1. Wherever I may roam—Human activity alters movements of red deer ( Cervus elaphus ) and elk ( Cervus canadensis ) across two continents
- Author
-
Mumme, S., Middleton, A.D., Ciucci, P., De Groeve, J., Corradini, A., Aikens, E.O., Ossi, F., Atwood, P., Balkenhol, N., Cole, E.K., Debeffe, L., Dewey, S.R., Fischer, C., Gude, J., Heurich, M., Hurley, M.A., Jarnemo, A., Kauffman, M.J., Licoppe, A., van Loon, E., Mcwhirter, D., Mong, T.W., Pedrotti, L., Morellet, N., Mysterud, A., Peters, W., Proffitt, K., Saïd, S., Signer, J., Sunde, P., Starý, M., Cagnacci, F., University of California [Berkeley] (UC Berkeley), University of California (UC), Sapienza Univ Roma, Dept Biol & Biotechnol Charles Darwin, Rome, Italy., Universiteit Gent = Ghent University (UGENT), Fondazione Edmund Mach - Edmund Mach Foundation [Italie] (FEM), University of Amsterdam [Amsterdam] (UvA), Dipartimento di Informatica [Pisa], University of Pisa - Università di Pisa, University of Wyoming (UW), Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive - UMR 5558 (LBBE), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (Inria)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology Department, IASMA Research and Innovation Centre, Georg-August-University = Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Unité de recherche Comportement et Ecologie de la Faune Sauvage (CEFS), Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), LTSER ZA PYRenees GARonne, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Halmstad University, Haute Ecole du Paysage, d'Ingénierie et d'Architecture de Genève (HEPIA), Department of Conservation and Research, Bavarian Forest National Park, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Wildlife Ecology and Management, University of Freiburg, Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), Institut des sciences de la Vie, Université Catholique de Louvain = Catholic University of Louvain (UCL), Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA), Assmåsa Gods AB, Danish Forest and Nature Agency, Grand Teton Association, Holmen Skog AB, Högestad & Christinehofs Förvaltnings AB, International Research School of Applied Ecology, Ittur AB, Stelvio National Park Ersaf Lombardia and Trento, Stiftelsen Skånska Landskap, Stiftelsen Oscar och Lili Lamms Minne, Svenska Jägareförbundet:5871/2005, Marie-Claire Cronstedts Stiftelse, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Knobloch Family Foundation, Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca1034 17/06/2022, CN00000033, Università degli Studi di Trento, and Naturvårdsverket 802‐0092‐11
- Subjects
Cervus spp ,Settore BIO/07 - ECOLOGIA ,Anthropocene ,[SDE]Environmental Sciences ,wildlife ,human footprint ,migratory ungulates ,Wildlife ,[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology ,[SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society ,movement expression - Abstract
International audience; Human activity and associated landscape modifications alter the movements of animals with consequences for populations and ecosystems worldwide. Species performing long-distance movements are thought to be particularly sensitive to human impact. Despite the increasing anthropogenic pressure, it remains challenging to understand and predict animals' responses to human activity. Here we address this knowledge gap using 1206 Global Positioning System movement trajectories of 815 individuals from 14 red deer (Cervus elaphus) and 14 elk (Cervus canadensis) populations spanning wide environmental gradients, namely the latitudinal range from the Alps to Scandinavia in Europe, and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in North America. We measured individual-level movements relative to the environmental context, or movement expression, using the standardized metric Intensity of Use, reflecting both the directionality and extent of movements. We expected movement expression to be affected by resource (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI) predictability and topography, but those factors to be superseded by human impact. Red deer and elk movement expression varied along a continuum, from highly segmented trajectories over relatively small areas (high intensity of use), to directed transitions through restricted corridors (low intensity of use). Human activity (Human Footprint Index, HFI) was the strongest driver of movement expression, with a steep increase in Intensity of Use as HFI increased, but only until a threshold was reached. After exceeding this level of impact, the Intensity of Use remained unchanged. These results indicate the overall sensitivity of Cervus movement expression to human activity and suggest a limitation of plastic responses under high human pressure, despite the species also occurring in human-dominated landscapes. Our work represents the first comparison of metric-based movement expression across widely distributed populations of a deer genus, contributing to the understanding and prediction of animals' responses to human activity.
- Published
- 2023