Article
Ecology
Erin Simons-Legaard, Daniel Harrison, Jeffrey Hepinstall-Cymerman, David Payer
Summary: Maintaining sufficient habitat, especially for adult females, is crucial for the conservation of American martens in commercial forestlands.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Guillemette Labadie, Philip D. McLoughlin, Mark Hebblewhite, Daniel Fortin
Summary: This study demonstrates how the introduction of insect pests can impact predator-prey relationships among large mammals, potentially affecting the entire ecosystem. Human activities may also exacerbate these impacts.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Eric C. Palm, Michael J. Suitor, Kyle Joly, Jim D. Herriges, Allicia P. Kelly, Dave Hervieux, Kelsey L. M. Russell, Torsten W. Bentzen, Nicholas C. Larter, Mark Hebblewhite
Summary: Climate change will lead to more frequent and severe fires in boreal forests, affecting caribou populations. Caribou in winter and at larger scales tend to avoid burns more strongly, while they decrease their avoidance in summer. They strongly avoid severely burned areas and select higher lichen cover within burns.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Brianne E. Brussee, Peter S. Coates, Shawn T. O'Neil, Michael L. Casazza, Shawn P. Espinosa, John D. Boone, Elisabeth M. Ammon, Scott C. Gardner, David J. Delehanty
Summary: Numerous wildlife species in semi-arid shrubland ecosystems in western North America are suffering from habitat loss and fragmentation. Greater sage-grouse, considered an indicator of ecosystem health, have experienced population decline due to habitat degradation.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Hannu Poysa, Antti Paasivaara
Summary: This study investigated how the distribution of breeding individuals and breeding success of waterbirds in Southeastern Finland changed along gradients in ice-out date and habitat structure. The research found significant differences in distribution and breeding success of different species along environmental gradients. The potentially positive impact of climate change on breeding phenology was outweighed by negative changes in habitat quality.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Marie E. Martin, Katie M. Moriarty, Jonathan N. Pauli
Summary: The study found that Pacific martens in northern California mountains exhibit seasonally dependent resource selection and spatial use patterns. During snow-free periods, they tend to select features associated with complex forest structure, while in snow-covered periods, they prefer dense forest structure and topographic features.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yue Sun, Zongzhi Li, Junda Chen, Romaan Hayat Khattak, Zhensheng Liu, Liwei Teng
Summary: This study conducted a habitat selection analysis of water deer using the data of 11 habitat factors in Baishan Musk Deer National Nature Reserve from 2018 to 2019. The results revealed that water deer preferred grasslands with sufficient sunlight and at middle slopes, dominated by Artemisia carvifolia and A. argyi in the autumn and winter, respectively. The resource selection function model showed that the height of dominant herbage, hiding cover, distance from water, and distance to human settlements significantly influenced the habitat selection of water deer in the cold season. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for the conservation and restoration of water deer and for implementing sustainable development strategies in northeast China.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kati M. Suominen, Eero J. Vesterinen, Ilkka Kivisto, Maria Reiman, Tarmo Virtanen, Melissa B. Meierhofer, Ville Vasko, Tarja Sironen, Thomas M. Lilley
Summary: Bats and their reproductive roost sites are protected by legislation in Europe. This study used citizen science and molecular methods to determine the key environmental features around roost sites for bat species inhabiting human settlements in Northern Finland. Results showed that the built environment, open areas, and water within a 200 m radius were important for roost site selection for the northern bat, while Brandt's myotis preferred undisturbed landscapes within a 5 km radius. The surrounding habitat of a roost plays a vital role for bat species and should be protected and considered in land-use planning.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Lee J. Hecker, Mark A. Edwards, Scott E. Nielsen
Summary: Habitat selection in wildlife management and conservation is important. Different behaviors require different habitat components. Considering behavioral states is necessary to avoid overlooking factors influencing selection. The study on female wood bison revealed the influence of behavioral states on habitat selection and the importance of considering multiple states for assessing habitat suitability.
Article
Ecology
Bryan S. Stevens, Shane B. Roberts, Courtney J. Conway, Devin K. Englestead
Summary: Global change has led to an increase in megafire events, which significantly impact wildlife habitat. This study examined the functional responses and space use of breeding greater sage-grouse before and after a large-scale wildfire in Idaho, USA. The results showed that megafire altered the distribution of available resources and influenced the use of nesting habitat, while individual variation in resources affected brood rearing. Importantly, resource selection models built prior to the fire had poor transferability in predicting post-fire space use. These findings have important implications for understanding how animals respond to changing environments and can aid in habitat conservation efforts.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Clara Superbie, Kathrine M. Stewart, Charlotte E. Regan, Jill F. Johnstone, Philip D. McLoughlin
Summary: Understanding the relative importance of threats to species across their range is crucial for large-scale conservation planning. A study on the Canada-wide boreal caribou reveals that current policy draws heavily from data obtained in the southern area, but further research is needed to understand the situation in the northern region.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Guilherme Costa Alvarenga, Luca Chiaverini, Samuel A. Cushman, Egil Droege, David W. Macdonald, Daniel Luis Zanella Kantek, Ronaldo Goncalves Morato, Jeffrey J. Thompson, Ricardo B. L. M. Oscar, Leandro Abade, Fernando Cesar Cascelli de Azevedo, Emiliano E. Ramalho, Zaneta Kaszta
Summary: Jaguars are highly susceptible to habitat loss and fragmentation, with the Pantanal playing a critical role in their long-term conservation. The study found that jaguars primarily respond to landscape variables at broad scales and only one variable at a finer scale influences their path selection.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Joshua Blouin, Jacob DeBow, Elias Rosenblatt, James Hines, Cedric Alexander, Katherina Gieder, Nicholas Fortin, James Murdoch, Therese Donovan
Summary: The decline in moose populations due to winter tick infestation is influenced by habitat selection and elevation, with winter ticks being largely immobile during the fall questing and spring drop-off periods. Habitat selection by adult female moose during the fall questing period impacts the survival of their offspring, with successful mothers choosing different habitats from those whose calves perish. These findings provide important insights for management strategies aimed at reversing declining moose populations.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Rasmus Mohr Mortensen, Michelle Fyrstelin Fuller, Lars Dalby, Thomas Bjorneboe Berg, Peter Sunde
Summary: The research studied habitat selection of hazel dormouse in intensively managed woodlands in Denmark. The study found that the species strongly selected sites with high abundance-weighted species richness and high vegetation density of woody plants, and had specific habitat requirements related to food and safety. The results provide relatively simple means for accommodating the habitat needs of hazel dormouse in managed forests.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alisha R. Mosloff, Mitch D. Weegman, Frank R. Thompson, Thomas R. Thompson
Summary: The research found that northern bobwhite tend to select locations close to trees, with higher visual obstruction and more woody stems during fall and winter. This emphasizes the importance of dense shrub cover in close proximity to grasslands as important cover during fall and winter for northern bobwhite.
Article
Ecology
Garrett M. Street, Jonathan R. Potts, Luca Borger, James C. Beasley, Stephen Demarais, John M. Fryxell, Philip D. McLoughlin, Kevin L. Monteith, Christina M. Prokopenko, Miltinho C. Ribeiro, Arthur R. Rodgers, Bronson K. Strickland, Floris M. van Beest, David A. Bernasconi, Larissa T. Beumer, Guha Dharmarajan, Samantha P. Dwinnell, David A. Keiter, Alexine Keuroghlian, Levi J. Newediuk, Julia Emi F. Oshima, Olin Rhodes, Peter E. Schlichting, Niels M. Schmidt, Eric Vander Wal
Summary: Sample size sufficiency is crucial for estimating resource selection functions (RSFs) from GPS-based animal telemetry, with thresholds such as M >= 30 captured animals and maximum relocations per animal N recommended. This study provides a comprehensive solution by deriving mathematical expressions for necessary M and N based on biologically meaningful quantities, showing the decline in required sample sizes with increasing selection strength and landscape complexity. Analytical solutions demonstrate that the most relevant effects on utilization distribution can often be estimated with fewer than M=30 animals, regardless of availability definition, and should be a mandatory component for all future RSF studies.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Emmanouil Lempidakis, Andrew N. Ross, Luca Borger, Emily L. C. Shepard
Summary: This study provides the first assessment of the impact of flow characteristics on the distribution of seabird colonies using computational fluid dynamics. The results show that the breeding habitat selection of seabirds is influenced not only by airflows, but also by the need for shelter from wind and rain/wave action. Models of airflows and cliff orientation are effective in predicting high-quality habitat.
Article
Ecology
Jane E. Dentinger, Luca Borger, Mark D. Holton, Ruholla Jafari-Marandi, Durham A. Norman, Brian K. Smith, Seth F. Oppenheimer, Bronson K. Strickland, Rory P. Wilson, Garrett M. Street
Summary: Many animal distribution studies rely on habitat and climactic variables to explain space use patterns. Utilizing accelerometer and magnetometer data loggers can help detect behaviors, but require machine learning techniques to analyze vast quantities of data. Supervised and unsupervised machine learning approaches have different strengths and limitations in identifying behavior patterns.
ECOLOGICAL MODELLING
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Nicolas Courbin, Mathieu Garel, Pascal Marchand, Antoine Duparc, Lucie Debeffe, Luca Borger, Anne Loison
Summary: Animals perceive human activities as risky and respond with fear-induced proactive behaviors to buffer disturbances. This study examines the tolerance of chamois to human activities through tracking their migration patterns. The findings suggest individual variations in tolerance and an increased tolerance among chamois in areas with higher human activity, potentially due to habituation. However, this tolerance could increase the risk of being hunted.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Natasha J. Klappstein, Jonathan R. Potts, Theo Michelot, Luca Borger, Nicholas W. Pilfold, Mark A. Lewis, Andrew E. Derocher
Summary: The energy selection function (ESF) is introduced as a novel parameterization of step selection functions (SSFs) to evaluate how animals choose habitat based on energetic considerations. The ESF framework combines the energetic consequences of movement and resource selection, providing a key mechanism for habitat selection analysis.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Jeffrey Carbillet, Benjamin Rey, Rupert Palme, Chloe Monestier, Luca Borger, Typhaine Lavabre, Marie-Line Maublanc, Nicolas Cebe, Jean-Luc Rames, Guillaume Le Loc'h, Marine Wasniewski, Benoit Rannou, Emmanuelle Gilot-Fromont, Helene Verheyden
Summary: The study found that long-term elevation of glucocorticoids may impair immune functions. However, the relationship between stress and immunity in wild animals is less clear. This study re-explored the stress-immunity relationship, considering the potential effects of behavioral profiles. The results showed that individuals with increased glucocorticoid levels exhibited increased immunity and were characterized by more reactive behavioral profiles. These findings highlight the need to consider the interplay between behavior, immunity, and glucocorticoids when studying the stress-immunity relationships in wildlife.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jonathan R. Potts, Luca Borger, Bronson K. Strickland, Garrett M. Street
Summary: The study provides a methodological framework for understanding the movement mechanisms necessary for building predictive models of animal space use. By analyzing individual movement patterns, constructing step selection models, and comparing predicted and empirical patterns, the researchers iteratively improve the model's predictive power. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated through a case study on a population of feral pigs in Mississippi, USA, which identified missing features in the model.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sarah-Sophie Weil, Laure Gallien, Sebastien Lavergne, Luca Borger, Gabriel W. Hassler, Michael P. J. Nicolai, William L. Allen
Summary: Understanding the role of traits in dispersal is crucial for historical biogeography, community assembly processes, and predicting species' future movements. This study investigated the relationship between three traits (coastal distribution, body size, position on life history continuum) and past dispersal probability in chameleons. The results showed that coastal distribution, large body size, and extreme life history were associated with higher biogeographical movements. The findings suggest that these traits form a dispersal syndrome and have played an important role in the biogeographic history of chameleons.
Article
Ecology
Jonathan R. Potts, Luca Borger
Summary: Uncovering the mechanisms behind animal space use patterns is important for ecology and ecosystem conservation. Movement plays a crucial role in shaping these patterns, thus understanding how movement mechanisms contribute to space use patterns is an active research area. This study focuses on step selection analysis (SSA) as a means to infer movement drivers and predict broad-scale space use patterns.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Rachel McCrea, Ruth King, Laura Graham, Luca Borger
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Aline Giroux, Zaida Ortega, Nina Attias, Jean Desbiez, Denis Valle, Luca Borger, Luiz Gustavo Rodrigues Oliveira-Santos
Summary: Giant anteaters employ three important behavioral thermoregulatory strategies in response to environmental temperature changes: modulating activity duration, completely shifting activity period, and selecting forests as thermal shelters. They are able to adjust their behavior to increase energy intake and avoid excessive heat loss in changing temperatures.
Article
Ecology
Sarah-Sophie Weil, Laure Gallien, Michael P. J. Nicolai, Sebastien Lavergne, Luca Borger, William L. Allen
Summary: Large body size and a fast life history strategy facilitate dispersal success, but this is also true for small body size and a slow life history strategy in a minority of clades.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Rascha J. M. Nuijten, Todd E. Katzner, Andrew M. Allen, Allert Bijleveld, Tjalle Boorsma, Luca Borger, Francesca Cagnacci, Tom Hart, Michelle A. Henley, Richard M. Herren, Eva M. A. Kok, Bronwyn Maree, Bruno Nebe, David Shohami, Susanne Marieke Vogel, Paul Walker, Ignas M. A. Heitkonig, E. J. Milner-Gulland
Summary: Collaboration between conservation scientists and practitioners is necessary to address biodiversity loss, but it has proven to be challenging. Both groups are motivated to collaborate, but differences in motivations and external factors hinder effective collaboration. Solutions include improving communication, acknowledging each other's motivations, and adjusting funder priorities.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Holly M. English, Luke Harvey, Rory P. Wilson, Richard M. Gunner, Mark D. Holton, Rosie Woodroffe, Luca Borger
Summary: Zoos are valuable for observing rare species and biologgers offer great potential for data collection in captive settings. However, fitting biologgers to large carnivores can be problematic due to the need for sedation. The study successfully used biologgers on African wild dogs and trained adult male animals to accept collars without sedation, collecting valuable data on animal behavior and energy expenditure.
JOURNAL OF ZOO AND AQUARIUM RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Richard M. Gunner, Mark D. Holton, Mike D. Scantlebury, O. Louis van Schalkwyk, Holly M. English, Hannah J. Williams, Phil Hopkins, Flavio Quintana, Agustina Gomez-Laich, Luca Borger, James Redcliffe, Ken Yoda, Takashi Yamamoto, Sam Ferreira, Danny Govender, Pauli Viljoen, Angela Bruns, Stephen H. Bell, Nikki J. Marks, Nigel C. Bennett, Mariano H. Tonini, Carlos M. Duarte, Martin C. van Rooyen, Mads F. Bertelsen, Craig J. Tambling, Rory P. Wilson
Summary: Fine-scale data on animal position enables detailed understanding of animal movement ecology, with dead-reckoning offering a technique to reconstruct movement paths at sub-second resolution. However, dead-reckoning is prone to errors without periodic ground-truthing with location data. The Gundog.Tracks function in R provides a user-friendly way to address and correct these errors, demonstrating its efficacy on various species across different environments.
ANIMAL BIOTELEMETRY
(2021)