Data from: Moving in the Anthropocene: global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements

AbstractAnimal movement is fundamental for ecosystem functioning and species survival, yet the effects of the anthropogenic footprint on animal movements have not been estimated across species. Using a unique GPS-tracking database of 803 individuals across 57 species, we found that movements of mammals in areas with a comparatively high human footprint were on average one-half to one-third the extent of their movements in areas with a low human footprint. We attribute this reduction to behavioral changes of individual animals and to the exclusion of species with long-range movements from areas with higher human impact. Global loss of vagility alters a key ecological trait of animals that affects not only population persistence but also ecosystem processes such as predator-prey interactions, nutrient cycling, and disease transmission.

摘要：动物运动是生态系统功能运转与物种存续的核心基础，但目前尚未有跨物种尺度下人为活动足迹对动物运动影响的系统性量化评估。本研究依托覆盖57个物种、共计803个个体的独有GPS追踪数据库，发现人类活动足迹较高区域内的哺乳动物，其运动范围平均仅为人类活动足迹较低区域同类个体的二分之一至三分之一。我们将该运动范围缩减现象归因于两点：一是个体动物的行为改变，二是长距离运动的物种会被排除在人类影响较高的区域之外。全球范围内动物移动扩散能力（vagility）的丧失，会改变动物一项关键生态特征，这一改变不仅会影响种群存续，还会干扰捕食者-猎物相互作用、养分循环以及疾病传播等诸多生态过程。