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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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Bartra Cabré L, Mayer M, Steyaert S, Rosell F. Beaver (Castor fiber) activity and spatial movement in response to light and weather conditions. Mamm Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-020-00029-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
AbstractAnimal behaviour can affect individual fitness and is influenced by exogenous and endogenous factors. Here, we investigated how light (daylight length and moonlight), weather (precipitation and temperature), age, sex and social status affected activity and movement of a semiaquatic mammal, the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber), using GPS relocation data from 47 individuals in south-eastern Norway. Independent of daylight length, beavers had a mean daily activity time of 9:42 h and reduced their activity periods when they were older, most likely due to senescence. In line with this, older individuals also spent less time in water and moved shorter distances. Furthermore, beavers reduced their activity periods in drier weather conditions and spent less time on land during brighter nights and drier conditions, indicating a predation risk avoidance strategy. Individuals spent less time in the water during the colder parts of the year and moved shorter distances with decreasing temperature, suggesting thermal constraints. Our study adds to the increasing amount of evidence that animal behaviour is modulated by various endogenous and exogenous factors, and that weather conditions can affect their behaviour. It remains to be tested, however, how climate variability together with hunting and predation pressure affect space use and demography in species such as the Eurasian beaver.
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Mayer M, Frank SC, Zedrosser A, Rosell F. Causes and consequences of inverse density‐dependent territorial behaviour and aggression in a monogamous mammal. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:577-588. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Mayer
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences University of South‐Eastern Norway Bø Norway
- Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Rønde Denmark
| | - Shane C. Frank
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences University of South‐Eastern Norway Bø Norway
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences University of South‐Eastern Norway Bø Norway
- Department of Integrative Biology Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
| | - Frank Rosell
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences University of South‐Eastern Norway Bø Norway
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