Moving in the Anthropocene: Global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements.

Published

Journal Article

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.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Tucker, MA; Böhning-Gaese, K; Fagan, WF; Fryxell, JM; Van Moorter, B; Alberts, SC; Ali, AH; Allen, AM; Attias, N; Avgar, T; Bartlam-Brooks, H; Bayarbaatar, B; Belant, JL; Bertassoni, A; Beyer, D; Bidner, L; van Beest, FM; Blake, S; Blaum, N; Bracis, C; Brown, D; de Bruyn, PJN; Cagnacci, F; Calabrese, JM; Camilo-Alves, C; Chamaillé-Jammes, S; Chiaradia, A; Davidson, SC; Dennis, T; DeStefano, S; Diefenbach, D; Douglas-Hamilton, I; Fennessy, J; Fichtel, C; Fiedler, W; Fischer, C; Fischhoff, I; Fleming, CH; Ford, AT; Fritz, SA; Gehr, B; Goheen, JR; Gurarie, E; Hebblewhite, M; Heurich, M; Hewison, AJM; Hof, C; Hurme, E; Isbell, LA; Janssen, R; Jeltsch, F; Kaczensky, P; Kane, A; Kappeler, PM; Kauffman, M; Kays, R; Kimuyu, D; Koch, F; Kranstauber, B; LaPoint, S; Leimgruber, P; Linnell, JDC; López-López, P; Markham, AC; Mattisson, J; Medici, EP; Mellone, U; Merrill, E; de Miranda Mourão, G; Morato, RG; Morellet, N; Morrison, TA; Díaz-Muñoz, SL; Mysterud, A; Nandintsetseg, D; Nathan, R; Niamir, A; Odden, J; O'Hara, RB; Oliveira-Santos, LGR; Olson, KA; Patterson, BD; Cunha de Paula, R; Pedrotti, L; Reineking, B; Rimmler, M; Rogers, TL; Rolandsen, CM; Rosenberry, CS; Rubenstein, DI; Safi, K; Saïd, S; Sapir, N; Sawyer, H; Schmidt, NM; Selva, N; Sergiel, A; Shiilegdamba, E; Silva, JP; Singh, N; Solberg, EJ; Spiegel, O; Strand, O; Sundaresan, S; Ullmann, W; Voigt, U; Wall, J; Wattles, D; Wikelski, M; Wilmers, CC; Wilson, JW; Wittemyer, G; Zięba, F; Zwijacz-Kozica, T; Mueller, T

Published Date

  • January 2018

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 359 / 6374

Start / End Page

  • 466 - 469

PubMed ID

  • 29371471

Pubmed Central ID

  • 29371471

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1095-9203

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0036-8075

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1126/science.aam9712

Language

  • eng