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A novel method for detecting extra-home range movements (EHRMs) by animals and recommendations for future EHRM
Todd C Jacobsen1, Kevyn H Wiskirchen1, Stephen S Ditchkoff1
1School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, United States of America.
Plos One
|November 30, 2020
Summary
A new Moving-Window method detects more extra-home range movements (EHRMs) in animals than traditional Fixed-Period methods. This approach improves understanding of animal behavior for conservation and wildlife management.
Area of Science:
- Wildlife ecology
- Movement ecology
- Conservation biology
Background:
- Infrequent, long-distance animal movements (extra-home range movements or EHRMs) are crucial for understanding resource acquisition, gene flow, and disease transmission.
- Current methods for detecting EHRMs often rely on fixed temporal and spatial bounds (Fixed-Period method), potentially underestimating their occurrence when animal space use changes dynamically.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate a novel Moving-Window method for detecting EHRMs.
- To compare the efficacy of the Moving-Window method against the traditional Fixed-Period method.
- To evaluate the impact of varying definition criteria on EHRM detection and comparison across studies.
Main Methods:
- Developed and applied an iterative Moving-Window method, comparing daily relocations to recent preceding space use.
- Compared EHRM detections from the Moving-Window method with the Fixed-Period method using GPS data from 33 white-tailed deer.
- Analyzed the influence of different definition criteria on EHRM detection rates.
Main Results:
- The Moving-Window method identified 1.5 times more EHRMs than the Fixed-Period method.
- 120 unique EHRMs were detected by the Moving-Window method that were missed by the Fixed-Period method, some extending nearly 5 km beyond home range boundaries.
- The application of different EHRM definition criteria resulted in detection rates ranging from 15.6% to 100.0% within the dataset.
Conclusions:
- The Moving-Window method offers a more sensitive approach to detecting EHRMs compared to Fixed-Period methods.
- Variability in terminology and definition criteria in previous studies complicates comparisons of EHRM data.
- The proposed Moving-Window approach and methodological guidelines will enhance the study and understanding of EHRMs across diverse taxa.
