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AimMacroecological studies that require habitat suitability data for many species often derive this information from expert opinion. However, expert-based information is inherently subjective and thus prone to errors. The increasing availability of GPS tracking data offers opportunities to evaluate and supplement expert-based information with detailed empirical evidence. Here, we compared expert-based habitat suitability information from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with habitat suitability information derived from GPS-tracking data of 1,498 individuals from 49 mammal species.LocationWorldwide.Time period1998-2021.Major taxa studiedForty-nine terrestrial mammal species.MethodsUsing GPS data, we estimated two measures of habitat suitability for each individual animal: proportional habitat use (proportion of GPS locations within a habitat type), and selection ratio (habitat use relative to its availability). For each individual we then evaluated whether the GPS-based habitat suitability measures were in agreement with the IUCN data. To that end, we calculated the probability that the ranking of empirical habitat suitability measures was in agreement with IUCN's classification into suitable, marginal and unsuitable habitat types.ResultsIUCN habitat suitability data were in accordance with the GPS data (> 95% probability of agreement) for 33 out of 49 species based on proportional habitat use estimates and for 25 out of 49 species based on selection ratios. In addition, 37 and 34 species had a > 50% probability of agreement based on proportional habitat use and selection ratios, respectively.Main conclusionsWe show how GPS-tracking data can be used to evaluate IUCN habitat suitability data. Our findings indicate that for the majority of species included in this study, it is appropriate to use IUCN habitat suitability data in macroecological studies. Furthermore, we show that GPS-tracking data can be used to identify and prioritize species and habitat types for re-evaluation of IUCN habitat suitability data.

This short review summarizes the roles and behavioral responses of local communities towards wildlife conservation in Ethiopia. The inherent practices of local communities in their long‐held traditional and cultural setups give them an important role in conservation successes. Traditional wildlife conservation practices in Ethiopia are not well documented and have likely been heavily eroded due to changes in governmental regimes, each with different ideologies, the introduction of modern lifestyles and religions, and ethnic and cultural diversities. Local communities contribute a lot to wildlife conservation when they are allowed to participate in fighting illegal wildlife trafficking operations. The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) in Ethiopia is still a comparatively new phenomenon with a low scientific profile. The roles of local people both in the IWT and in prevention and conservation efforts remain undocumented, and research into these is at an early stage. Several studies have indicated the alienation of the local community and their subsequent antagonistic responses towards conservation efforts in different parts of Ethiopia. Eviction of indigenous people, benefit denial, unequal benefit sharing, and interactions with wildlife and human‐wildlife conflicts are the major factors fueling the resentment of local communities towards wildlife and their conservation. Thus, wildlife conservation in Ethiopia needs impartial studies and practical improvement to understand and address these human dimensions and inform more effective conservation and IWT prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adaptive significance of zebra stripes has thus far eluded understanding. Many explanations have been suggested, including social cohesion, thermoregulation, predation evasion and avoidance of biting flies. Identifying the associations between phenotypic and environmental factors is essential for testing these hypotheses and substantiating existing experimental evidence. Plains zebra striping pattern varies regionally, from heavy black and white striping over the entire body in some areas to reduced stripe coverage with thinner and lighter stripes in others. We examined how well 29 environmental variables predict the variation in stripe characteristics of plains zebra across their range in Africa. In contrast to recent findings, we found no evidence that striping may have evolved to escape predators or avoid biting flies. Instead, we found that temperature successfully predicts a substantial amount of the stripe pattern variation observed in plains zebra. As this association between striping and temperature may be indicative of multiple biological processes, we suggest that the selective agents driving zebra striping are probably multifarious and complex.

The composition of mammalian gut microbiomes is highly conserved within species, yet the mechanisms by which microbiome composition is transmitted and maintained within lineages of wild animals remain unclear. Mutually compatible hypotheses exist, including that microbiome fidelity results from inherited dietary habits, shared environmental exposure, morphophysiological filtering and/or maternal effects. Interspecific hybrids are a promising system in which to interrogate the determinants of microbiome composition because hybrids can decouple traits and processes that are otherwise co‐inherited in their parent species. We used a population of free‐living hybrid zebras (Equus quagga × grevyi) in Kenya to evaluate the roles of these four mechanisms in regulating microbiome composition. We analysed faecal DNA for both the trnL‐P6 and the 16S rRNA V4 region to characterize the diets and microbiomes of the hybrid zebra and of their parent species, plains zebra (E. quagga) and Grevy's zebra (E. grevyi). We found that both diet and microbiome composition clustered by species, and that hybrid diets and microbiomes were largely nested within those of the maternal species, plains zebra. Hybrid microbiomes were less variable than those of either parent species where they co‐occurred. Diet and microbiome composition were strongly correlated, although the strength of this correlation varied between species. These patterns are most consistent with the maternal‐effects hypothesis, somewhat consistent with the diet hypothesis, and largely inconsistent with the environmental‐sourcing and morphophysiological‐filtering hypotheses. Maternal transmittance likely operates in conjunction with inherited feeding habits to conserve microbiome composition within species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multimodality is a virtually ubiquitous feature of communication. With the increasing interest in how animals, including humans, use multimodal and multicomponent signals in social interactions, there is an acute need for standardized and rigorous tools that will allow us to visualize and analyse these signals as they occur in naturalistic interactions as a complex, integrated system. Network theory is a powerful methodology for intuitively visualizing and investigating the relationships between entities. Here, we propose a new framework for analysing multimodal communication. Using a case study of natural multimodal interactions in wild plains zebras, Equus quagga , we introduce the descriptive power of network metrics by providing an objective set of metrics to (1) describe the relationships between simultaneously produced signals within and between modalities and (2) infer signal meaning and function. We embed these tools in a theoretical framework that can be used to interpret and describe both the global structure of the repertoire and the role individual signals play in shaping and modulating meaning. Next, we review an array of common questions in animal behaviour that could benefit from the use of multimodal networks to facilitate meaningful comparisons of communication across social and environmental contexts, timescales and species. Finally, we discuss extending the use of network analyses to multimodal communication through the use of directed networks and the challenges to be overcome from this application. • Networks can describe relations between simultaneously produced multimodal signals. • We propose a framework for using network theory to analyse multimodal communication. • We use multimodal interactions in plains zebras to illustrate these techniques. • Network theory can be applied to a range of interdisciplinary, comparative questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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