Mammals show faster recovery from capture and tagging in human-disturbed landscapes

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Stiegler, Jonas and Gallagher, Cara A. and Hering, Robert and Müller, Thomas and Tucker, Marlee and Apollonio, Marco and Arnold, Janosch and Barker, Nancy A. and Barthel, Leon and Bassano, Bruno and van Beest, Floris M. and Belant, Jerrold L. and Berger, Anne and Beyer Jr, Dean E. and Bidner, Laura R. and Blake, Stephen and Börner, Konstantin and Brivio, Francesca and Brogi, Rudy and Buuveibaatar, Bayarbaatar and Cagnacci, Francesca and Dekker, Jasja and Dentinger, Jane and Duľa, Martin and Duquette, Jarred F. and Eccard, Jana A. and Evans, Meaghan N. and Ferguson, Adam W. and Fichtel, Claudia and Ford, Adam T. and Fowler, Nicholas L. and Gehr, Benedikt and Getz, Wayne M. and Goheen, Jacob R. and Goossens, Benoit and Grignolio, Stefano and Haugaard, Lars and Hauptfleisch, Morgan and Heim, Morten and Heurich, Marco and Hewison, Mark A. J. and Isbell, Lynne A. and Janssen, René and Jarnemo, Anders and Jeltsch, Florian and Miloš, Jezek and Kaczensky, Petra and Kamiński, Tomasz and Kappeler, Peter and Kasper, Katharina and Kautz, Todd M. and Kimmig, Sophia and Kjellander, Petter and Kowalczyk, Rafał and Kramer-Schadt, Stephanie and Kröschel, Max and Krop-Benesch, Anette and Linderoth, Peter and Lobas, Christoph and Lokeny, Peter and Lührs, Mia-Lana and Matsushima, Stephanie S. and McDonough, Molly M. and Melzheimer, Jörg and Morellet, Nicolas and Ngatia, Dedan K. and Obermair, Leopold and Olson, Kirk A. and Patanant, Kidan C. and Payne, John C. and Petroelje, Tyler R. and Pina, Manuel and Piqué, Josep and Premier, Joseph and Pufelski, Jan and Pyritz, Lennart and Ramanzin, Maurizio and Roeleke, Manuel and Rolandsen, Christer M. and Saïd, Sonia and Sandfort, Robin and Schmidt, Krzysztof and Scholz, Carolin and Schmidt, Niels M. and Schubert, Nadine and Selva, Nuria and Sergiel, Agnieszka and K. Serieys, Laurel E. and Silovský, Václav and Slotow, Rob and Sönnichsen, Leif and Solberg, Erling J. and Stelvig, Mikkel and Street, Garrett M. and Sunde, Peter and Svoboda, Nathan J. and Thaker, Maria and Tomowski, Maxi and Ullmann, Wiebke and Vanak, Abi Tamim and Wachter, Bettina and Webb, Stephen L. and Wilmers, Christopher C. and Zieba, Filip and Zwijacz-Kozica, Tomasz and Blaum, Niels (2024) Mammals show faster recovery from capture and tagging in human-disturbed landscapes. Nature Communications, 15.

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Abstract

Wildlife tagging provides critical insights into animal movement ecology, physiology, and behavior amid global ecosystem changes. However, the stress induced by capture, handling, and tagging can impact post-release locomotion and activity and, consequently, the interpretation of study results. Here, we analyze post-tagging effects on 1585 individuals of 42 terrestrial mammal species using collar-collected GPS and accelerometer data. Species-specific displacements and overall dynamic body acceleration, as a proxy for activity, were assessed over 20 days post-release to quantify disturbance intensity, recovery duration, and speed. Differences were evaluated, considering species-specific traits and the human footprint of the study region. Over 70% of the analyzed species exhibited significant behavioral changes following collaring events. Herbivores traveled farther with variable activity reactions, while omnivores and carnivores were initially less active and mobile. Recovery duration proved brief, with alterations diminishing within 4–7 tracking days for most species. Herbivores, particularly males, showed quicker displacement recovery (4 days) but slower activity recovery (7 days). Individuals in high human footprint areas displayed faster recovery, indicating adaptation to human disturbance. Our findings emphasize the necessity of extending tracking periods beyond 1 week and particular caution in remote study areas or herbivore-focused research, specifically in smaller mammals.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to Authors
Subjects:	A ATREE Publications > G Journal Papers
Divisions:	SM Sehgal Foundation Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation > Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Planning
Depositing User:	Ms Suchithra R
Date Deposited:	26 Nov 2025 04:13
Last Modified:	26 Nov 2025 04:13
URI:	http://archives.atree.org/id/eprint/683

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