Tag: movement ecology

Careers, Research summaries, The Applied Ecologist community

A predictive model for improving placement of wind turbines to minimise collision risk potential for a large soaring raptor

Each year, Journal of Applied Ecology awards the Southwood Prize to the best paper in the journal by an author at the start of their career. In this post, Megan Murgatroyd (HawkWatch International/FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town) discusses her shortlisted paper which used GPS tracking data together with a digital elevation model to classify the spatial likelihood of wind turbine collisions for adult … Continue reading A predictive model for improving placement of wind turbines to minimise collision risk potential for a large soaring raptor

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Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries, Urban ecosystems

Mountain lions in LA moved more efficiently during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent shutdowns in many regions around the world offered a new “human-less” environment for urban wildlife in 2020. In their latest research, Benson et al. share their findings from tracking mountain lion movements in greater Los Angeles, USA during spring 2020. Early on during the global pandemic, ecologists quickly realised that changes in human behaviour and activity brought on by … Continue reading Mountain lions in LA moved more efficiently during the COVID-19 pandemic

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Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Use of avian GPS tracking to mitigate human fatalities from bird strikes.

Air traffic has increased significantly in recent years, from 1.674 billion passengers in 2000 to 4.397 billion passengers in 2019.  However, this growth has come at a cost. In their latest research, Arrondo et al. review and quantify the characteristics of bird strikes in Spain, and analyse flight patterns of the species that caused aircraft crashes in Europe. Bird strikes have been a feature of … Continue reading Use of avian GPS tracking to mitigate human fatalities from bird strikes.

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Human-wildlife interactions, Pollinators, Research summaries

Do roads pose a significant barrier to bee movement?

Did the bee cross the road? If not, why not – and what does this mean for the flowers on the other side? In their latest research, Fitch & Vaidya investigate the influence of roads on pollinator movement and pollination by examining patterns of pigment transfer between focal plants of two species. We know that large highways kill billions of insects each year, but whether roads … Continue reading Do roads pose a significant barrier to bee movement?

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Human-wildlife interactions, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

Predictive modeling of raptor movement can minimise the impact of wind energy developments

Energy generation is shifting towards renewable sources, but how do these developments impact our environment? In their latest research, Megan Murgatroyd and colleagues develop a predictive model to guide where best to locate wind turbines to minimize collision risk for a large soaring raptor. The sight of a wind farm is no longer strange to us. For some they might be seen as gentle giants, … Continue reading Predictive modeling of raptor movement can minimise the impact of wind energy developments

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Editor's Choice, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

Editor’s Choice 57:09 – Multi-species connectivity in a trans-frontier conservation landscape

As the September Editor’s Choice for Journal of Applied Ecology, research from Angela Brennan and colleagues moves away from a single-species approach and instead looks at movement corridors and connectivity on a large scale and across multiple species. Associate Editor, Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi shares the important impact this could have on future conservation and development plans. Continue reading Editor’s Choice 57:09 – Multi-species connectivity in a trans-frontier conservation landscape

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Monitoring and methods, Research summaries, Themed collections

Showcasing developments in biologging and related methods in applied ecology

Following the recent Journal of Animal Ecology Special Feature on biologging, Associate Editor, Steph Januchowski-Hartley takes a look at how research in this and similar methods are affecting the field of applied ecology today. Advances in technology have allowed for small electronic loggers and transmitters to be developed not only for biomedical monitoring for humans (think of the tech we can use for monitoring hearts, … Continue reading Showcasing developments in biologging and related methods in applied ecology

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Research summaries

Optimally controlling invasive species in spatially-connected networks

In this post Sam Nicol discusses his recent article with Regis Sabbadin, Nathalie Peyrard and Iadine Chadès ‘Finding the best management policy to eradicate invasive species from spatial ecological networks with simultaneous actions‘ Lots of invasive species live in spatial networks, which means that they live in a series of discrete habitat sites, but occasionally move between the sites. Managing invasive species in these networks … Continue reading Optimally controlling invasive species in spatially-connected networks

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Research summaries

New techniques for Atlantic sturgeon conservation

In this post Associate Editor Verena Trenkel discusses a paper she recently handled from Michael Melnychuk and colleagues ‘Informing conservation strategies for the endangered Atlantic sturgeon using acoustic telemetry and multi-state mark–recapture models‘ According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN), ten out 17 sturgeon species are currently critically endangered. Among the two species listed as least concern is Atlantic sturgeon which occurs … Continue reading New techniques for Atlantic sturgeon conservation

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Research summaries

Wolves prefer running in straight lines

In this post, Associate Editor Johan du Toit discusses a recent paper ‘Faster and farther: wolf movement on linear features and implications for hunting behaviour’ by Melanie Dickie, Robert Serrouya, Scott McNay and Stan Boutin. Humans make lines on the landscape When flying over any landscape, what strikes the eye as the most distinctive evidence of human activity on the ground is linear features in … Continue reading Wolves prefer running in straight lines

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