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Schoombie S, Jeantet L, Chimienti M, Sutton GJ, Pistorius PA, Dufourq E, Lowther AD, Oosthuizen WC. Identifying prey capture events of a free-ranging marine predator using bio-logger data and deep learning. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:240271. [PMID: 39100157 PMCID: PMC11296051 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240271] [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: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Marine predators are integral to the functioning of marine ecosystems, and their consumption requirements should be integrated into ecosystem-based management policies. However, estimating prey consumption in diving marine predators requires innovative methods as predator-prey interactions are rarely observable. We developed a novel method, validated by animal-borne video, that uses tri-axial acceleration and depth data to quantify prey capture rates in chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarctica). These penguins are important consumers of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), a commercially harvested crustacean central to the Southern Ocean food web. We collected a large data set (n = 41 individuals) comprising overlapping video, accelerometer and depth data from foraging penguins. Prey captures were manually identified in videos, and those observations were used in supervised training of two deep learning neural networks (convolutional neural network (CNN) and V-Net). Although the CNN and V-Net architectures and input data pipelines differed, both trained models were able to predict prey captures from new acceleration and depth data (linear regression slope of predictions against video-observed prey captures = 1.13; R 2 ≈ 0.86). Our results illustrate that deep learning algorithms offer a means to process the large quantities of data generated by contemporary bio-logging sensors to robustly estimate prey capture events in diving marine predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Schoombie
- Department of Statistical Sciences, Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation (SEEC), University of Cape Town, Cape Town7701, South Africa
- National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences, South Africa
| | - Lorène Jeantet
- African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cape Town7945, South Africa
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch7602, South Africa
| | - Marianna Chimienti
- Centre D’Études Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372 CNRS-La Rochelle, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Grace J. Sutton
- Department of Environment & Genetics, and Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC3086, Australia
| | - Pierre A. Pistorius
- Marine Apex Predator Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha6031, South Africa
| | - Emmanuel Dufourq
- African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cape Town7945, South Africa
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch7602, South Africa
- African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Research and Innovation Centre, Kigali, Rwanda
| | | | - W. Chris Oosthuizen
- Department of Statistical Sciences, Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation (SEEC), University of Cape Town, Cape Town7701, South Africa
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Jewell OJD, D'Antonio B, Blane S, Gosden E, Taylor MD, Calich HJ, Fraser MW, Sequeira AMM. Back to the wild: movements of a juvenile tiger shark released from a public aquarium. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2023; 103:735-740. [PMID: 37227750 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Sharks are an important attraction for aquaria; however, larger species can rarely be kept indefinitely. To date, there has been little work tracking shark movements post-release to the wild. The authors used high-resolution biologgers to monitor a sub-adult tiger shark's pre- and post-release fine-scale movements following 2 years of captivity in an aquarium. They also compared its movement with that of a wild shark tagged nearby. Despite the differences in movement between the two sharks, with vertical oscillations notably absent and greater levels of turning seen from the released shark, the captive shark survived the release. These biologgers improve insight into post-release movements of captive sharks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver J D Jewell
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Ben D'Antonio
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, WA, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, WA, Australia
| | | | | | - Michael D Taylor
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Hannah J Calich
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, WA, Australia
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Matthew W Fraser
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, WA, Australia
- Centre for OceanOmics, The Minderoo Foundation, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Ana M M Sequeira
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, WA, Australia
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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3
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Saha SS, Du Y, Sandha SS, Garcia LA, Jawed MK, Srivastava M. Inertial Navigation on Extremely Resource-Constrained Platforms: Methods, Opportunities and Challenges. IEEE/ION POSITION LOCATION AND NAVIGATION SYMPOSIUM : [PROCEEDINGS]. IEEE/ION POSITION LOCATION AND NAVIGATION SYMPOSIUM 2023; 2023:708-723. [PMID: 37736264 PMCID: PMC10512424 DOI: 10.1109/plans53410.2023.10139997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Inertial navigation provides a small footprint, low-power, and low-cost pathway for localization in GPS-denied environments on extremely resource-constrained Internet-of-Things (IoT) platforms. Traditionally, application-specific heuristics and physics-based kinematic models are used to mitigate the curse of drift in inertial odometry. These techniques, albeit lightweight, fail to handle domain shifts and environmental non-linearities. Recently, deep neural-inertial sequence learning has shown superior odometric resolution in capturing non-linear motion dynamics without human knowledge over heuristic-based methods. These AI-based techniques are data-hungry, suffer from excessive resource usage, and cannot guarantee following the underlying system physics. This paper highlights the unique methods, opportunities, and challenges in porting real-time AI-enhanced inertial navigation algorithms onto IoT platforms. First, we discuss how platform-aware neural architecture search coupled with ultra-lightweight model backbones can yield neural-inertial odometry models that are 31-134× smaller yet achieve or exceed the localization resolution of state-of-the-art AI-enhanced techniques. The framework can generate models suitable for locating humans, animals, underwater sensors, aerial vehicles, and precision robots. Next, we showcase how techniques from neurosymbolic AI can yield physics-informed and interpretable neural-inertial navigation models. Afterward, we present opportunities for fine-tuning pre-trained odometry models in a new domain with as little as 1 minute of labeled data, while discussing inexpensive data collection and labeling techniques. Finally, we identify several open research challenges that demand careful consideration moving forward.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yayun Du
- Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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4
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Hounslow JL, Fossette S, Byrnes EE, Whiting SD, Lambourne RN, Armstrong NJ, Tucker AD, Richardson AR, Gleiss AC. Multivariate analysis of biologging data reveals the environmental determinants of diving behaviour in a marine reptile. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211860. [PMID: 35958091 PMCID: PMC9364005 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211860] [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: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Diving behaviour of 'surfacers' such as sea snakes, cetaceans and turtles is complex and multi-dimensional, thus may be better captured by multi-sensor biologging data. However, analysing these large multi-faceted datasets remains challenging, though a high priority. We used high-resolution multi-sensor biologging data to provide the first detailed description of the environmental influences on flatback turtle (Natator depressus) diving behaviour, during its foraging life-history stage. We developed an analytical method to investigate seasonal, diel and tidal effects on diving behaviour for 24 adult flatback turtles tagged with biologgers. We extracted 16 dive variables associated with three-dimensional and kinematic characteristics for 4128 dives. K-means and hierarchical cluster analyses failed to identify distinct dive types. Instead, principal component analysis objectively condensed the dive variables, removing collinearity and highlighting the main features of diving behaviour. Generalized additive mixed models of the main principal components identified significant seasonal, diel and tidal effects on flatback turtle diving behaviour. Flatback turtles altered their diving behaviour in response to extreme tidal and water temperature ranges, displaying thermoregulation and predator avoidance strategies while likely optimizing foraging in this challenging environment. This study demonstrates an alternative statistical technique for objectively interpreting diving behaviour from multivariate collinear data derived from biologgers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna L. Hounslow
- Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Western Australia, Australia
- Environmental and Conservation Science, Murdoch University, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Sabrina Fossette
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Evan E. Byrnes
- Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Western Australia, Australia
- Environmental and Conservation Science, Murdoch University, Western Australia, Australia
- Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Scott D. Whiting
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Renae N. Lambourne
- Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Western Australia, Australia
- Environmental and Conservation Science, Murdoch University, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Nicola J. Armstrong
- School of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Anton D. Tucker
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Anthony R. Richardson
- Parks and Wildlife Service, West Kimberley District, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Broome, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Adrian C. Gleiss
- Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Western Australia, Australia
- Environmental and Conservation Science, Murdoch University, Western Australia, Australia
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5
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Magowan EA, Maguire IE, Smith S, Redpath S, Marks NJ, Wilson RP, Menzies F, O’Hagan M, Scantlebury DM. Dead-reckoning elucidates fine-scale habitat use by European badgers Meles meles. ANIMAL BIOTELEMETRY 2022; 10:10. [PMID: 37521810 PMCID: PMC8908954 DOI: 10.1186/s40317-022-00282-2] [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: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Background Recent developments in both hardware and software of animal-borne data loggers now enable large amounts of data to be collected on both animal movement and behaviour. In particular, the combined use of tri-axial accelerometers, tri-axial magnetometers and GPS loggers enables animal tracks to be elucidated using a procedure of 'dead-reckoning'. Although this approach was first suggested 30 years ago by Wilson et al. (1991), surprisingly few measurements have been made in free-ranging terrestrial animals. The current study examines movements, interactions with habitat features, and home-ranges calculated from just GPS data and also from dead-reckoned data in a model terrestrial mammal, the European badger (Meles meles). Methods Research was undertaken in farmland in Northern Ireland. Two badgers (one male, one female) were live-trapped and fitted with a GPS logger, a tri-axial accelerometer, and a tri-axial magnetometer. Thereafter, the badgers' movement paths over 2 weeks were elucidated using just GPS data and GPS-enabled dead-reckoned data, respectively. Results Badgers travelled further using data from dead-reckoned calculations than using the data from only GPS data. Whilst once-hourly GPS data could only be represented by straight-line movements between sequential points, the sub-second resolution dead-reckoned tracks were more tortuous. Although there were no differences in Minimum Convex Polygon determinations between GPS- and dead-reckoned data, Kernel Utilisation Distribution determinations of home-range size were larger using the former method. This was because dead-reckoned data more accurately described the particular parts of landscape constituting most-visited core areas, effectively narrowing the calculation of habitat use. Finally, the dead-reckoned data showed badgers spent more time near to field margins and hedges than simple GPS data would suggest. Conclusion Significant differences emerge when analyses of habitat use and movements are compared between calculations made using just GPS data or GPS-enabled dead-reckoned data. In particular, use of dead-reckoned data showed that animals moved 2.2 times farther, had better-defined use of the habitat (revealing clear core areas), and made more use of certain habitats (field margins, hedges). Use of dead-reckoning to provide detailed accounts of animal movement and highlight the minutiae of interactions with the environment should be considered an important technique in the ecologist's toolkit.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. A. Magowan
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL Northern Ireland UK
- Randox Laboratories Ltd. Crumlin, Antrim, Northern Ireland UK
| | - I. E. Maguire
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL Northern Ireland UK
- Randox Laboratories Ltd. Crumlin, Antrim, Northern Ireland UK
| | - S. Smith
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL Northern Ireland UK
| | - S. Redpath
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL Northern Ireland UK
| | - N. J. Marks
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL Northern Ireland UK
| | - R. P. Wilson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environmental Sustainability, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - F. Menzies
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Veterinary Epidemiology Unit, Belfast, UK
| | - M. O’Hagan
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Veterinary Epidemiology Unit, Belfast, UK
| | - D. M. Scantlebury
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL Northern Ireland UK
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6
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Gunner RM, Wilson RP, Holton MD, Hopkins P, Bell SH, Marks NJ, Bennett NC, Ferreira S, Govender D, Viljoen P, Bruns A, van Schalkwyk OL, Bertelsen MF, Duarte CM, van Rooyen MC, Tambling CJ, Göppert A, Diesel D, Scantlebury DM. Decision rules for determining terrestrial movement and the consequences for filtering high-resolution global positioning system tracks: a case study using the African lion ( Panthera leo). J R Soc Interface 2022; 19:20210692. [PMID: 35042386 PMCID: PMC8767188 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2021.0692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The combined use of global positioning system (GPS) technology and motion sensors within the discipline of movement ecology has increased over recent years. This is particularly the case for instrumented wildlife, with many studies now opting to record parameters at high (infra-second) sampling frequencies. However, the detail with which GPS loggers can elucidate fine-scale movement depends on the precision and accuracy of fixes, with accuracy being affected by signal reception. We hypothesized that animal behaviour was the main factor affecting fix inaccuracy, with inherent GPS positional noise (jitter) being most apparent during GPS fixes for non-moving locations, thereby producing disproportionate error during rest periods. A movement-verified filtering (MVF) protocol was constructed to compare GPS-derived speed data with dynamic body acceleration, to provide a computationally quick method for identifying genuine travelling movement. This method was tested on 11 free-ranging lions (Panthera leo) fitted with collar-mounted GPS units and tri-axial motion sensors recording at 1 and 40 Hz, respectively. The findings support the hypothesis and show that distance moved estimates were, on average, overestimated by greater than 80% prior to GPS screening. We present the conceptual and mathematical protocols for screening fix inaccuracy within high-resolution GPS datasets and demonstrate the importance that MVF has for avoiding inaccurate and biased estimates of movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard M. Gunner
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies Radolfzell, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Rory P. Wilson
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies Radolfzell, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
| | - Mark D. Holton
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies Radolfzell, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
| | - Phil Hopkins
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies Radolfzell, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
| | - Stephen H. Bell
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Nikki J. Marks
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Nigel C. Bennett
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 002, South Africa
| | - Sam Ferreira
- Savanna and Grassland Research Unit, South African National Parks, Scientific Services Skukuza, Kruger National Park, Skukuza 1350, South Africa
| | - Danny Govender
- Savanna and Grassland Research Unit, South African National Parks, Scientific Services Skukuza, Kruger National Park, Skukuza 1350, South Africa
| | - Pauli Viljoen
- Savanna and Grassland Research Unit, South African National Parks, Scientific Services Skukuza, Kruger National Park, Skukuza 1350, South Africa
| | - Angela Bruns
- Veterinary Wildlife Services, South African National Parks, 97 Memorial Road, Old Testing Grounds, 8301 Kimberley, South Africa
| | - O. Louis van Schalkwyk
- Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Government of South Africa, Skukuza, South Africa
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Mads F. Bertelsen
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Roskildevej 38, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Carlos M. Duarte
- Red Sea Research Centre, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Martin C. van Rooyen
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 002, South Africa
| | - Craig J. Tambling
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Fort Hare Alice Campus, Ring Road, Alice 5700, South Africa
| | - Aoife Göppert
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Delmar Diesel
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - D. Michael Scantlebury
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
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7
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Abstract
We present a comprehensive, detailed review of time-series data analysis, with emphasis on deep time-series clustering (DTSC), and a case study in the context of movement behavior clustering utilizing the deep clustering method. Specifically, we modified the DCAE architectures to suit time-series data at the time of our prior deep clustering work. Lately, several works have been carried out on deep clustering of time-series data. We also review these works and identify state-of-the-art, as well as present an outlook on this important field of DTSC from five important perspectives.
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Gunner RM, Holton MD, Scantlebury DM, Hopkins P, Shepard ELC, Fell AJ, Garde B, Quintana F, Gómez-Laich A, Yoda K, Yamamoto T, English H, Ferreira S, Govender D, Viljoen P, Bruns A, van Schalkwyk OL, Cole NC, Tatayah V, Börger L, Redcliffe J, Bell SH, Marks NJ, Bennett NC, Tonini MH, Williams HJ, Duarte CM, van Rooyen MC, Bertelsen MF, Tambling CJ, Wilson RP. How often should dead-reckoned animal movement paths be corrected for drift? ANIMAL BIOTELEMETRY 2021; 9:43. [PMID: 34900262 PMCID: PMC7612089 DOI: 10.1186/s40317-021-00265-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding what animals do in time and space is important for a range of ecological questions, however accurate estimates of how animals use space is challenging. Within the use of animal-attached tags, radio telemetry (including the Global Positioning System, 'GPS') is typically used to verify an animal's location periodically. Straight lines are typically drawn between these 'Verified Positions' ('VPs') so the interpolation of space-use is limited by the temporal and spatial resolution of the system's measurement. As such, parameters such as route-taken and distance travelled can be poorly represented when using VP systems alone. Dead-reckoning has been suggested as a technique to improve the accuracy and resolution of reconstructed movement paths, whilst maximising battery life of VP systems. This typically involves deriving travel vectors from motion sensor systems and periodically correcting path dimensions for drift with simultaneously deployed VP systems. How often paths should be corrected for drift, however, has remained unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS Here, we review the utility of dead-reckoning across four contrasting model species using different forms of locomotion (the African lion Panthera leo, the red-tailed tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda, the Magellanic penguin Spheniscus magellanicus, and the imperial cormorant Leucocarbo atriceps). Simulations were performed to examine the extent of dead-reckoning error, relative to VPs, as a function of Verified Position correction (VP correction) rate and the effect of this on estimates of distance moved. Dead-reckoning error was greatest for animals travelling within air and water. We demonstrate how sources of measurement error can arise within VP-corrected dead-reckoned tracks and propose advancements to this procedure to maximise dead-reckoning accuracy. CONCLUSIONS We review the utility of VP-corrected dead-reckoning according to movement type and consider a range of ecological questions that would benefit from dead-reckoning, primarily concerning animal-barrier interactions and foraging strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard M. Gunner
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - Mark D. Holton
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - David M. Scantlebury
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Phil Hopkins
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - Emily L. C. Shepard
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - Adam J. Fell
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK
| | - Baptiste Garde
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - Flavio Quintana
- Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos (IBIOMAR), CONICET. Boulevard Brown, 2915, U9120ACD Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
| | - Agustina Gómez-Laich
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución & Instituto de Ecología, Genética Y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), CONICET, Pabellón II Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ken Yoda
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takashi Yamamoto
- Organization for the Strategic Coordination of Research and Intellectual Properties, Meiji University, Nakano, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Holly English
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Sam Ferreira
- Savanna and Grassland Research Unit, Scientific Services Skukuza, South African National Parks, Kruger National Park, Skukuza 1350, South Africa
| | - Danny Govender
- Savanna and Grassland Research Unit, Scientific Services Skukuza, South African National Parks, Kruger National Park, Skukuza 1350, South Africa
| | - Pauli Viljoen
- Savanna and Grassland Research Unit, Scientific Services Skukuza, South African National Parks, Kruger National Park, Skukuza 1350, South Africa
| | - Angela Bruns
- Veterinary Wildlife Services, South African National Parks, 97 Memorial Road, Old Testing Grounds, Kimberley 8301, South Africa
| | - O. Louis van Schalkwyk
- Department of Agriculture, Government of South Africa, Land Reform and Rural Development, Pretoria 001, South Africa
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Nik C. Cole
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Les Augrès Manor, Channel Islands, Trinity JE3 5BP, Jersey, UK
- Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Grannum Road, Indian Ocean, Vacoas, Mauritius
| | - Vikash Tatayah
- Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Grannum Road, Indian Ocean, Vacoas, Mauritius
| | - Luca Börger
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
- Centre for Biomathematics, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - James Redcliffe
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - Stephen H. Bell
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Nikki J. Marks
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Nigel C. Bennett
- Mammal Research Institute. Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 002., South Africa
| | - Mariano H. Tonini
- Instituto Andino Patagónico de Tecnologías Biológicas y Geoambientales, Grupo GEA, IPATEC-UNCO-CONICET, San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Hannah J. Williams
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Carlos M. Duarte
- Red Sea Research Centre, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Martin C. van Rooyen
- Mammal Research Institute. Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 002., South Africa
| | - Mads F. Bertelsen
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Roskildevej 38, DK-2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Craig J. Tambling
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Fort Hare, Alice Campus, Ring Road, Alice 5700, South Africa
| | - Rory P. Wilson
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
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9
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Holton MD, Wilson RP, Teilmann J, Siebert U. Animal tag technology keeps coming of age: an engineering perspective. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200229. [PMID: 34176328 PMCID: PMC8237169 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal-borne tags (biologgers) have now become extremely sophisticated, recording data from multiple sensors at high frequencies for long periods and, as such, have become a powerful tool for behavioural ecologists and physiologists studying wild animals. But the design and implementation of these tags is not trivial because engineers have to maximize performance and ability to function under onerous conditions while minimizing tag mass and volume (footprint) to maximize the wellbeing of the animal carriers. We present some of the major issues faced by tag engineers and show how tag designers must accept compromises while maintaining systems that can answer the questions being posed. We also argue that basic understanding of engineering issues in tag design by biologists will help feedback to engineers to better tag construction but also reduce the likelihood that tag-deploying biologists will misunderstand their own results. Finally, we suggest that proper consideration of conventional technology together with new approaches will lead to further step changes in our understanding of wild-animal biology using smart tags. This article is part of the theme issue 'Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part II)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D. Holton
- Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Rory P. Wilson
- Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Jonas Teilmann
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
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10
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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.
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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
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11
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Munden R, Börger L, Wilson RP, Redcliffe J, Brown R, Garel M, Potts JR. Why did the animal turn? Time‐varying step selection analysis for inference between observed turning‐points in high frequency data. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rhys Munden
- School of Mathematics and Statistics University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences College of Science Swansea University Swansea UK
- Centre for Biomathematics College of Science Swansea University Swansea UK
| | - Rory P. Wilson
- Department of Biosciences College of Science Swansea University Swansea UK
| | - James Redcliffe
- Department of Biosciences College of Science Swansea University Swansea UK
| | - Rowan Brown
- College of Engineering Swansea UniversityBay Campus Wales UK
| | - Mathieu Garel
- Office Français de la BiodiversitéUnité Ongulés Sauvages Gières France
| | - Jonathan R. Potts
- School of Mathematics and Statistics University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
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12
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Carnahan AM, van Manen FT, Haroldson MA, Stenhouse GB, Robbins CT. Quantifying energetic costs and defining energy landscapes experienced by grizzly bears. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:224/6/jeb241083. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.241083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Animal movements are major determinants of energy expenditure and ultimately the cost–benefit of landscape use. Thus, we sought to understand those costs and how grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) move in mountainous landscapes. We trained captive grizzly bears to walk on a horizontal treadmill and up and down 10% and 20% slopes. The cost of moving upslope increased linearly with speed and slope angle, and this was more costly than moving horizontally. The cost of downslope travel at slower speeds was greater than the cost of traveling horizontally but appeared to decrease at higher speeds. The most efficient walking speed that minimized cost per unit distance was 1.19±0.11 m s−1. However, grizzly bears fitted with GPS collars in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem moved at an average velocity of 0.61±0.28 m s−1 and preferred to travel on near-horizontal slopes at twice their occurrence. When traveling uphill or downhill, grizzly bears chose paths across all slopes that were ∼54% less steep and costly than the maximum available slope. The net costs (J kg−1 m−1) of moving horizontally and uphill were the same for grizzly bears, humans and digitigrade carnivores, but those costs were 46% higher than movement costs for ungulates. These movement costs and characteristics of landscape use determined using captive and wild grizzly bears were used to understand the strategies that grizzly bears use for preying on large ungulates and the similarities in travel between people and grizzly bears that might affect the risk of encountering each other on shared landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony M. Carnahan
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USA
| | - Frank T. van Manen
- US Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, Bozeman, MT 59715, USA
| | - Mark A. Haroldson
- US Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, Bozeman, MT 59715, USA
| | | | - Charles T. Robbins
- School of the Environment and School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USA
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13
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Sankey DWE, O'Bryan LR, Garnier S, Cowlishaw G, Hopkins P, Holton M, Fürtbauer I, King AJ. Consensus of travel direction is achieved by simple copying, not voting, in free-ranging goats. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:201128. [PMID: 33972846 PMCID: PMC8074689 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
For group-living animals to remain cohesive they must agree on where to travel. Theoretical models predict shared group decisions should be favoured, and a number of empirical examples support this. However, the behavioural mechanisms that underpin shared decision-making are not fully understood. Groups may achieve consensus of direction by active communication of individual preferences (i.e. voting), or by responding to each other's orientation and movement (i.e. copying). For example, African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) are reported to use body orientation to vote and indicate their preferred direction to achieve a consensus on travel direction, while golden shiners (Notemigonus crysoleucas) achieve consensus of direction by responding to the movement cues of their neighbours. Here, we present a conceptual model (supported by agent-based simulations) that allows us to distinguish patterns of motion that represent voting or copying. We test our model predictions using high-resolution GPS and magnetometer data collected from a herd of free-ranging goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) in the Namib Desert, Namibia. We find that decisions concerning travel direction were more consistent with individuals copying one another's motion and find no evidence to support the use of voting with body orientation. Our findings highlight the role of simple behavioural rules for collective decision-making by animal groups.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - L. R. O'Bryan
- New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - S. Garnier
- New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - G. Cowlishaw
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW14RY, UK
| | - P. Hopkins
- Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - M. Holton
- Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - I. Fürtbauer
- Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - A. J. King
- Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
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14
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Smith JE, Pinter-Wollman N. Observing the unwatchable: Integrating automated sensing, naturalistic observations and animal social network analysis in the age of big data. J Anim Ecol 2020; 90:62-75. [PMID: 33020914 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In the 4.5 decades since Altmann (1974) published her seminal paper on the methods for the observational study of behaviour, automated detection and analysis of social interaction networks have fundamentally transformed the ways that ecologists study social behaviour. Methodological developments for collecting data remotely on social behaviour involve indirect inference of associations, direct recordings of interactions and machine vision. These recent technological advances are improving the scale and resolution with which we can dissect interactions among animals. They are also revealing new intricacies of animal social interactions at spatial and temporal resolutions as well as in ecological contexts that have been hidden from humans, making the unwatchable seeable. We first outline how these technological applications are permitting researchers to collect exquisitely detailed information with little observer bias. We further recognize new emerging challenges from these new reality-mining approaches. While technological advances in automating data collection and its analysis are moving at an unprecedented rate, we urge ecologists to thoughtfully combine these new tools with classic behavioural and ecological monitoring methods to place our understanding of animal social networks within fundamental biological contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Noa Pinter-Wollman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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15
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Gunner RM, Wilson RP, Holton MD, Scott R, Hopkins P, Duarte CM. A new direction for differentiating animal activity based on measuring angular velocity about the yaw axis. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:7872-7886. [PMID: 32760571 PMCID: PMC7391348 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of animal-attached data loggers to quantify animal movement has increased in popularity and application in recent years. High-resolution tri-axial acceleration and magnetometry measurements have been fundamental in elucidating fine-scale animal movements, providing information on posture, traveling speed, energy expenditure, and associated behavioral patterns. Heading is a key variable obtained from the tandem use of magnetometers and accelerometers, although few field investigations have explored fine-scale changes in heading to elucidate differences in animal activity (beyond the notable exceptions of dead-reckoning).This paper provides an overview of the value and use of animal heading and a prime derivative, angular velocity about the yaw axis, as an important element for assessing activity extent with potential to allude to behaviors, using "free-ranging" Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) as a model species.We also demonstrate the value of yaw rotation for assessing activity extent, which varies over the time scales considered and show that various scales of body rotation, particularly rate of change of yaw, can help resolve differences between fine-scale behavior-specific movements. For example, oscillating yaw movements about a central point of the body's arc implies bouts of foraging, while unusual circling behavior, indicative of conspecific interactions, could be identified from complete revolutions of the longitudinal axis.We believe this approach should help identification of behaviors and "space-state" approaches to enhance our interpretation of behavior-based movements, particularly in scenarios where acceleration metrics have limited value, such as for slow-moving animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard M. Gunner
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, BiosciencesCollege of ScienceSwansea UniversitySwanseaUK
| | - Rory P. Wilson
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, BiosciencesCollege of ScienceSwansea UniversitySwanseaUK
| | - Mark D. Holton
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, BiosciencesCollege of ScienceSwansea UniversitySwanseaUK
| | - Rebecca Scott
- Future Ocean Cluster of ExcellenceGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean ResearchKielGermany
- Natural Environmental Research Council, Polaris HouseSwindonUK
| | - Phil Hopkins
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, BiosciencesCollege of ScienceSwansea UniversitySwanseaUK
| | - Carlos M. Duarte
- Red Sea Research CentreKing Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyThuwalSaudi Arabia
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16
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DeSantis DL, Mata-Silva V, Johnson JD, Wagler AE. Integrative Framework for Long-Term Activity Monitoring of Small and Secretive Animals: Validation With a Cryptic Pitviper. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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17
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Arkwright AC, Archibald E, Fahlman A, Holton MD, Crespo-Picazo JL, Cabedo VM, Duarte CM, Scott R, Webb S, Gunner RM, Wilson RP. Behavioral Biomarkers for Animal Health: A Case Study Using Animal-Attached Technology on Loggerhead Turtles. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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18
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Greif S, Yovel Y. Using on-board sound recordings to infer behaviour of free-moving wild animals. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:222/Suppl_1/jeb184689. [PMID: 30728226 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.184689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Technological advances in the last 20 years have enabled researchers to develop increasingly sophisticated miniature devices (tags) that record an animal's behaviour not from an observational, external viewpoint, but directly on the animals themselves. So far, behavioural research with these tags has mostly been conducted using movement or acceleration data. But on-board audio recordings have become more and more common following pioneering work in marine mammal research. The first questions that come to mind when recording sound on-board animals concern their vocal behaviour. When are they calling? How do they adjust their behaviour? What acoustic parameters do they change and how? However, other topics like foraging behaviour, social interactions or environmental acoustics can now be addressed as well and offer detailed insight into the animals' daily life. In this Review, we discuss the possibilities, advantages and limitations of on-board acoustic recordings. We focus primarily on bats as their active-sensing, echolocating lifestyle allows many approaches to a multi-faceted acoustic assessment of their behaviour. The general ideas and concepts, however, are applicable to many animals and hopefully will demonstrate the versatility of on-board acoustic recordings and stimulate new research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Greif
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Yossi Yovel
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel .,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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19
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Munden R, Börger L, Wilson RP, Redcliffe J, Loison A, Garel M, Potts JR. Making sense of ultrahigh-resolution movement data: A new algorithm for inferring sites of interest. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:265-274. [PMID: 30680112 PMCID: PMC6342090 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Revised: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Decomposing the life track of an animal into behavioral segments is a fundamental challenge for movement ecology. The proliferation of high-resolution data, often collected many times per second, offers much opportunity for understanding animal movement. However, the sheer size of modern data sets means there is an increasing need for rapid, novel computational techniques to make sense of these data. Most existing methods were designed with smaller data sets in mind and can thus be prohibitively slow. Here, we introduce a method for segmenting high-resolution movement trajectories into sites of interest and transitions between these sites. This builds on a previous algorithm of Benhamou and Riotte-Lambert (2012). Adapting it for use with high-resolution data. The data's resolution removed the need to interpolate between successive locations, allowing us to increase the algorithm's speed by approximately two orders of magnitude with essentially no drop in accuracy. Furthermore, we incorporate a color scheme for testing the level of confidence in the algorithm's inference (high = green, medium = amber, low = red). We demonstrate the speed and accuracy of our algorithm with application to both simulated and real data (Alpine cattle at 1 Hz resolution). On simulated data, our algorithm correctly identified the sites of interest for 99% of "high confidence" paths. For the cattle data, the algorithm identified the two known sites of interest: a watering hole and a milking station. It also identified several other sites which can be related to hypothesized environmental drivers (e.g., food). Our algorithm gives an efficient method for turning a long, high-resolution movement path into a schematic representation of broadscale decisions, allowing a direct link to existing point-to-point analysis techniques such as optimal foraging theory. It is encoded into an R package called SitesInterest, so should serve as a valuable tool for making sense of these increasingly large data streams.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhys Munden
- School of Mathematics and StatisticsUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences, College of ScienceSwansea UniversitySwanseaWalesUK
| | - Rory P. Wilson
- Department of Biosciences, College of ScienceSwansea UniversitySwanseaWalesUK
| | - James Redcliffe
- Department of Biosciences, College of ScienceSwansea UniversitySwanseaWalesUK
| | - Anne Loison
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, UMR CNRS 5553Université de SavoieLe Bourget‐du‐LacFrance
| | - Mathieu Garel
- Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Unité Ongulés SauvagesGièresFrance
| | - Jonathan R. Potts
- School of Mathematics and StatisticsUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
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20
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Stephens PA. Ecology: Luck, Scarcity, and the Fate of Populations. Curr Biol 2018; 28:R1384-R1386. [PMID: 30562528 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.10.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
An animal's choice of diet plays a large part in determining whether it will find food during a period of searching. This has profound implications for the likelihood of reproductive success or starvation and many other important questions in ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip A Stephens
- Conservation Ecology Group, Department of Biosciences, Durham University South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK.
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21
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Wilson RP, Holton MD, Virgilio A, Williams H, Shepard ELC, Lambertucci S, Quintana F, Sala JE, Balaji B, Lee ES, Srivastava M, Scantlebury DM, Duarte CM. Give the machine a hand: A Boolean time‐based decision‐tree template for rapidly finding animal behaviours in multisensor data. Methods Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rory P. Wilson
- Department of BiosciencesCollege of ScienceSwansea University Swansea UK
| | - Mark D. Holton
- Department of Computing ScienceCollege of ScienceSwansea University Swansea UK
| | - Agustina Virgilio
- Grupo de Biología de la ConservaciónLaboratorio EcotonoINIBIOMA (CONICET‐Universidad Nacional del Comahue) Bariloche Argentina
- Grupo de Ecología CuantitativaINIBIOMA (CONICET‐Universidad Nacional del Comahue) Bariloche Argentina
| | - Hannah Williams
- Department of BiosciencesCollege of ScienceSwansea University Swansea UK
| | | | - Sergio Lambertucci
- Grupo de Biología de la ConservaciónLaboratorio EcotonoINIBIOMA (CONICET‐Universidad Nacional del Comahue) Bariloche Argentina
| | - Flavio Quintana
- Instituto de Biologia de Organismos Marinos IBIOMAR‐CONICET (9120) Puerto Madryn Chubut Argentina
| | - Juan E. Sala
- Instituto de Biologia de Organismos Marinos IBIOMAR‐CONICET (9120) Puerto Madryn Chubut Argentina
| | - Bharathan Balaji
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles California
| | - Eun Sun Lee
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles California
| | - Mani Srivastava
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles California
| | - D. Michael Scantlebury
- School of Biological SciencesInstitute for Global Food SecurityQueen's University Belfast Belfast UK
| | - Carlos M. Duarte
- Red Sea Research CentreKing Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal Saudi Arabia
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22
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Potts JR, Börger L, Scantlebury DM, Bennett NC, Alagaili A, Wilson RP. Finding turning‐points in ultra‐high‐resolution animal movement data. Methods Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R. Potts
- School of Mathematics and StatisticsUniversity of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences, College of ScienceSwansea University Swansea UK
| | - D. Michael Scantlebury
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food SecurityQueens University Belfast Belfast UK
| | - Nigel C. Bennett
- Department of Zoology and EntomologyUniversity of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
- Zoology DepartmentKing Saud University Riyadh Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulaziz Alagaili
- KSU Mammals Research ChairZoology Department, King Saud University Riyadh Saudi Arabia
| | - Rory P. Wilson
- Department of Biosciences, College of ScienceSwansea University Swansea UK
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23
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Jeantet L, Dell'Amico F, Forin-Wiart MA, Coutant M, Bonola M, Etienne D, Gresser J, Regis S, Lecerf N, Lefebvre F, de Thoisy B, Le Maho Y, Brucker M, Châtelain N, Laesser R, Crenner F, Handrich Y, Wilson R, Chevallier D. Combined use of two supervised learning algorithms to model sea turtle behaviours from tri-axial acceleration data. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.177378. [PMID: 29661804 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.177378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Accelerometers are becoming ever more important sensors in animal-attached technology, providing data that allow determination of body posture and movement and thereby helping to elucidate behaviour in animals that are difficult to observe. We sought to validate the identification of sea turtle behaviours from accelerometer signals by deploying tags on the carapace of a juvenile loggerhead (Caretta caretta), an adult hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and an adult green turtle (Chelonia mydas) at Aquarium La Rochelle, France. We recorded tri-axial acceleration at 50 Hz for each species for a full day while two fixed cameras recorded their behaviours. We identified behaviours from the acceleration data using two different supervised learning algorithms, Random Forest and Classification And Regression Tree (CART), treating the data from the adult animals as separate from the juvenile data. We achieved a global accuracy of 81.30% for the adult hawksbill and green turtle CART model and 71.63% for the juvenile loggerhead, identifying 10 and 12 different behaviours, respectively. Equivalent figures were 86.96% for the adult hawksbill and green turtle Random Forest model and 79.49% for the juvenile loggerhead, for the same behaviours. The use of Random Forest combined with CART algorithms allowed us to understand the decision rules implicated in behaviour discrimination, and thus remove or group together some 'confused' or under--represented behaviours in order to get the most accurate models. This study is the first to validate accelerometer data to identify turtle behaviours and the approach can now be tested on other captive sea turtle species.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Jeantet
- DEPE-IPHC, UMR 7178, CNRS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 2, France
| | - F Dell'Amico
- Aquarium La Rochelle, quai Louis Prunier, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - M-A Forin-Wiart
- DEPE-IPHC, UMR 7178, CNRS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 2, France
| | - M Coutant
- Aquarium La Rochelle, quai Louis Prunier, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - M Bonola
- DEPE-IPHC, UMR 7178, CNRS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 2, France
| | - D Etienne
- Direction de l'Environnement, de l'Aménagement et du Logement Martinique, BP 7217, 97274 Schoelcher cedex, Martinique
| | - J Gresser
- Office de l'Eau Martinique, 7 avenue Condorcet, BP 32, 97201 Fort-de-France, Martinique
| | - S Regis
- DEPE-IPHC, UMR 7178, CNRS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 2, France
| | - N Lecerf
- DEPE-IPHC, UMR 7178, CNRS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 2, France
| | - F Lefebvre
- DEPE-IPHC, UMR 7178, CNRS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 2, France
| | - B de Thoisy
- Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, 23 avenue Pasteur, BP 6010, Cayenne cedex, Guyane
| | - Y Le Maho
- DEPE-IPHC, UMR 7178, CNRS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 2, France
| | - M Brucker
- DEPE-IPHC, UMR 7178, CNRS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 2, France
| | - N Châtelain
- DEPE-IPHC, UMR 7178, CNRS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 2, France
| | - R Laesser
- DEPE-IPHC, UMR 7178, CNRS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 2, France
| | - F Crenner
- DEPE-IPHC, UMR 7178, CNRS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 2, France
| | - Y Handrich
- DEPE-IPHC, UMR 7178, CNRS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 2, France
| | - R Wilson
- Biological Sciences, Institute of Environmental Sustainability, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - D Chevallier
- DEPE-IPHC, UMR 7178, CNRS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 2, France
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Hughey LF, Hein AM, Strandburg-Peshkin A, Jensen FH. Challenges and solutions for studying collective animal behaviour in the wild. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 373:20170005. [PMID: 29581390 PMCID: PMC5882975 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Mobile animal groups provide some of the most compelling examples of self-organization in the natural world. While field observations of songbird flocks wheeling in the sky or anchovy schools fleeing from predators have inspired considerable interest in the mechanics of collective motion, the challenge of simultaneously monitoring multiple animals in the field has historically limited our capacity to study collective behaviour of wild animal groups with precision. However, recent technological advancements now present exciting opportunities to overcome many of these limitations. Here we review existing methods used to collect data on the movements and interactions of multiple animals in a natural setting. We then survey emerging technologies that are poised to revolutionize the study of collective animal behaviour by extending the spatial and temporal scales of inquiry, increasing data volume and quality, and expediting the post-processing of raw data.This article is part of the theme issue 'Collective movement ecology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lacey F Hughey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Andrew M Hein
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Frants H Jensen
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 6B, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
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Sha JCM, Kaneko A, Suda-Hashimoto N, He T, Take M, Zhang P, Hanya G. Estimating activity of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) using accelerometers. Am J Primatol 2017; 79. [PMID: 28892192 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Revised: 06/15/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Accelerometers have been used to study both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, mainly for mammal and bird species. In terrestrial mammals, there is a bias toward ungulates and carnivores, with fewer studies on nonhuman primates. In this study, we tested the use of accelerometers for studying the activity of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). We modeled the activity of a male and a female subject by matching continuous focal observations from video recordings to sensor parameters derived from collar-mounted accelerometers. Models achieved classification performance (AUC) of greater than 90% for both subjects, with similar results when subjects were cross-validated. Accelerometer-based estimates of activity had comparable accuracies to estimates from instantaneous sampling at 1 min and 5 min intervals. We further demonstrated the use of model estimates for analyzing circadian rhythm and night time activity of M. fuscata. Our results add support to the feasibility of using accelerometers for studying activity of nonhuman primates. We discussed the limitations, benefits and potential applications of remote-sensing technology like accelerometers for advancing primalotogical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C M Sha
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan.,School of Sociology and Anthropology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Akihisa Kaneko
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan
| | | | - Tianmeng He
- School of Sociology and Anthropology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Makiko Take
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan
| | - Peng Zhang
- School of Sociology and Anthropology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Goro Hanya
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan
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26
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SMART collars help track and conserve wildlife. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:3266-3268. [DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1701956114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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27
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Williams HJ, Holton MD, Shepard ELC, Largey N, Norman B, Ryan PG, Duriez O, Scantlebury M, Quintana F, Magowan EA, Marks NJ, Alagaili AN, Bennett NC, Wilson RP. Identification of animal movement patterns using tri-axial magnetometry. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2017; 5:6. [PMID: 28357113 PMCID: PMC5367006 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-017-0097-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 02/27/2017] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Accelerometers are powerful sensors in many bio-logging devices, and are increasingly allowing researchers to investigate the performance, behaviour, energy expenditure and even state, of free-living animals. Another sensor commonly used in animal-attached loggers is the magnetometer, which has been primarily used in dead-reckoning or inertial measurement tags, but little outside that. We examine the potential of magnetometers for helping elucidate the behaviour of animals in a manner analogous to, but very different from, accelerometers. The particular responses of magnetometers to movement means that there are instances when they can resolve behaviours that are not easily perceived using accelerometers. METHODS We calibrated the tri-axial magnetometer to rotations in each axis of movement and constructed 3-dimensional plots to inspect these stylised movements. Using the tri-axial data of Daily Diary tags, attached to individuals of number of animal species as they perform different behaviours, we used these 3-d plots to develop a framework with which tri-axial magnetometry data can be examined and introduce metrics that should help quantify movement and behaviour.. RESULTS Tri-axial magnetometry data reveal patterns in movement at various scales of rotation that are not always evident in acceleration data. Some of these patterns may be obscure until visualised in 3D space as tri-axial spherical plots (m-spheres). A tag-fitted animal that rotates in heading while adopting a constant body attitude produces a ring of data around the pole of the m-sphere that we define as its Normal Operational Plane (NOP). Data that do not lie on this ring are created by postural rotations of the animal as it pitches and/or rolls. Consequently, stereotyped behaviours appear as specific trajectories on the sphere (m-prints), reflecting conserved sequences of postural changes (and/or angular velocities), which result from the precise relationship between body attitude and heading. This novel approach shows promise for helping researchers to identify and quantify behaviours in terms of animal body posture, including heading. CONCLUSION Magnetometer-based techniques and metrics can enhance our capacity to identify and examine animal behaviour, either as a technique used alone, or one that is complementary to tri-axial accelerometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J. Williams
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
| | - Mark D. Holton
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
| | - Emily L. C. Shepard
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
| | - Nicola Largey
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
| | - Brad Norman
- ECOCEAN Inc. (Aust.), ECOCEAN (USA), C/o 68a Railway Street, Perth, WA 6011 Australia
| | - Peter G. Ryan
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701 South Africa
| | - Olivier Duriez
- CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier, EPHE, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Michael Scantlebury
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Ireland
| | - Flavio Quintana
- Centro Nacional Patagónico, CONICET (9120), Puerto Madryn, Chubut Argentina
| | - Elizabeth A. Magowan
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Ireland
| | - Nikki J. Marks
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Ireland
| | - Abdulaziz N. Alagaili
- KSU Mammals Research Chair, Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451 Saudi Arabia
| | - Nigel C. Bennett
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Rory P. Wilson
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
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28
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Affiliation(s)
- J. A. Bissonette
- Department of Wildland Resources; Quinney College of Natural Resources; Utah State University; Logan UT 84322-5200 USA
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29
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Wilson RP, Holton MD, Walker JS, Shepard ELC, Scantlebury DM, Wilson VL, Wilson GI, Tysse B, Gravenor M, Ciancio J, McNarry MA, Mackintosh KA, Qasem L, Rosell F, Graf PM, Quintana F, Gomez-Laich A, Sala JE, Mulvenna CC, Marks NJ, Jones MW. A spherical-plot solution to linking acceleration metrics with animal performance, state, behaviour and lifestyle. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2016; 4:22. [PMID: 27688882 PMCID: PMC5035456 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-016-0088-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 09/16/2016] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We are increasingly using recording devices with multiple sensors operating at high frequencies to produce large volumes of data which are problematic to interpret. A particularly challenging example comes from studies on animals and humans where researchers use animal-attached accelerometers on moving subjects to attempt to quantify behaviour, energy expenditure and condition. RESULTS The approach taken effectively concatinated three complex lines of acceleration into one visualization that highlighted patterns that were otherwise not obvious. The summation of data points within sphere facets and presentation into histograms on the sphere surface effectively dealt with data occlusion. Further frequency binning of data within facets and representation of these bins as discs on spines radiating from the sphere allowed patterns in dynamic body accelerations (DBA) associated with different postures to become obvious. METHOD We examine the extent to which novel, gravity-based spherical plots can produce revealing visualizations to incorporate the complexity of such multidimensional acceleration data using a suite of different acceleration-derived metrics with a view to highlighting patterns that are not obvious using current approaches. The basis for the visualisation involved three-dimensional plots of the smoothed acceleration values, which then occupied points on the surface of a sphere. This sphere was divided into facets and point density within each facet expressed as a histogram. Within each facet-dependent histogram, data were also grouped into frequency bins of any desirable parameters, most particularly dynamic body acceleration (DBA), which were then presented as discs on a central spine radiating from the facet. Greater radial distances from the sphere surface indicated greater DBA values while greater disc diameter indicated larger numbers of data points with that particular value. CONCLUSIONS We indicate how this approach links behaviour and proxies for energetics and can inform our identification and understanding of movement-related processes, highlighting subtle differences in movement and its associated energetics. This approach has ramifications that should expand to areas as disparate as disease identification, lifestyle, sports practice and wild animal ecology. UCT Science Faculty Animal Ethics 2014/V10/PR (valid until 2017).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rory P. Wilson
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
| | - Mark D. Holton
- Visual Computing, Computer Science, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
| | - James S. Walker
- Visual Computing, Computer Science, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
| | - Emily L. C. Shepard
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
| | - D. Mike Scantlebury
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97, Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL UK
| | - Vianney L. Wilson
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
| | - Gwendoline I. Wilson
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
| | - Brenda Tysse
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
| | - Mike Gravenor
- Institute of Life Science, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
| | - Javier Ciancio
- Centro Nacional Patagonico, Boulevard Brown s/n, Chubut, Argentina
| | - Melitta A. McNarry
- Applied Sports Science Technology and Medicine Research Centre, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Fabian Way, Swansea, SA1 8EN UK
| | - Kelly A. Mackintosh
- Applied Sports Science Technology and Medicine Research Centre, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Fabian Way, Swansea, SA1 8EN UK
| | - Lama Qasem
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, 2713 Qatar
| | - Frank Rosell
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, N-3800 Bø i, Telemark, Norway
| | - Patricia M. Graf
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, N-3800 Bø i, Telemark, Norway
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, A-1180 Vienna Austria
| | - Flavio Quintana
- Centro Nacional Patagonico, Boulevard Brown s/n, Chubut, Argentina
| | | | - Juan-Emilio Sala
- Centro Nacional Patagonico, Boulevard Brown s/n, Chubut, Argentina
| | - Christina C. Mulvenna
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97, Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL UK
| | - Nicola J. Marks
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97, Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL UK
| | - Mark W. Jones
- Visual Computing, Computer Science, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
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Gill LF, D'Amelio PB, Adreani NM, Sagunsky H, Gahr MC, Maat A. A minimum‐impact, flexible tool to study vocal communication of small animals with precise individual‐level resolution. Methods Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa F. Gill
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Eberhard‐Gwinner‐Str. 82319 Seewiesen Germany
| | - Pietro B. D'Amelio
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Eberhard‐Gwinner‐Str. 82319 Seewiesen Germany
| | - Nicolas M. Adreani
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Eberhard‐Gwinner‐Str. 82319 Seewiesen Germany
| | - Hannes Sagunsky
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Eberhard‐Gwinner‐Str. 82319 Seewiesen Germany
| | - Manfred C. Gahr
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Eberhard‐Gwinner‐Str. 82319 Seewiesen Germany
| | - Andries Maat
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Eberhard‐Gwinner‐Str. 82319 Seewiesen Germany
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31
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Wilson GI, Norman B, Walker J, Williams HJ, Holton MD, Clarke D, Wilson RP. In search of rules behind environmental framing; the case of head pitch. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2015; 3:24. [PMID: 26380712 PMCID: PMC4572619 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-015-0051-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2015] [Accepted: 09/06/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Whether, and how, animals move requires them to assess their environment to determine the most appropriate action and trajectory, although the precise way the environment is scanned has been little studied. We hypothesized that head attitude, which effectively frames the environment for the eyes, and the way it changes over time, would be modulated by the environment. METHOD To test this, we used a head-mounted device (Human-Interfaced Personal Observation platform - HIPOP) on people moving through three different environments; a botanical garden ('green' space), a reef ('blue' space), and a featureless corridor, to examine if head movement in the vertical axis differed between environments. Template matching was used to identify and quantify distinct behaviours. CONCLUSIONS The data on head pitch from all subjects and environments over time showed essentially continuous clear waveforms with varying amplitude and wavelength. There were three stylised behaviours consisting of smooth, regular peaks and troughs in head pitch angle and variable length fixations during which the head pitch remained constant. These three behaviours accounted for ca. 40 % of the total time, with irregular head pitch changes accounting for the rest. There were differences in rates of manifestation of behaviour according to environment as well as environmentally different head pitch values of peaks, troughs and fixations. Finally, although there was considerable variation in head pitch angles, the peak and trough values bounded most of the variation in the fixation pitch values. It is suggested that the constant waveforms in head pitch serve to inform people about their environment, providing a scanning mechanism. Particular emphasis to certain sectors is manifest within the peak and trough limits and these appear modulated by the distribution of the points where fixation, interpreted as being due to objects of interest, occurs. This behaviour explains how animals allocate processing resources to the environment and shows promise for movement studies attempting to elucidate which parts of the environment affect movement trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwendoline Ixia Wilson
- />Department of Geography, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP Wales UK
| | - Brad Norman
- />Computer Science, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP Wales UK
| | - James Walker
- />ECOCEAN Inc, 102/72 Marine Terrace, Fremantle, WA 6160 Australia
| | - Hannah J. Williams
- />Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP Wales UK
| | - M. D. Holton
- />College of Engineering, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP Wales UK
| | - D. Clarke
- />Department of Geography, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP Wales UK
| | - Rory P. Wilson
- />Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP Wales UK
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32
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Bidder OR, Walker JS, Jones MW, Holton MD, Urge P, Scantlebury DM, Marks NJ, Magowan EA, Maguire IE, Wilson RP. Step by step: reconstruction of terrestrial animal movement paths by dead-reckoning. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2015; 3:23. [PMID: 26380711 PMCID: PMC4572461 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-015-0055-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/06/2015] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research on wild animal ecology is increasingly employing GPS telemetry in order to determine animal movement. However, GPS systems record position intermittently, providing no information on latent position or track tortuosity. High frequency GPS have high power requirements, which necessitates large batteries (often effectively precluding their use on small animals) or reduced deployment duration. Dead-reckoning is an alternative approach which has the potential to 'fill in the gaps' between less resolute forms of telemetry without incurring the power costs. However, although this method has been used in aquatic environments, no explicit demonstration of terrestrial dead-reckoning has been presented. RESULTS We perform a simple validation experiment to assess the rate of error accumulation in terrestrial dead-reckoning. In addition, examples of successful implementation of dead-reckoning are given using data from the domestic dog Canus lupus, horse Equus ferus, cow Bos taurus and wild badger Meles meles. CONCLUSIONS This study documents how terrestrial dead-reckoning can be undertaken, describing derivation of heading from tri-axial accelerometer and tri-axial magnetometer data, correction for hard and soft iron distortions on the magnetometer output, and presenting a novel correction procedure to marry dead-reckoned paths to ground-truthed positions. This study is the first explicit demonstration of terrestrial dead-reckoning, which provides a workable method of deriving the paths of animals on a step-by-step scale. The wider implications of this method for the understanding of animal movement ecology are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- O. R. Bidder
- />Institut für Terrestrische und Aquatische Wildtierforschung, Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule, Hannover, Werfstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany
| | - J. S. Walker
- />Department of Computer Science, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, Wales UK
| | - M. W. Jones
- />Department of Computer Science, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, Wales UK
| | - M. D. Holton
- />College of Engineering, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP Wales UK
| | - P. Urge
- />Faculté des Sciences de la Vie, Master d’Ecophysiologie et Ethologie, Université de Strasbourg, 28 rue Goethe, 67083 Strasbourg Cedex, France
| | - D. M. Scantlebury
- />School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL Northern Ireland UK
| | - N. J. Marks
- />School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL Northern Ireland UK
| | - E. A. Magowan
- />School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL Northern Ireland UK
| | - I. E. Maguire
- />School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL Northern Ireland UK
| | - R. P. Wilson
- />Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP Wales UK
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