Article
Ecology
Andrea Soriano-Redondo, Aldina M. A. Franco, Marta Acacio, Ana Payo-Payo, Bruno Herlander Martins, Francisco Moreira, Ines Catry
Summary: Different migratory strategies can coexist within animal populations and species, and anthropogenic impacts can influence the balance between these strategies. This study investigates the phenotypic differences and trade-offs associated with four movement strategies in a population of white storks. The researchers found that long-distance migrants traveled farther, spent more energy, and had later nesting and breeding success compared to short-distance migrants and residents. However, there were no significant differences in survival probability. Smaller individuals were more likely to migrate and may incur higher energetic and fitness costs. The results highlight the impacts of anthropogenic factors on migratory behavior, fitness, and evolution.
Article
Ecology
Gioele Passoni, Tim Coulson, Nathan Ranc, Andrea Corradini, A. J. Mark Hewison, Simone Ciuti, Benedikt Gehr, Marco Heurich, Falko Brieger, Robin Sandfort, Atle Mysterud, Niko Balkenhol, Francesca Cagnacci
Summary: Human disturbances, such as roads, can act as physical barriers impacting animal behavior across different spatial scales. Roads can particularly hinder key ecological processes like dispersal and migration in ungulates, and the avoidance of roads by these animals remains consistent across different movement modes. This highlights the potential constraints posed by roads on wildlife movement processes and functional connectivity in landscapes dominated by human activities.
Article
Ecology
Simona Picardi, Briana Abrahms, Emily Gelzer, Thomas. A. A. Morrison, Tana Verzuh, Jerod. A. A. Merkle
Summary: Site fidelity, which refers to the tendency of individuals to return to previously visited locations, is influenced by various mechanisms such as memory, habitat selection, or chance. However, existing definitions often group different mechanisms under the same label of 'site fidelity', assuming memory as the main driver. In this study, we propose an operational definition of site fidelity that deviates from a null expectation derived from a memory-free movement model. We demonstrate through agent-based simulations that movement characteristics and landscape characteristics play important roles in generating return patterns, even in the absence of memory. We also provide a framework for establishing system-specific null expectations for site fidelity, allowing for hypothesis testing across different systems and scales.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anastasia E. Madsen, Bruce E. Lyon, Alexis S. Chaine, Theadora A. Block, Daizaburo Shizuka
Summary: There is a strong link between animal social interactions and their spatial behavior. A study on migratory birds found that interannual winter site fidelity is influenced by social associations and the loss of close flockmates. Furthermore, social fidelity may play an increasingly important role on spatial behavior across the lifetime of these birds.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christopher J. Butler, Tabitha W. Olsen, Bailey Kephart, Jennifer K. Wilson, Amanda A. Haverland
Summary: Yellow Rails and Black Rails show low interannual site fidelity, with only a few individuals being recaptured between years. This low site fidelity may be advantageous for species that use early successional habitats.
Article
Biology
Eric J. Guiry, Margaretta James, Christina Cheung, Thomas C. A. Royle
Summary: Studies show that long-term individual foraging site fidelity may be an important adaptation for long-lived, migratory animals in the face of increasing population competition. Recovering populations of species like short-tailed albatross may lead to a resurgence of geographic specialization, requiring closer conservation monitoring.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Kyle Joly, Eliezer Gurarie, D. Alexander Hansen, Matthew D. Cameron
Summary: The study analyzed fidelity patterns of caribou at different spatial scales and found that fidelity is related to resource predictability, especially higher fidelity within seasonal ranges. Individual fidelity is significantly correlated across seasons.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biology
Calandra Q. Stanley, Michele R. Dudash, Thomas B. Ryder, W. Gregory Shriver, Peter P. Marra
Summary: Identifying environmental correlates driving space-use strategies can be critical for predicting population dynamics, while moisture plays a significant role in driving food abundance and space-use strategies for wood thrush. Contrary to expectations, individuals in wetter habitats were more likely to engage in permanent mid-winter relocations, indicating facultative movements may be a condition-dependent strategy for locating alternative habitat. Future research should focus on understanding how moisture impacts within and between season space-use dynamics and population dynamics of this declining species.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Yasaman N. Shakeri, Kevin S. White, Jason N. Waite
Summary: Understanding the spatial use patterns and range fidelity of mountain goats in coastal Alaska revealed distinct seasonal and sex-specific variations. Females had larger home ranges than males during summer, but this relationship switched during the mating season. The high degree of range fidelity among individual animals, with 99% of them returning to their previous year's seasonal range, has important conservation implications in landscapes increasingly altered by human activities.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Helena Rheault, Charles R. Anderson, Maegwin Bonar, Robby R. Marrotte, Tyler R. Ross, George Wittemyer, Joseph M. Northrup
Summary: The study reveals the significant influence of spatial experience on mule deer's habitat selection across different seasons, with short-term and long-term memory playing important roles in driving seasonal range habitat selection. Mule deer are able to update their cognitive map of seasonal ranges in real time and retain long-term information, supporting the theory that memory is a mechanism leading to emergent space-use patterns such as site fidelity.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Ana Payo-Payo, Paul Acker, Greta Bocedi, Justin M. J. Travis, Sarah J. Burthe, Michael P. Harris, Sarah Wanless, Mark Newell, Francis Daunt, Jane M. Reid
Summary: Variation in expression of seasonal migration versus residence, both among-individual and within-individual, is common in nature and can greatly impact the dynamics of partially migratory metapopulations. However, this variation is rarely incorporated into metapopulation dynamic models. Thus, a general framework is needed to identify the role of variable seasonal movements and associated vital rates in controlling system persistence.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yanjie Xu, Andy J. Green, Taej Mundkur, Ward Hagemeijer, Haitham Mossad, Herbert H. T. Prins, Willem F. de Boer
Summary: Existing international frameworks and policies for bird conservation focus more on individual sites rather than the network and connectivity between sites. We propose a three-step quantitative approach to protect bird movement connectivity from a network perspective. This approach can serve as a tool for comprehensive and dynamic monitoring of site network robustness.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Matthew J. Smukall, Andrew C. Seitz, Felicie Dhellemmes, Maurits P. M. van Zinnicq Bergmann, Vital Heim, Samuel H. Gruber, Tristan L. Guttridge
Summary: Understanding the space use and movement behavior of tiger sharks is crucial for their conservation. This study found that Bimini serves as an important pupping ground for tiger sharks, with some individuals showing long-term site fidelity. The study also revealed that larger individuals are more likely to disperse from Bimini to other areas in the western North Atlantic.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Samantha Nicole Smith, Max Dolton Jones, Benjamin Michael Marshall, Surachit Waengsothorn, George A. Gale, Colin Thomas Strine
Summary: Investigated the space use and habitat selection of Burmese pythons in a biosphere reserve in Thailand, revealing a preference for aquatic habitats and a lack of avoidance of human settlements despite restricted movement.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
W. James Grecian, Garry B. Stenson, Martin Biuw, Lars Boehme, Lars P. Folkow, Pierre J. Goulet, Ian D. Jonsen, Aleksander Malde, Erling S. Nordoy, Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid, Sophie Smout
Summary: This study investigated the development of migratory and dive behavior in juvenile harp seals during their first year. The results showed similarities in migratory movements and differences in diving behavior between different breeding populations of harp seals. The study also highlighted the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on shaping early life behavior.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Timothy J. Fullman, Ryan R. Wilson, Kyle Joly, David D. Gustine, Paul Leonard, Wendy M. Loya
Summary: This study explores the behavior patterns of migratory species and their impact on development projects, presenting a technique that uses circuit theory to predict future effects of development. Caribou avoid dense vegetation, rugged terrain, and other natural environmental features during migration, with different relationships between resource selection and landscape resistance observed during spring and fall migrations.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Scott Leorna, Todd Brinkman, Timothy Fullman
Summary: Camera trapping is a widely used method in wildlife ecology, and developing techniques to extract additional information from images can enhance the utility of generated data. This study presents a method of using pixel measurements in images to estimate animal size or distance from the camera, and evaluates its performance using simulation and field experiments. The results show that the method produces robust estimates and can be applied in different camera trap settings.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Timothy J. Fullman, Benjamin K. Sullender, Matthew D. Cameron, Kyle Joly
Summary: Wildlife management involves balancing species conservation and human development, using scientific studies to assess environmental impacts of proposed actions. The Development Impacts Analysis (DIA) employs Monte Carlo simulation modeling to quantify environmental consequences of future development scenarios while considering uncertainty. Results from applying the DIA emphasized the importance of spatial variation and species-specific differences in evaluating management proposals.