Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns

COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020 reduced human mobility, providing an opportunity to disentangle its effects on animals from those of landscape modifications. Using GPS data, we compared movements and road avoidance of 2300 terrestrial mammals (43 species) during the lockdowns to the same period in 2019. Individual responses were variable with no change in average movements or road avoidance behavior, likely due to variable lockdown conditions. However, under strict lockdowns 10-day 95th percentile displacements increased by 73%, suggesting increased landscape permeability. Animals’ 1-hour 95th percentile displacements declined by 12% and animals were 36% closer to roads in areas of high human footprint, indicating reduced avoidance during lockdowns. Overall, lockdowns rapidly altered some spatial behaviors, highlighting variable but substantial impacts of human mobility on wildlife worldwide.

Citation

Tucker , M A , Schipper , A M , Adams , T S F , Attias , N , Avgar , T , Babic , N L , Barker , K J , Bastille-Rousseau , G , Behr , D M , Belant , J L , Beyer , D E , Blaum , N , Blount , J D , Bockmühl , D , Pires Boulhosa , R L , Brown , M B , Buuveibaatar , B , Cagnacci , F , Calabrese , J M , Černe , R , Chamaillé-Jammes , S , Chan , A N , Chase , M J , Chaval , Y , Chenaux-Ibrahim , Y , Cherry , S G , Ćirović , D , Çoban , E , Cole , E K , Conlee , L , Courtemanch , A , Cozzi , G , Davidson , S C , DeBloois , D , Dejid , N , DeNicola , V , Desbiez , A L J , Douglas-Hamilton , I , Drake , D , Egan , M , Eikelboom , J A J , Fagan , W F , Farmer , M J , Fennessy , J , Finnegan , S P , Fleming , C H , Fournier , B , Fowler , N L , Gantchoff , M G , Garnier , A , Gehr , B , Geremia , C , Goheen , J R , Hauptfleisch , M L , Hebblewhite , M , Heim , M , Hertel , A G , Heurich , M , Hewison , A J M , Hodson , J , Hoffman , N , Hopcraft , J G C , Huber , D , Isaac , E J , Janik , K , Ježek , M , Johansson , Ö , Jordan , N R , Kaczensky , P , Kamaru , D N , Kauffman , M J , Kautz , T M , Kays , R , Kelly , A P , Kindberg , J , Krofel , M , Kusak , J , Lamb , C T , LaSharr , T N , Leimgruber , P , Leitner , H , Lierz , M , Linnell , J D C , Lkhagvaja , P , Long , R A , López-Bao , J V , Loretto , M-C , Marchand , P , Martin , H , Martinez , L A , McBride , R T , McLaren , A A D , Meisingset , E , Melzheimer , J , Merrill , E H , Middleton , A D , Monteith , K L , Moore , S A , Van Moorter , B , Morellet , N , Morrison , T , Müller , R , Mysterud , A , Noonan , M J , O’Connor , D , Olson , D , Olson , K A , Ortega , A C , Ossi , F , Panzacchi , M , Patchett , R , Patterson , B R , de Paula , R C , Payne , J , Peters , W , Petroelje , T R , Pitcher , B J , Pokorny , B , Poole , K , Potočnik , H , Poulin , M-P , Pringle , R M , Prins , H H T , Ranc , N , Reljić , S , Robb , B , Röder , R , Rolandsen , C M , Rutz , C , Salemgareyev , A R , Samelius , G , Sayine-Crawford , H , Schooler , S , Şekercioğlu , Ç H , Selva , N , Semenzato , P , Sergiel , A , Sharma , K , Shawler , A L , Signer , J , Silovský , V , Silva , J P , Simon , R , Smiley , R A , Smith , D W , Solberg , E J , Ellis-Soto , D , Spiegel , O , Stabach , J , Stacy-Dawes , J , Stahler , D R , Stephenson , J , Stewart , C , Strand , O , Sunde , P , Svoboda , N J , Swart , J , Thompson , J J , Toal , K L , Uiseb , K , VanAcker , M C , Velilla , M , Verzuh , T L , Wachter , B , Wagler , B L , Whittington , J , Wikelski , M , Wilmers , C C , Wittemyer , G , Young , J K , Zięba , F , Zwijacz-Kozica , T , Huijbregts , M A J & Mueller , T 2023 , ' Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns ' , Science , vol. 380 , no. 6649 , pp. 1059-1064 . https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abo6499

Publication

Science

Status

Peer reviewed

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abo6499

ISSN

0036-8075

Type

Journal article

Rights

Copyright © 2023 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the author created accepted manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abo6499

Description

Funding: This article is a contribution of the COVID-19 Bio-Logging Initiative, which is funded in part by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF9881) and the National Geographic Society (NGS-82515R-20) (both grants to C.R.).

Collections

University of St Andrews Research

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10023/27835