Longest terrestrial migrations and movements around the world
Joly, Kyle; Gurarie, Eliezer; Sorum, Mathew S.; Kaczensky, Petra; Cameron, Matthew D.; Jakes, Andrew F .; Borg, Bridget L.; Nandintsetseg, Dejid; Hopcraft, J. Grant C.; Buuveibaatar, Bayarbaatar; Jones, Paul F.; Mueller, Thomas; Walzer, Chris; Olson, Kirk A.; Payne, John C.; Yadamsuren, Adiya; Hebblewhite, Mark
Peer reviewed, Journal article
Published version
Åpne
Permanent lenke
http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2625392Utgivelsesdato
2019Metadata
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- Scientific publications [1437]
Originalversjon
10.1038/s41598-019-51884-5Sammendrag
Long-distance terrestrial migrations are imperiled globally. We determined both round-trip migration
distances (straight-line measurements between migratory end points) and total annual movement
(sum of the distances between successive relocations over a year) for a suite of large mammals that had
potential for long-distance movements to test which species displayed the longest of both. We found
that caribou likely do exhibit the longest terrestrial migrations on the planet, but, over the course of a
year, gray wolves move the most. Our results were consistent with the trophic-level based hypothesis
that predators would move more than their prey. Herbivores in low productivity environments moved
more than herbivores in more productive habitats. We also found that larger members of the same guild
moved less than smaller members, supporting the ‘gastro-centric’ hypothesis. A better understanding
of migration and movements of large mammals should aid in their conservation by helping delineate
conservation area boundaries and determine priority corridors for protection to preserve connectivity.
The magnitude of the migrations and movements we documented should also provide guidance on the
scale of conservation efforts required and assist conservation planning across agency and even national
boundaries.