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- Evolutionary Biology, Conservation Science, Natural Resource Modeling and Management, Demography, Spatial modelling, Movement Ecology, and 60 moreMoose Migration NSD Sweden Movement Ecology, Conservation Biology, Ecological Niche Modeling, Habitat Suitability Modeling, Population ecology, Large Mammals, Migration, Long distance migration, Ecology, Climate Change, Central Asia, Climate, Life history, Kazakhstan, Ungulates, Habitat suitability modelling, Human disturbance in protected areas, Saiga Antelope, Conservation of Large Mammals, Birth Site Selection, Calving Site, Lambing, Ustiurt, HUman Disturbance, Calving Aggregations, Female Ungulates, Saiga antelope Calving site Human Disturbance Ungulates, Habitat Suitability Modeling Stratified Random Sampling Argali High Altitude Sampling, Migration Processes and Nomadism In the Ancient Mediterranean (Focus: Near East, Business and Biodiversity Offset Programme, Saiga antelope migration Russia Long Distance Migration Ungulates Conservation, Monitoring Ungulates Census WIldlife Sampling Effort Asia, Antelope of Central Asia, Saiga Migration, Philosophy of Science, Tourism Studies, Biodiversity, Environmental Education, Science Communication, Human-wildlife conflicts, Animal Behavior, Population Genetics, Fish Biology, Ethology, Wildlife Ecology And Management, Rural Tourism, Spatial Ecology, Ecological Modeling, Philosophy, Psychology, Anthropology, Biology, Research Methodology, Statistics, Phonetics, Animal Ecology, Modeling, Mixed Effects Models, Community Ecology, and Behavioral Ecologyedit
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SummaryA recent review of the management of hyperabundant macropods in Australia proposed that expanded professional shooting is likely to lead to better biodiversity and animal welfare outcomes. While the tenets of this general argument... more
SummaryA recent review of the management of hyperabundant macropods in Australia proposed that expanded professional shooting is likely to lead to better biodiversity and animal welfare outcomes. While the tenets of this general argument are sound, it overlooks one important issue for biodiversity and animal health and welfare: reliance on toxic lead‐based ammunition. Lead poisoning poses a major threat to Australia's wildlife scavengers. Current proposals to expand professional macropod shooting would see tonnes of an extremely toxic and persistent heavy metal continue to be introduced into Australian environments. This contrasts with trends in many other countries, where lead ammunition is, through legislation or voluntary programs, being phased out. Fortunately, there are alternatives to lead ammunition that could be investigated and adopted for improved macropod management. A transition to lead‐free ammunition would allow the broad environmental and animal welfare goals desi...
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In northern environments, the period of access to high-quality forage is limited, exerting strong selective pressure to optimize the timing of parturition. We analysed timing and variation in moose ( Alces alces ) parturition dates of 555... more
In northern environments, the period of access to high-quality forage is limited, exerting strong selective pressure to optimize the timing of parturition. We analysed timing and variation in moose ( Alces alces ) parturition dates of 555 females at 18 study sites across 12° of latitude (56–68° N, 1350 km) in Sweden. We found evidence for a spatial match of parturition timing to vegetation onset, but no evidence that moose adjust parturition to vegetation onset in a given year. We found a breakpoint at 64° N. Despite adaptation across latitudes, temporal divergences occurred. Females below 64° N calved after vegetation onset and females above 64° N calved before. Here, parturition before vegetation onset might be a strategy to optimize forage utilization time with the very short growing season. Highly seasonal environments such as at higher latitudes may make it advantageous to adapt parturition towards long-term climatic patterns by matching the most favourable period. Given the di...
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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... more
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.
Research Interests: Conservation Biology, Movement Ecology, Wildlife Biology, Science, Ecology, and 14 moreMedicine, Multidisciplinary, Mammals, Environmental Sciences, Humans, Habitat, Animals, Animal migration, Human Activities, Anthropocene, Terrestrial, Geographic Information Systems, Archaeology of Natural Places, and Limiting
Studying multiple individuals from multiple populations would add knowledge about the proportion of different movement strategies (migratory vs. resident) and how space use patterns vary within and across populations. This allows for... more
Studying multiple individuals from multiple populations would add knowledge about the proportion of different movement strategies (migratory vs. resident) and how space use patterns vary within and across populations. This allows for effective conservation or management of partially migratory animal populations by identifying the appropriate size of management units and temporal interventions. However, this knowledge is often lacking as only a few individuals from a single population are tracked in space and time. To understand the drivers of intraspecific variation in movement patterns across a broad scale, we analyzed the multiannual space use of 307 moose (Alces alces), containing 544 single‐year trajectories, from 10 study areas that are spread over a 1500‐km latitudinal gradient. Using a novel approach, we quantified within‐ and among‐population variation in movement and space use patterns. We identified the movement strategy (migratory, sedentary, nomadic, or dispersal) of moo...
Research Interests: Zoology, Geography, Conservation Biology, Animal Behavior, Movement Ecology, and 13 moreWildlife Ecology And Management, Ecology, Human-wildlife conflicts, Wildlife Conservation, Behavioral Ecology, Behavioural Sciences, Wildlife Ecology, Wildlife Management, Behavioral Animal Models, Scaling, Moose, Ecological Applications, and Ecosphere
The demographic consequences of changes in habitat use driven by human modification of landscape, and/or changes in climate, are important for any species. We investigated habitat–performance relationships in a declining island population... more
The demographic consequences of changes in habitat use driven by human modification of landscape, and/or changes in climate, are important for any species. We investigated habitat–performance relationships in a declining island population of a large mammal, the moose (Alces alces), in an environment that is predator‐free but dominated by humans. We used a combination of demographic data, knowledge of habitat selection, and multiannual movement data of female moose (n = 17) to understand how space use patterns affect fecundity and calf survival. The calving rate was 0.64 and was similar to calving rates reported in other populations. Calf survival was 0.22 (annually) and 0.32 (postsummer), which are particularly low compared to other populations where postsummer survival is typically above 0.7. Home ranges were mainly composed of arable land (>40%), and selection for arable land was higher in winter than in summer, which contrasts with previous studies. Females that spent more tim...
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Human disturbance can affect animal life history and even population dynamics. However, the consequences of these disturbances are difficult to measure. This is especially true for hibernating animals, which are highly vulnerable to... more
Human disturbance can affect animal life history and even population dynamics. However, the consequences of these disturbances are difficult to measure. This is especially true for hibernating animals, which are highly vulnerable to disturbance, because hibernation is a process of major physiological changes, involving conservation of energy during a resource-depleted time of year. During the winters of 2011-15, we captured 15 subadult brown bears (Ursus arctos) and recorded their body temperatures (n = 11) and heart rates (n = 10) before, during and after capture using biologgers. We estimated the time for body temperature and heart rate to normalize after the capture event. We then evaluated the effect of the captures on the pattern and depth of hibernation and the day of den emergence by comparing the body temperature of captured bears with that of undisturbed subadult bears (n = 11). Both body temperature and heart rate increased during capture and returned to hibernation levels...
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ABSTRACT Capsule: Global Positioning System (GPS)-tagged adult Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos breeding in forests in northern Sweden selected clear-cuts, coniferous forests with lichens and steep slopes during the breeding season but... more
ABSTRACT Capsule: Global Positioning System (GPS)-tagged adult Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos breeding in forests in northern Sweden selected clear-cuts, coniferous forests with lichens and steep slopes during the breeding season but avoided wetlands and mixed forest. Aims: To investigate the habitat selection patterns of tree-nesting Golden Eagles, and identify how potential conflicts with wind farm development could be minimized. Methods: The study is based on GPS tracking data from 22 adult eagles. We estimated home range sizes using a biased random bridge approach and habitat selection patterns using resource selection functions following a use-availability design. Results: Core home range size among adults was variable during the breeding season (5–30 km2). Individual movement extents were variable, but sexes did not significantly differ in their scale of movement. At the landscape scale, individuals selected for clear-cuts and coniferous forest with ground lichens, whereas wetland, water bodies and mixed forest were avoided. Steeper and south facing slopes were selected for, whereas, north facing slopes were avoided. Conclusions: Potential conflicts between eagles and wind energy establishment can be reduced if wind farms are placed away from steep slopes, minimizing areas that are clear-cut during construction, and locating turbines within dense, young and other less favoured forest habitats.
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Estimating migration parameters of individuals and populations is vital for their conservation and management. Studies on animal movements and migration often depend upon location data from tracked animals and it is important that such... more
Estimating migration parameters of individuals and populations is vital for their conservation and management. Studies on animal movements and migration often depend upon location data from tracked animals and it is important that such data are appropriately analyzed for reliable estimates of migration and effective management of moving animals. The Net Squared Displacement (NSD) approach for modelling animal movement is being increasingly used as it can objectively quantify migration characteristics and separate different types of movements from migration. However, the ability of NSD to properly classify the movement patterns of individuals has been criticized and issues related to study design arise with respect to starting locations of the data/animals, data sampling regime and extent of movement of species. We address the issues raised over NSD using tracking data from 319 moose (Alces alces) in Sweden. Moose is an ideal species to test this approach, as it can be sedentary, nom...
Research Interests: Landscape Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Inorganic Chemistry, Marine Ecology, Ecology, and 15 moreAnimal Ecology, Animal Behaviour, Ecological Modelling, Animal Movement, Deer, Animals, Data, Animal migration, Large Mammals, Ecosystem, Individual, Home Range Analysis, Location, Extent, and Behavioural Ecology
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A challenge in animal ecology is to link animal movement to demography. In general, reproducing and non-reproducing animals may show different movement patterns. Dramatic changes in reproductive status, such as the loss of an offspring... more
A challenge in animal ecology is to link animal movement to demography. In general, reproducing and non-reproducing animals may show different movement patterns. Dramatic changes in reproductive status, such as the loss of an offspring during the course of migration, might also affect movement. Studies linking movement speed to reproductive status require individual monitoring of life-history events and hence are rare. Here, we link movement data from 98 GPS-collared female moose (Alces alces) to field observations of reproductive status and calf survival. We show that reproductive females move more quickly during migration than non-reproductive females. Further, the loss of a calf over the course of migration triggered a decrease in speed of the female. This is in contrast to what might be expected for females no longer constrained by an accompanying offspring. The observed patterns demonstrate that females of different reproductive status may have distinct movement patterns, and t...
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Biodiversity offsets are an increasingly popular yet controversial tool in conservation. Their popularity lies in their potential to meet the objectives of biodiversity conservation and of economic development in tandem; the controversy... more
Biodiversity offsets are an increasingly popular yet controversial tool in conservation. Their popularity lies in their potential to meet the objectives of biodiversity conservation and of economic development in tandem; the controversy lies in the need to accept ecological losses in return for uncertain gains. The offsetting approach is being widely adopted, even though its methodologies and the overriding conceptual framework are still under development. This review of biodiversity offsetting evaluates implementation to date and synthesizes outstanding theoretical and practical problems. We begin by outlining the criteria that make biodiversity offsets unique and then explore the suite of conceptual challenges arising from these criteria and indicate potential design solutions. We find that biodiversity offset schemes have been inconsistent in meeting conservation objectives because of the challenge of ensuring full compliance and effective monitoring and because of conceptual fla...
Research Interests: Computer Science, Environmental Education, Climate Change, Ecosystem Services, Conservation Biology, and 15 moreConservation, Biology, Ecology, Environmental Impact Assessment, Biodiversity, Ecological restoration, Environmental Resource Management, Compensation, Business and Biodiversity, Conceptual Framework, Biodiversity offsets, Environmental Dispute Settlement and Compensation, BBOP, Business and Biodiversity Offset Programme, and ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT
Asia’s rangelands and mountains are strongholds for several endemic ungulate species. Little is known about the ecology of these species because of the region’s remoteness and the lack of robust scientific studies. Hunting, habitat... more
Asia’s rangelands and mountains are strongholds for several endemic ungulate species. Little is known about the ecology of these species because of the region’s remoteness and the lack of robust scientific studies. Hunting, habitat modification, increased livestock grazing, disease and development are the major threats to the species. There is an urgent need for better monitoring to identify the size, distribution and dynamics of the populations of these species, and the threats to them, for effective conservation. The feasibility of standard scientific monitoring is greatly influenced by the remoteness of the region, the pre-existing scientific ideology, lack of expertise in the latest monitoring methods and awareness of biases and errors, and low capacity and logistical and financial constraints. We review the existing methods used for monitoring ungulates, identify the practical and institutional challenges to effective monitoring in Central Asia and categorize the methods based ...
Research Interests: Landscape Ecology, Geography, Ecology, Central Asia, Citizen Science, and 15 moreEnvironmental Resource Management, Distance, Ibex, Habitat, Distance Sampling, Habitat suitability modelling, Argali, Aerial Census, Aerial Surveys, Census Techniques, Ground Based Sampling, Chiru, Kiang, Bactrian Camel, and ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT
Research Interests: Business, Landscape Ecology, Environmental Education, Climate Change, Conservation Biology, and 15 moreEcology, Biodiversity, Ecological Niche Modeling, Central Asia, Multidisciplinary, Ecological Modelling, Environmental Resource Management, EIA, Biodiversity offsets, Poaching, Migratory Species, Environmental Compensation, Dynamic landscapes, Mobile Protected Areas, and No Net Loss
Understanding the causes and consequences of animal movements is of fundamental biological interest because any alteration in movement can have direct and indirect effects on ecosystem structure and function. It is also crucial for... more
Understanding the causes and consequences of animal movements is of fundamental biological interest because any alteration in movement can have direct and indirect effects on ecosystem structure and function. It is also crucial for assisting spatial wildlife management under variable environmental change scenarios. Recent research has highlighted the need of quantifying individual variability in movement behavior and how it is generated by interactions between individual requirements and environmental conditions, to understand the emergence of population‐level patterns. Using a multi‐annual movement data set of 213 individual moose (Alces alces) across a latitudinal gradient (from 56° to 67° N) that spans over 1100 km of varying environmental conditions, we analyze the differences in individual and population‐level movements. We tested the effect of climate, risk, and human presence in the landscape on moose movements. The variation in these factors explained the existence of multip...
Research Interests: Demography, Behavioral Sciences, Climate Change, Animal Behavior, Applied Statistics, and 15 moreBiology, Animal Ecology, Animal Behaviour, Dispersal Ecology, Behavioral Ecology, Animal Movement, Biological Sciences, Deer, Animals, Animal migration, Bird Migration, Dispersal, Correspondence Coefficient, Ecological Applications, and Bird Nutrition
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Research Interests: Botany, Biology, Agroforestry, China, Anthropology of Tibet and the Himalayas, and 15 moreBiodiversity, Agricultural extension, Applied Ecology, Central Asia, Buryatia, Biodiversity Conservation, Biodiversity Research, Asia, Article, Antropology Social, Anthropology of extreme environments, Alpine and Arctic Research, Baikal, Alien Identities, and Altai and Tianshin Regions
Processes of habitat selection occur at multiple spatiotemporal scales, where large-scale selection is often determined by predation risk and landscape features, and finer scale selection by resource abundance and quality. To determine... more
Processes of habitat selection occur at multiple spatiotemporal scales, where large-scale selection is often determined by predation risk and landscape features, and finer scale selection by resource abundance and quality. To determine whether this hierarchy exists in relatively homogenous systems, we investigated patterns of habitat (landscape topography) and resource (feeding patch and plant group) selection by a medium-sized ungulate, the Tibetan argali ( Ovis ammon hodgsoni Blyth, 1840), in the high-altitude rangelands of the Indian Trans-Himalaya. We ran ecological niche factor analyses to explore habitat selection, bias-reduced logistic regression to analyze the selection of feeding patches, fuzzy correspondence analysis for vegetation categories, and microhistological analyses for the selection of plant groups. For springs and summers of 2005–2007, argali preferred an intermediate range of altitude, slope, and forage abundance. Selection of feeding patch was mainly determined...
Research Interests: Fluid Mechanics, Gentrification, Biology, Diet, Ecology, and 15 moreAnalysis, Food Quality and Safety, Grasses, Habitat, Habitat ecology, Forage, Habitat Resource Selection Argali High Altitude Rangelands, Argali, Elevation, Altitude, Diet Analyses, Forbs, Feeding Patch, Conservation and Restoration of Degraded Lands, and Capra
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Partial migration, whereby a proportion of a population migrates between distinct seasonal ranges, is common throughout the animal kingdom. However, studies linking existing theoretical models of migration probability, with empirical data... more
Partial migration, whereby a proportion of a population migrates between distinct seasonal ranges, is common throughout the animal kingdom. However, studies linking existing theoretical models of migration probability, with empirical data are lacking. The competitive release hypothesis for partial migration predicts that due to density‐dependent habitat selection, the proportion of migrants increases as the relative quality and size of the seasonal range increases, but decreases with increasing migration cost and population density. To test this prediction, we developed a quantitative framework to predict the proportion of migrants, using empirical data from 545 individually GPS‐marked moose Alces alces from across Fennoscandia, spanning latitudes of 56° to 68°N. Moose contracted their ranges to common and spatially limited winter areas (typically at lower elevation), but expanded them during summer due to an increase in suitable habitat (at highland ranges). As predicted from our m...
Research Interests: Geography, Ecology, Population, Habitat, Density dependence, and 3 moreOikos, Population Density, and Latitude
Optimal management of hunted species requires an understanding of the impacts of hunting on both individual animal and population levels. Recent technological advancements in biologging enable us to obtain increasingly detailed... more
Optimal management of hunted species requires an understanding of the impacts of hunting on both individual animal and population levels. Recent technological advancements in biologging enable us to obtain increasingly detailed information from free-ranging animals, covering longer periods of time, and providing the data needed to assess such impacts. In Sweden, more than 80 000 moose are harvested annually, mostly hunted with the use of baying dogs. The effects of this hunting method on animal welfare and stress are understudied. Here, we evaluated 6 real and 17 experimental hunting approaches with baying dogs [wearing global positioning system (GPS) collars] on 8 adult female moose equipped with ruminal temperature loggers, subcutaneous heart rate (HR) loggers and GPS collars with accelerometers. The obtained data were used to analyse the behavioural and physiological responses of moose to hunting with dogs. Successful experimental approaches (moose and dog were within 240 m for &...
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Moose (Alces alces), the largest among the deer, have both high recreational and economic value in Scandinavia and elsewhere. To efficiently manage such a valuable species, the key factors affecting their fitness and performance must be... more
Moose (Alces alces), the largest among the deer, have both high recreational and economic value in Scandinavia and elsewhere. To efficiently manage such a valuable species, the key factors affecting their fitness and performance must be understood. Moose generally have high productivity and calf survival in predator free areas, however in recent years, populations at the southern edge of their distribution, such as on the predator free island of Ӧland in Sweden, there have been reports of low calf survival. Individuals are found to carry Anaplasma phagocytophilum, which has been thought to be one of the factors causing the low survival. The aim of this study was to identify what abiotic and biotic factors may also be affecting female moose performance and their calf survival. GPS data from 18 collared moose was used in conjunction with home range, activity, diet, survival and habitat analysis. Moose did not alter the size of their seasonal home ranges or their activity level. Agricultural areas and feeding stations have become the preferred areas in the core home ranges during the winter season. The diet analysis revealed that nearly two thirds of the moose’s winter diet contained agricultural produce. Moose are having to utilise areas where in other populations, individuals tend to avoid. This could probably be one of the reasons for females to be of lower quality and therefore not being able to ensure calf survival. With changing climates and human land use moose continue to be under such environmental pressures, which may therefore jeopardize their future survival and reproduction.