Moving in the Anthropocene: global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements

Tucker, M. A. et al. (2018) Moving in the Anthropocene: global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements. Science, 359(6374), pp. 466-469. (doi: 10.1126/science.aam9712) (PMID:29371471)

Abstract

Animal movement is fundamental for ecosystem functioning and species survival, yet the effects of the anthropogenic footprint on animal movements have not been estimated across species. Using a unique GPS-tracking database of 803 individuals across 57 species, we found that movements of mammals in areas with a comparatively high human footprint were on average one-half to one-third the extent of their movements in areas with a low human footprint. We attribute this reduction to behavioral changes of individual animals and to the exclusion of species with long-range movements from areas with higher human impact. Global loss of vagility alters a key ecological trait of animals that affects not only population persistence but also ecosystem processes such as predator-prey interactions, nutrient cycling, and disease transmission.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Morrison, Dr Thomas
• Authors: Tucker, M. A., Böhning-Gaese, K., Fagan, W. F., Fryxell, J. M., Van Moorter, B., Alberts, S. C., Ali, A. H., Allen, A. M., Attias, N., Avgar, T., Bartlam-Brooks, H., Bayarbaatar, B., Belant, J. L., Bertassoni, A., Beyer, D., Bidner, L., van Beest, F. M., Blake, S., Blaum, N., Bracis, C., Brown, D., de Bruyn, P. J. N., Cagnacci, F., Calabrese, J. M., Camilo-Alves, C., Chamaillé-Jammes, S., Chiaradia, A., Davidson, S. C., Dennis, T., DeStefano, S., Diefenbach, D., Douglas-Hamilton, I., Fennessy, J., Fichtel, C., Fiedler, W., Fischer, C., Fischhoff, I., Fleming, C. H., Ford, A. T., Fritz, S. A., Gehr, B., Goheen, J. R., Gurarie, E., Hebblewhite, M., Heurich, M., Hewison, A. J. M., Hof, C., Hurme, E., Isbell, L. A., Janssen, R., Jeltsch, F., Kaczensky, P., Kane, A., Kappeler, P. M., Kauffman, M., Kays, R., Kimuyu, D., Koch, F., Kranstauber, B., LaPoint, S., Leimgruber, P., Linnell, J. D. C., López-López, P., Markham, A. C., Mattisson, J., Medici, E. P., Mellone, U., Merrill, E., de Miranda Mourão, G., Morato, R. G., Morellet, N., Morrison, T. A., Díaz-Muñoz, S. L., Mysterud, A., Nandintsetseg, D., Nathan, R., Niamir, A., Odden, J., O'Hara, R. B., Oliveira-Santos, L. G. R., Olson, K. A., Patterson, B. D., Cunha de Paula, R., Pedrotti, L., Reineking, B., Rimmler, M., Rogers, T. L., Rolandsen, C. M., Rosenberry, C. S., Rubenstein, D. I., Safi, K., Saïd, S., Sapir, N., Sawyer, H., Schmidt, N. M., Selva, N., Sergiel, A., Shiilegdamba, E., Silva, J. P., Singh, N., Solberg, E. J., Spiegel, O., Strand, O., Sundaresan, S., Ullmann, W., Voigt, U., Wall, J., Wattles, D., Wikelski, M., Wilmers, C. C., Wilson, J. W., Wittemyer, G., Zięba, F., Zwijacz-Kozica, T., and Mueller, T.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: Science
• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
• ISSN: 0036-8075
• ISSN (Online): 1095-9203
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Science 359(6374): 466-469
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy