Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns

Science, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 380(6649), P. 1059 - 1064

Published: June 8, 2023

COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020 reduced human mobility, providing an opportunity to disentangle its effects on animals from those of landscape modifications. Using GPS data, we compared movements and road avoidance 2300 terrestrial mammals (43 species) during the same period 2019. Individual responses were variable with no change average or behavior, likely due lockdown conditions. However, under strict 10-day 95th percentile displacements increased by 73%, suggesting permeability. Animals' 1-hour declined 12% 36% closer roads areas high footprint, indicating lockdowns. Overall, rapidly altered some spatial behaviors, highlighting but substantial impacts mobility wildlife worldwide.

Language: Английский

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Rethinking urban green spaces for urban resilience. Do green spaces need adaptation to meet public post-covid expectations?

Urban forestry & urban greening, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 80, P. 127838 - 127838

Published: Jan. 11, 2023

Language: Английский

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Urbanization, climate and species traits shape mammal communities from local to continental scales

Nature Ecology & Evolution, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 7(10), P. 1654 - 1666

Published: Sept. 4, 2023

Language: Английский

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Temporal scale of habitat selection for large carnivores: Balancing energetics, risk and finding prey

Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 91(1), P. 182 - 195

Published: Oct. 20, 2021

Abstract When navigating heterogeneous landscapes, large carnivores must balance trade‐offs between multiple goals, including minimizing energetic expenditure, maintaining access to hunting opportunities and avoiding potential risk from humans. The relative importance of these goals in driving carnivore movement likely changes across temporal scales, but our understanding dynamics remains limited. Here we quantified how drivers habitat selection changed with grain for two species living human‐dominated providing insights into commonalities strategies regions. We used high‐resolution GPS collar data integrated step analyses model African lions Panthera leo Laikipia, Kenya pumas Puma concolor the Santa Cruz Mountains California eight grains, ranging 5 min 12 hr. Analyses considered landscape covariates that are related energetics, resource acquisition anthropogenic risk. For both species, topographic slope, which strongly influences drove patterns over fine grains was less important at longer grains. In contrast, during day, when highest, consistently degree relaxed this avoidance night strongest term movements. Lions modified their behaviour differently response features: sped up while near humans slowed down more developed areas coarse Finally, experienced a trade‐off energetically efficient Temporal is an methodological consideration analyses, as grain. Additionally, grain‐dependent can reflect meaningful behavioural processes, fitness‐relevant influence different periods time. applying multi‐scale analysis fine‐resolution data, showed very landscapes balanced competing safety demands largely similar ways. These suggest general use species.

Language: Английский

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Human impacts on mammals in and around a protected area before, during, and after COVID‐19 lockdowns

Conservation Science and Practice, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 4(7)

Published: June 7, 2022

The dual mandate for many protected areas (PAs) to simultaneously promote recreation and conserve biodiversity may be hampered by negative effects of on wildlife. However, reports these are not consistent, presenting a knowledge gap that hinders evidence-based decision-making. We used camera traps monitor human activity terrestrial mammals in Golden Ears Provincial Park the adjacent University British Columbia Malcolm Knapp Research Forest near Vancouver, Canada, with objective discerning relative various forms cougars (

Language: Английский

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A vision for incorporating human mobility in the study of human–wildlife interactions

Nature Ecology & Evolution, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 7(9), P. 1362 - 1372

Published: Aug. 7, 2023

Language: Английский

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Adapting to Change: A Wetland-Specialist Carnivore Selects Anthropogenic Features in a Human-Dominated Wetland

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Wetlands are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems globally, playing a critical role in supporting biodiversity regulating hydrology. However, they increasingly threatened by expansion of aquaculture, agriculture, urbanization. Carnivores sensitive to human disturbances, often adapting altering their spatial temporal behaviors. some smaller, generalist carnivores not only persist altered landscapes but may even thrive human-dominated landscapes. This study examines habitat selection fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus), wetland-specialist carnivore, an area fragmented shrimp ponds, abandoned aquacultural agriculture. We used integrated step functions analyze movement-based 13 resource examine resting-based 9 cats. Results indicate that overall, while moving, selected for low elevations avoiding agricultural areas villages. While resting, ponds also agriculture found few differences between males females. Our findings highlight importance examining behaviorally explicit demonstrating resilience this wetland specialist types anthropogenic landscape change. Encouraging local landowners let naturally revegetate could provide essential refuges wildlife. Incentives conservation strategy would support persistence

Language: Английский

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Forensic‐Based and Environmentally Responsible Protocol to Manage Shark Fatal Bites on Humans Can Better Contribute to Conservation Needs

Aquatic Conservation Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 35(2)

Published: Feb. 1, 2025

ABSTRACT Although sharks are important for marine ecosystems, they still suffer culling campaigns after human fatalities. A case study from the Caribbean shows how rapid use of several complementary and reproducible forensic techniques not only allowed confirmation species implicated in bite but also accurate assessment size animal. Six non‐lethal fishing sessions led to capture shark individuals that were released either being eliminated due their unsuitable or absence remains stomach. Such an ecologically responsible risk management can contribute conservation.

Language: Английский

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A call for increased integration of experimental approaches in movement ecology

Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 29, 2025

ABSTRACT Rapid developments in animal‐tracking technology have enabled major advances the field of movement ecology, which seeks to understand drivers and consequences across scales, taxa, ecosystems. The has made ground‐breaking discoveries, yet majority studies ecology remain reliant on observational approaches. While important, are limited compared experimental methods that can reveal causal relationships underlying mechanisms. As such, we advocate for a renewed focus approaches animal ecology. We illustrate way forward two fundamental levels biological organisation: individuals social groups. then explore application experiments study anthropogenic influences wildlife movement, enhance our mechanistic understanding conservation interventions. In each these examples, draw upon previous research effectively employed approaches, while highlighting outstanding questions could be answered by further experimentation. conclude ways manipulations both laboratory natural settings provide promising generate understandings drivers, consequences, movement.

Language: Английский

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Puma responses to unreliable human cues suggest an ecological trap in a fragmented landscape

Oikos, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 2022(5)

Published: March 28, 2022

Animals' fear of people is widespread across taxa and can mitigate the risk human‐induced mortality, facilitating coexistence in human‐dominated landscapes. However, humans be unpredictable predators anthropogenic cues that animals perceive may not reliable indicators being killed. In these cases, animal responses ineffective even exacerbate mortality. Here, we explore questions using a 10‐year dataset movement mortality events for puma Puma concolor population fragmented Santa Cruz Mountains California, whom leading cause death was retaliatory killings by following livestock loss. We modeled killing habitat selection relative to residential housing density evaluate whether avoidance human reflected their documented mismatch between cues, actual risk. Rather than scaling directly with density, occurred at intermediate levels development night. Pumas avoided areas during day but selected high‐risk night, resulting cue impacting 17% study area. These results are unlikely driven hunting behavior: constitute very small proportion diets, found no evidence alternative hypothesis state‐dependent foraging drove depredation subsequent killings. Our findings indicate sufficient enable human–carnivore this area suggest reducing from places few perceptible would facilitate carnivore conservation Furthermore, carnivores lead rather risky areas, which could result an ecological trap.

Language: Английский

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