Animal Tracking

Contingent individual performance can depend on the environment experienced at previous life-stages. Migratory birds are especially susceptible to such carry-over effects as they periodically travel between breeding ranges and ‘wintering’ areas where they may experience broadly different ecological conditions. However, the study of carry-over effects is hampered by the difficulty of tracking vagile organisms throughout their annual life-cycle. Using information from light-level geolocators on the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), we tested if feather growth bar width (GBW), a proxy of feather growth rate which depends on individual condition, and wing isometric size and shape predict the phenology of subsequent migration. GBW did not predict duration of wintering but negatively predicted the duration of spring migration and arrival date to the breeding sites, suggesting that migration phenology is not constrained by molt, and individuals in prime condition achieve both faster molt and earlier arrival. Wing morphology did not predict migration duration, as expected if wing shape were optimized for foraging, rather than migration performance, in this aerially foraging, insectivorous bird. Thus, we showed for the first time that migration phenology in a long-distance migratory bird covaries with body condition during wintering, as reflected by the growth rate of feathers.

The paper introduces a viable short range signal triangulation method, which will enable users to identify and monitor animals in a given area. “Zig-bee- Zig bee pairs” are used as a more precise and a relatively long-lasting alternative to the traditional radio collars. Additionally, the collar itself ‘broadcasts’ the animal’s current state (EEG, ECG , EMG) and can trigger an S.O.S signal in case of an emergency. Allowing authorities to react to certain cases where the animal might be in critical danger (for rescue) and also allow end users to map certain behavioral patterns in animals.

"In this book I will address one of the great mysteries of human evolution: How did the human mind evolve the ability to develop science?

The art of tracking may well be the origin of science. Science may have evolved more than a hundred thousand years ago with the evolution of modern hunter-gatherers. Scientific reasoning may therefore be an innate ability of the human mind. This may have far-reaching implications for self-education and citizen science.

The implication of this theory is that anyone, regardless of their level of education, whether or not they can read or write, regardless of their cultural background, can make a contribution to science. Kalahari Bushmen trackers have been employed in modern scientific research using GPS-enabled handheld computers and have co-authored scientific papers. Citizen scientists have made fundamental contributions to science. From a simple observation of a bird captured on a smart phone through to a potential Einstein, some may be better than others, but everyone can participate in science.

Today humanity is becoming increasingly dependent on science and technology for survival, from our dependence on information technology through to solving problems related to energy production, food production, health, climate change and biodiversity conservation. Involving citizens in science may be crucial for the survival of humanity over the next hundred years.

Scientific reasoning was part of hunter-gatherer culture, along with music, storytelling and other aspects of their culture. Science and art should be an integral part of human culture, as it has been for more than a hundred thousand years."

Endorsements

“This is an extraordinary book. Louis Liebenberg, our intrepid and erudite
guide, gives us a fascinating view of a people and a way of life that have much
to say about who we are, but which soon will vanish forever. His data are
precious, his stories are gripping, and his theory is a major insight into the
nature and origins of scientific thinking, and thus of what makes us unique as a
species.” Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard
University, and author of How the Mind Works.

“Louis Liebenberg’s argument about the evolution of scientific thinking is
highly original and deeply important.” Daniel E. Lieberman, Professor of
Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University.

“Although many theories of human brain evolution have been offered over the
years, Louis Liebenberg’s is refreshingly straightforward.” PsycCRITIQUES.

“The Origin of Science is a stunningly wide-ranging, original, and important
book.” Peter Carruthers, Professor of Philosophy, University of Maryland,
and author of The Architecture of the Mind.

Every living thing on this earth has equal ecosystem significance. Nevertheless, biodiversity is now at risk. In the forest or jungle, wild animals moved freely. In the event of an accident in the forests or any illnesses in them, sometimes livestock in the woods may be destroyed. In these cases, the exact location of the animal in such a large area can not be determined. In the jungle, in national parks or in wildlife reserves, wildlife monitoring plans are employed to prevent these problems in identifying an exact geographic location for animals. The system uses technologies such as a global mobile communications positioning system and a global system.

Telemetry-based movement research has become central for learning about the behavior, ecology and conservation of wide-ranging species. Particularly, early telemetry studies were conducted on vultures and condors due to three main reasons: i) these birds capture the curiosity of humans, ii) their large body size allows researchers to deploy large telemetry units, and iii) they are of high conservation concern. This has resulted in a great number of scientific articles that remain scattered throughout the literature. To achieve a more cohesive view of vultures and condors movement behavior, we review all telemetry studies published up to 2017. We first present a descriptive summary of the technical and design characteristics of these studies (e.g. target species, tagging location, number of individuals tagged) and go on to discuss them under a common conceptual framework; the Movement Ecology Paradigm. The articles found (N = 97) were mainly published in the last decade and based on the tagging of individuals from 14 species (61% of the extant species) and 24 countries. Foraging was the most in-depth investigated movement phase (25 studies), with studies covering several species, using both phenomenological and mechanistic approaches and tackling the role of different drivers of movement. In contrast, commuting and natal dispersal phases were only superficially investigated (3 and 8 studies, respectively). Finally, studies dealing with the conservation and management also comprised a large portion of the reviewed articles (24 studies). Telemetry studies have revealed relevant details of vultures and condors movements, with highly accurate measurements of flight energetics and a better understanding of the morphological, physiological and context-dependent drivers that underlie the movement decisions of these birds. However, we also detected several information gaps. We expect this review helps researchers to focus their efforts and funds where more information is needed.

The movements of some long-distance migrants are driven by innate compass headings that they follow on their first migrations (e.g., some birds and insects), whilst the movements of other first time migrants are learnt by following more experienced conspecifics (e.g., baleen whales). However, the overall roles of innate, learnt and social behaviors in driving migration goals in many taxa are poorly understood. To look for evidence of whether migration routes are innate or learnt for sea turtles, here for 42 sites around the World we compare the migration routes of > 400 satellite tracked adults of multiple species of sea turtle with c.45,000 Lagrangian hatchling turtle drift scenarios. In so doing, we show that the migration routes of adult turtles are strongly related to hatchling drift patterns, implying that adult migration goals are learnt through their past experiences dispersing with ocean currents. The diverse migration destinations of adults consistently reflected the diversity in sites they would have encountered as drifting hatchlings. Our findings reveal how a simple mechanism, juvenile passive drift, can explain the ontogeny of some of the longest migrations in the animal kingdom and ensure that adults find suitable foraging sites.


Read More: http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/13-2164.1

Tropical hunting studies that focus on tracking—how signs are interpreted—are rarely done if at all. This paper provides a preliminary sketch of the tracking strategies and knowledge of Batek of Malaysia. Studies of hunter-gatherer tracking rely heavily on Liebenberg’s carefully observed documentation of San tracking, enriched by his own scientific expertise in faunal behavior. Of the three levels of tracking he mentions, simple tracking is unreliable for the Batek, simply because of the nature of tropical forests. The default mode is systematic tracking, carefully gathering information, and piecing together a multisensorial picture of where prey is to be found. Their visual, auditory, and olfactory acuity is exceptional, and so is their vocabulary for expressing these states. Tracking for Batek is not limited to the interpretation of tracks or, rather, the notion of tracks needs to be broadened, to include tracks that cannot be seen, but can be heard and smelt. Tracking is about multisensory engagement in the needs of the moment and deploying the skills to decide what is and is not relevant information. It is about performance.

Breeding success of seabirds critically depends on their foraging success offshore. However, studies combining at-sea tracking and visual provisioning observations are scarce, especially for smaller species of seabirds. This study is the first in which breeding Sandwich Terns were tracked with GPS-loggers to collect detailed data on foraging habitat use in four breeding seasons. The maximum home range of individual Sandwich Terns comprised approximately 1900 km 2 and the average foraging range was 27 km. Trip durations were on average 135 min with average trip lengths of 67 km. Actual foraging behaviour comprised 35% of the time budget of a foraging trip. Substantial year-to-year variation was found in habitat use and trip variables, yet with the exception of 2012, home range size remained similar between years. Food availability, chick age and environmental conditions are proposed as the main driving factors between inter-and intra-annual variations in trip variables. Our multi-method approach also provided geo-referenced information on prey presence and we conclude that future combining of colony observations and GPS-loggers deployments can potentially provide a near complete insight into the feeding ecology of breeding Sandwich Terns, including the behaviour of birds at sea.

1. Macroecological comparisons have shown that habitat characteristics have a major influence on the evolution of life-history strategies of fishes in large river systems. Specifically, habitat variability and predictability seem to forge the reproductive strategies of fishes into a trilateral continuum with three main types: seasonal, opportunistic and equilibrium.
2. Despite the usefulness of such a broad categorisation, large-scale patterns of trait distribution should ultimately be influenced by selection at smaller (i.e. individual) spatial scales. However, the scarcity of studies developed at the organismal scale leaves gaps in our understanding of how habi- tat characteristics affect life history and behavioural tactics of stream fishes.
3. We examined the fine-scale spatial distribution of fishes in pristine Amazonian headwater streams over a full seasonal cycle to test whether segregation into main channel and associated temporary pond habitats was predictably related to hydrological variation and species’ life-history traits.
4. Most species could not be unambiguously assigned to one of the three end points of the trilateral continuum, but seemingly occupied instead the intermediate multivariate space between the end points. However, species were clearly ordered along a gradient of relative habitat use, ranging from strict channel dwellers throughout the hydrological cycle to pond specialists, with some species occupying the ponds at high water levels. Hydrological effects on habitat use were significantly related to species’ reproductive strategies, with the strongest responses found in species with large eggs and seasonally concentrated reproduction, which were most abundant in ponds at high water levels.
5. We suggest that trophic limitations and hydrological characteristics of Amazonian headwater for- est streams may severely limit the seasonal strategy, one of the end points of the trilateral model. The species-specific habitat segregation reported here adds to the list of mechanisms, such as minia- turisation and isolation by distance, previously postulated to contribute to high diversity of stream fish faunas in the Amazon basin.

Until recently, almost nothing was known about the migration routes, flyway structure and population status of the Mute Swan Cygnus olor in East Asia. Here, we use a combination of GPS telemetry data, collar resightings, published literature and expert advice to update existing knowledge of its summer and winter distribution in the region, and to provide a preliminary description of the swans' migration and habitat use. Three flyway units were indicated for the Mute Swan in East Asia. The Eastern China-wintering unit includes swans summering along the lower Selenga River in Russia, in central Mongolia and Inner Mongolia in China, which winter on the coast of eastern China, where 403 swans were recorded in 2014/15 but where fewer than 30 have been counted in very recent years. In the absence of better data, we conservatively estimate this Chinese-wintering group at 400 birds. Mute Swans in the Korean-wintering unit are individuals that winter along the Korean Peninsula and summer in Inner Mongolia (China) and the Amur region (on the border of China and Russia); they are poorly covered by the mid-winter waterbird counts in South Korea and we have no knowledge of numbers wintering in North Korea. Finally, mid-winter counts of the introduced and sedentary population of Mute Swans in Japan have amounted to c. 240 birds in the last five years. We therefore suspect that there are likely c. 1,000 Mute Swans in Far East Asia, but await improved coverage throughout the entire wintering grounds to provide a better population estimate, with the species confirmed as one of the poorer known of the migratory waterbirds in the region. A single GPS-tagged Mute Swan tracked successfully provided detailed information on its migration routes, timing of migration and habitat use (almost exclusively waterbodies) over four complete migration episodes. It summered at Dalai Lake, China, used three stopover sites (on the borders of Russia and North Korea, in North Korea, and Baicheng City in China) during spring and autumn migration, and showed site fidelity to summer, winter and stopover sites. Combined count data and GPS data suggested that Mute Swans mostly occur within protected areas throughout the year. However, further research is required to establish the true distribution and abundance of this small and scattered species within these three flyways in East Asia, as well as to confirm its population structure and migration routes.

Until recently, almost nothing was known about the migration routes, flyway structure and population status of the Mute Swan Cygnus olor in East Asia. Here, we use a combination of GPS telemetry data, collar resightings, published literature and expert advice to update existing knowledge of its summer and winter distribution in the region, and to provide a preliminary description of the swans’ migration and habitat use. Three flyway units were indicated for the Mute Swan in East Asia. The Eastern China-wintering unit includes swans summering along the lower Selenga River in Russia, in central Mongolia and Inner Mongolia in China, which winter on the coast of eastern China, where 403 swans were counted in 2014/15, but where less than 30 have been counted in very recent years. In the absence of better data, we conservatively estimate this Chinese-wintering group at 400 birds. Mute Swans in the Korean-wintering unit are individuals that winter along the Korean Peninsula and summer in I...

Multiple tracking methods (colour-rings, plumage-markings and GPS-loggers) revealed that adult Sandwich Terns Thalasseus sandvicensis from the Netherlands showed prospecting behaviour in other colonies within Northwest Europe. Birds were recorded from a few kilometres to over 850 km away and in different countries around the Southern North Sea. Our data suggest large-scale connectivity between Northwest European Sandwich Tern colonies. Such connectivity is potentially of great importance when modelling the population structure of this species.

Population density of European roe deer Capreolus capreolus was estimated in six forest areas of NorthEastern Italy through the use of different methods. The most effective method to estimate a population density is always case-dependent and, thus, varies across study areas. Particularly, drive count and vantage point count estimates (i.e. counts by hunters) have been reported to be the most effective to assess deer densities in woodlands, but they require a high volunteer human presence, which limit their feasibility. Results of count by hunters were thus compared with estimates obtained through camera trapping and track counts. Surveys were all carried out between 2014 and 2015. The three-used method provided us with comparable density results, suggesting that they all may be applied in the study area. Track-count survey was shown to be-with equal effectiveness-the cheapest method to infer roe deer density in forest areas (i.e. near 28% cheaper than camera trapping). As to our study sites, we therefore suggest that the proposal of track-count method might provide wildlife managers with a cost-effective alternative to other count methods to estimate roe deer population density. However, it is noteworthy that track-count method may also lead to lower density estimates than the drive counts; an apparent difference in the accuracy between methods needs to be considered when choosing for a certain count method.