Silvio Luiz Stanzani
- Centro de Computação Científica, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Pedro Luiz Pizzigatti Corrêa
- Computer Engineering and Digital Systems Department—Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Walton Z, Mattisson J. Down a hole: missing GPS positions reveal birth dates of an underground denning species, the red fox. Mamm Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-020-00089-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
AbstractGlobal positioning system (GPS) technology is increasingly used to study animal behavior. However, some animals exhibit behaviors that may result in the failure to acquire a GPS position, such as for species with underground denning behavior. This creates a challenge for researchers to identify the timing of important life-history events such as birth. Here, we tested if information gaps arising from unsuccessful GPS positions, in connection with intrinsic and extrinsic factors, can identify parturition events in an underground denning species, the red fox. Using data from 30 GPS collared female red foxes during the approximate parturition period of 1 March–31 May, we calculated the proportion of successful GPS positions per day. We then compared the patterns of successful GPS positions for females of known reproductive status to those known not to have reproduced and a subset of females for which reproductive status was unknown. Females confirmed to have pups (n = 11) and two females of unknown reproductive status showed a significant difference in the proportion of successful GPS positions compared to females without pups, illustrating that parturition and denning activity could be identified from GPS data. None of the 12 subadult females were identified as denning. Parturition date, identified as the day with the lowest GPS fix rate within the five-day period with the lowest proportion of successful GPS positions, ranged from 20 March–14 May, with a mean parturition date of 12 April. We, therefore, conclude that important biological information, such as reproductive status and parturition dates, can be identified from patterns of missing GPS positions for some underground denning species.
Collapse
|
40
|
Rycken S, Shephard JM, Yeap L, Vaughan-Higgins R, Page M, Dawson R, Smith K, Mawson PR, Warren KS. Regional variation in habitat matrix determines movement metrics in Baudin’s cockatoos in southwest Western Australia. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.1071/wr19076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
ContextThe Baudin’s cockatoo is one of three black cockatoo species endemic to Western Australia and is listed as Endangered by state and federal governments. Although there is a Recovery Plan in place for this species, conservation efforts are hindered by gaps in knowledge regarding the species movement ecology.
AimsTo identify key foraging and roosting habitat for Baudin’s cockatoos and to determine differences in flock movements, including the spatial extent of movement, in Urban, Peri-urban and Forest regions using telemetry data.
MethodsWild Baudin’s cockatoos that had been injured and undergone rehabilitation were equipped with satellite PTT (platform transmitter terminal) and GPS tags and released back into wild flocks. The study birds, and the flocks into which they integrated, were tracked in the field to collect telemetry and observational data. Satellite data were used to define the types of movement behaviour (resident, ranging, migratory), and GPS data were analysed to determine key foraging and roosting habitat, and to calculate home range area estimates.
Key resultsThere was a significant difference in flock movement between the Urban/Peri-urban regions and the Forest region in terms of daily distances moved and distances between roosts, with these parameters being far greater for the Forest region. Additionally, flock sizes were larger in the Forest region compared with the Urban and Peri-urban regions. In Urban and Peri-urban regions, key habitat comprised remnant vegetation in urban green space (nature reserves, parks and private property), and roadside and riparian vegetation, which served as movement corridors in the landscape.
ConclusionsThe research shows that it is important to maintain vegetation connectivity in the landscape. This enables Baudin’s cockatoos to utilise key patches of remnant vegetation in their non-breeding wintering grounds in Urban and Peri-urban regions of the Perth Peel Coastal Plain. Further research on the movement ecology of Baudin’s cockatoos should focus on habitat suitability modelling, which, in combination with the identified key habitat sites, will benefit the decision-making process in relation to conservation management of this endangered black cockatoo species.
ImplicationsThis research has benefited the conservation management of Baudin’s cockatoos by providing information on key habitat through satellite tracking and outlining the importance of the connective features of remnant vegetation. We advocate for further telemetry studies combined with habitat suitability modelling to preserve the necessary habitat for the persistence of this species in the Western Australian landscape.
Collapse
|
41
|
Chetcuti J, Kunin WE, Bullock JM. Habitat Fragmentation Increases Overall Richness, but Not of Habitat-Dependent Species. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.607619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Debate rages as to whether habitat fragmentation leads to the decline of biodiversity once habitat loss is accounted for. Previous studies have defined fragmentation variously, but research needs to address “fragmentation per se,” which excludes confounding effects of habitat loss. Our study controls for habitat area and employs a mechanistic multi-species simulation to explore processes that may lead some species groups to be more or less sensitive to fragmentation per se. Our multi-land-cover, landscape-scale, individual-based model incorporates the movement of generic species, each with different land cover preferences. We investigate how fragmentation per se changes diversity patterns; within (alpha), between (beta) and across (gamma) patches of a focal-land-cover, and if this differs among species groups according to their specialism and dependency on this focal-land-cover. We defined specialism as the increased competitive ability of specialists in suitable habitat and decreased ability in less suitable land covers compared to generalist species. We found fragmentation per se caused an increase in gamma diversity in the focal-land-cover if we considered all species regardless of focal-land-cover preference. However, critically for conservation, the gamma diversity of species for whom the focal land cover is suitable habitat declined under fragmentation per se. An exception to this finding occurred when these species were specialists, who were unaffected by fragmentation per se. In general, focal-land-cover species were under pressure from the influx of other species, with fragmentation per se leading to a loss of alpha diversity not compensated for by increases in beta diversity and, therefore, gamma diversity fell. The specialist species, which were more competitive, were less affected by the influx of species and therefore alpha diversity decreased less with fragmentation per se and beta diversity compensated for this loss, meaning gamma diversity did not decrease. Our findings help to inform the fragmentation per se debate, showing that effects on biodiversity can be negative or positive, depending on species’ competitive abilities and dependency on the fragmented land cover. Such differences in the effect of fragmentation per se would have important consequences for conservation. Focusing conservation efforts on reducing or preventing fragmentation in areas with species vulnerable to fragmentation.
Collapse
|
42
|
|
43
|
Börger L, Bijleveld AI, Fayet AL, Machovsky-Capuska GE, Patrick SC, Street GM, Vander Wal E. Biologging Special Feature. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:6-15. [PMID: 32091640 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Allert I Bijleveld
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Samantha C Patrick
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Garrett M Street
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Picardi S, Smith BJ, Boone ME, Frederick PC, Cecere JG, Rubolini D, Serra L, Pirrello S, Borkhataria RR, Basille M. Analysis of movement recursions to detect reproductive events and estimate their fate in central place foragers. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2020; 8:24. [PMID: 32518652 PMCID: PMC7268620 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-020-00201-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recursive movement patterns have been used to detect behavioral structure within individual movement trajectories in the context of foraging ecology, home-ranging behavior, and predator avoidance. Some animals exhibit movement recursions to locations that are tied to reproductive functions, including nests and dens; while existing literature recognizes that, no method is currently available to explicitly target different types of revisited locations. Moreover, the temporal persistence of recursive movements to a breeding location can carry information regarding the fate of breeding attempts, but it has never been used as a metric to quantify recursive movement patterns. Here, we introduce a method to locate breeding attempts and estimate their fate from GPS-tracking data of central place foragers. We tested the performance of our method in three bird species differing in breeding ecology (wood stork (Mycteria americana), lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni), Mediterranean gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus)) and implemented it in the R package 'nestR'. METHODS We identified breeding sites based on the analysis of recursive movements within individual tracks. Using trajectories with known breeding attempts, we estimated a set of species-specific criteria for the identification of nest sites, which we further validated using non-reproductive individuals as controls. We then estimated individual nest survival as a binary measure of reproductive fate (success, corresponding to fledging of at least one chick, or failure) from nest-site revisitation histories during breeding attempts, using a Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach that accounted for temporally variable revisitation patterns, probability of visit detection, and missing data. RESULTS Across the three species, positive predictive value of the nest-site detection algorithm varied between 87 and 100% and sensitivity between 88 and 92%, and we correctly estimated the fate of 86-100% breeding attempts. CONCLUSIONS By providing a method to formally distinguish among revisited locations that serve different ecological functions and introducing a probabilistic framework to quantify temporal persistence of movement recursions, we demonstrated how the analysis of recursive movement patterns can be applied to estimate reproduction in central place foragers. Beyond avian species, the principles of our method can be applied to other central place foraging breeders such as denning mammals. Our method estimates a component of individual fitness from movement data and will help bridge the gap between movement behavior, environmental factors, and their fitness consequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simona Picardi
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3205 College Ave, Davie, FL 33314 USA
| | - Brian J. Smith
- Deparmtent of Wildland Resources, Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322 USA
| | - Matthew E. Boone
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3205 College Ave, Davie, FL 33314 USA
| | - Peter C. Frederick
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 368 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA
| | - Jacopo G. Cecere
- Area Avifauna Migratrice, Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), via Cà Fornacetta 9, I-40064 Ozzano Emilia, BO Italy
| | - Diego Rubolini
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, I’20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Serra
- Area Avifauna Migratrice, Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), via Cà Fornacetta 9, I-40064 Ozzano Emilia, BO Italy
| | - Simone Pirrello
- Area Avifauna Migratrice, Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), via Cà Fornacetta 9, I-40064 Ozzano Emilia, BO Italy
| | - Rena R. Borkhataria
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Everglades Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3200 E Palm Beach Rd, Belle Glade, FL 33430 USA
| | - Mathieu Basille
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3205 College Ave, Davie, FL 33314 USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Chamberlain MJ, Cohen BS, Bakner NW, Collier BA. Behavior and Movement of Wild Turkey Broods. J Wildl Manage 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Chamberlain
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of GeorgiaAthens GA 30602 USA
| | - Bradley S. Cohen
- College of Arts and Science, Tennessee Technological University Cookeville TN 38505 USA
| | - Nicholas W. Bakner
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of GeorgiaAthens GA 30602 USA
| | - Bret A. Collier
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural CenterBaton Rouge LA 70803 USA
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Requier F, Henry M, Decourtye A, Brun F, Aupinel P, Rebaudo F, Bretagnolle V. Measuring ontogenetic shifts in central-place foragers: A case study with honeybees. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1860-1871. [PMID: 32419193 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Measuring time-activity budgets over the complete individual life span is now possible for many animals with the recent advances of life-long individual monitoring devices. Although analyses of changes in the patterns of time-activity budgets have revealed ontogenetic shifts in birds or mammals, no such technique has been applied to date on insects. We tested an automated breakpoint-based procedure to detect, assess and quantify shifts in the temporal pattern of the flight activities in honeybees. We assumed that the learning and foraging stages of honeybees will differ in several respects, to detect the age at onset of foraging (AOF). Using an extensive dataset covering the life-long monitoring of 1,167 individuals, we compared the AOF outputs with the more conventional approaches based on arbitrary thresholds. We further evaluated the robustness of the different methods comparing the foraging time-activity budget allocations between the presumed foragers and confirmed foragers. We revealed a clear-cut learning-foraging ontogenetic shift that differs in duration, frequency and time of occurrence of flights. Although AOF appeared to be highly plastic among bees, the breakpoint-based procedure seems better capable to detect it than arbitrary threshold-based methods that are unable to deal with inter-individual variation. We developed the aof r-package including a broad range of examples with both simulated and empirical datasets to illustrate the simplicity of use of the procedure. This simple procedure is generic enough to be derived from any individual life-long monitoring devices recording the time-activity budgets, and could propose new ecological applications of bio-logging to detect ontogenetic shifts in the behaviour of central-place foragers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fabrice Requier
- UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, CNRS, IRD, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Mickaël Henry
- UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, INRAE, Avignon, France.,UMT PrADE, Avignon, France
| | - Axel Decourtye
- UMT PrADE, Avignon, France.,ACTA, Avignon, France.,ITSAP-Institut de l'abeille, Avignon, France
| | | | - Pierrick Aupinel
- UE 1255 APIS 'Abeilles paysages interactions et systèmes de culture', INRAE, Surgères, France
| | - François Rebaudo
- UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, CNRS, IRD, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Vincent Bretagnolle
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS & La Rochelle University, UMR 7372, Beauvoir sur Niort, France.,LTSER Zone Atelier 'Plaine & Val de Sèvre', CNRS, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Utsumi K, Kusaka C, Pedersen R, Staley C, Dunlap L, Smith SG, Eifler MA, Eifler DA. Habitat-Dependent Search Behavior in the Colorado Checkered Whiptail (Aspidoscelis neotesselata). WEST N AM NATURALIST 2020. [DOI: 10.3398/064.080.0102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Carina Kusaka
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
| | - Rachael Pedersen
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
| | - Catherine Staley
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
| | - Lisa Dunlap
- Undergraduate Mathematics Program, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94702
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Goossens S, Wybouw N, Van Leeuwen T, Bonte D. The physiology of movement. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2020; 8:5. [PMID: 32042434 PMCID: PMC7001223 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-020-0192-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Movement, from foraging to migration, is known to be under the influence of the environment. The translation of environmental cues to individual movement decision making is determined by an individual's internal state and anticipated to balance costs and benefits. General body condition, metabolic and hormonal physiology mechanistically underpin this internal state. These physiological determinants are tightly, and often genetically linked with each other and hence central to a mechanistic understanding of movement. We here synthesise the available evidence of the physiological drivers and signatures of movement and review (1) how physiological state as measured in its most coarse way by body condition correlates with movement decisions during foraging, migration and dispersal, (2) how hormonal changes underlie changes in these movement strategies and (3) how these can be linked to molecular pathways. We reveale that a high body condition facilitates the efficiency of routine foraging, dispersal and migration. Dispersal decision making is, however, in some cases stimulated by a decreased individual condition. Many of the biotic and abiotic stressors that induce movement initiate a physiological cascade in vertebrates through the production of stress hormones. Movement is therefore associated with hormone levels in vertebrates but also insects, often in interaction with factors related to body or social condition. The underlying molecular and physiological mechanisms are currently studied in few model species, and show -in congruence with our insights on the role of body condition- a central role of energy metabolism during glycolysis, and the coupling with timing processes during migration. Molecular insights into the physiological basis of movement remain, however, highly refractory. We finalise this review with a critical reflection on the importance of these physiological feedbacks for a better mechanistic understanding of movement and its effects on ecological dynamics at all levels of biological organization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Steven Goossens
- Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nicky Wybouw
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Thomas Van Leeuwen
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dries Bonte
- Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Silva I, Crane M, Marshall BM, Strine CT. Reptiles on the wrong track? Moving beyond traditional estimators with dynamic Brownian Bridge Movement Models. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2020; 8:43. [PMID: 33133609 PMCID: PMC7592577 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-020-00229-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal movement expressed through home ranges or space-use can offer insights into spatial and habitat requirements. However, different classes of estimation methods are currently instinctively applied to answer home range, space-use or movement-based research questions regardless of their widely varying outputs, directly impacting conclusions. Recent technological advances in animal tracking (GPS and satellite tags), have enabled new methods to quantify animal space-use and movement pathways, but so far have primarily targeted mammal and avian species. METHODS Most reptile spatial ecology studies only make use of two older home range estimation methods: Minimum Convex Polygons (MCP) and Kernel Density Estimators (KDE), particularly with the Least Squares Cross Validation (LSCV) and reference (h ref ) bandwidth selection algorithms. These methods are frequently applied to answer space-use and movement-based questions. Reptile movement patterns are unique (e.g., low movement frequency, long stop-over periods), prompting investigation into whether newer movement-based methods -such as dynamic Brownian Bridge Movement Models (dBBMMs)- apply to Very High Frequency (VHF) radio-telemetry tracking data. We simulated movement data for three archetypical reptile species: a highly mobile active hunter, an ambush predator with long-distance moves and long-term sheltering periods, and an ambush predator with short-distance moves and short-term sheltering periods. We compared traditionally used estimators, MCP and KDE, with dBBMMs, across eight feasible VHF field sampling regimes for reptiles, varying from one data point every four daylight hours, to once per month. RESULTS Although originally designed for GPS tracking studies, dBBMMs outperformed MCPs and KDE h ref across all tracking regimes in accurately revealing movement pathways, with only KDE LSCV performing comparably at some higher frequency sampling regimes. However, the LSCV algorithm failed to converge with these high-frequency regimes due to high site fidelity, and was unstable across sampling regimes, making its use problematic for species exhibiting long-term sheltering behaviours. We found that dBBMMs minimized the effect of individual variation, maintained low error rates balanced between omission (false negative) and commission (false positive), and performed comparatively well even under low frequency sampling regimes (e.g., once a month). CONCLUSIONS We recommend dBBMMs as a valuable alternative to MCP and KDE methods for reptile VHF telemetry data, for research questions associated with space-use and movement behaviours within the study period: they work under contemporary tracking protocols and provide more stable estimates. We demonstrate for the first time that dBBMMs can be applied confidently to low-resolution tracking data, while improving comparisons across regimes, individuals, and species. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary information accompanies this paper at 10.1186/s40462-020-00229-3.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Inês Silva
- Conservation Ecology Program, School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkhunthien, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Matt Crane
- Conservation Ecology Program, School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkhunthien, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Benjamin Michael Marshall
- School of Biology, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
| | - Colin Thomas Strine
- School of Biology, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Barth BJ, FitzGibbon SI, Gillett A, Wilson RS, Moffitt B, Pye GW, Adam D, Preece H, Ellis WA. Scattered paddock trees and roadside vegetation can provide important habitat for koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in an agricultural landscape. AUSTRALIAN MAMMALOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1071/am18031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Habitat loss and fragmentation threaten the survival of koalas in Queensland. In rural landscapes, remaining koala habitat is often in the form of scattered paddock trees, patches of vegetation and roadside vegetation. The aims of this study were to (1) quantify the use of these three habitat types; (2) determine whether there is an increased use of scattered trees during the breeding season; and (3) describe the movement characteristics (daily step-length and turning angle) of koalas in different habitat types. To do this, koalas were caught and fitted with global positioning system (GPS) loggers that recorded their daily locations. We found koalas utilised all three habitat types in both breeding and non-breeding seasons, but roadside vegetation and scattered trees were utilised significantly more than expected based on their availability within the landscape. We found no significant difference in step-length or turning angles in scattered trees compared with patches of vegetation. We conclude that scattered trees are a critical element of habitat in this rural landscape. This work provides evidence that retaining or planting scattered trees within the rural landscape would likely complement or possibly enhance the conservation value of rural landscapes for koalas.
Collapse
|