Detailed Record


Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns


Abstract 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.
Authors Marlee A. Tucker ORCID , Aafke M. Schipper ORCID , Tempe S. F. Adams ORCID , Nina Attias ORCID , Tal Avgar ORCID , Natarsha L. Babic ORCID , Kristin J. Barker ORCID , Guillaume Bastille‐Rousseau ORCID , Dominik M. Behr ORCID , Jerrold L. Belant ORCID , Dean E. Beyer ORCID , Niels Blaum ORCID , J. David Blount ORCID , Dirk P. Bockmühl ORCID , Ricardo Luiz Pires Boulhosa ORCID , Michael B. Brown ORCID , Bayarbaatar Buuveibaatar ORCID , Francesca Cagnacci ORCID , Justin M. Calabrese ORCID , Rok Černe ORCID , Simon Chamaillé‐Jammes ORCID , Aung Nyein Chan ORCID , Michael J. Chase , Yannick Chaval ORCID , Yvette Chenaux‐Ibrahim ORCID , Seth G. Cherry ORCID , Duško Ćirović ORCID , Emrah Çoban ORCID , Eric K. Cole ORCID , Laura Conlee , Alyson B. Courtemanch ORCID , Gabriele Cozzi ORCID , Sarah C. Davidson ORCID , Darren DeBloois ORCID , Nandintsetseg Dejid ORCID , Vickie L. DeNicola ORCID , Arnaud Léonard Jean Desbiez ORCID , Iain Douglas‐Hamilton ORCID , David Drake , Michael E. Egan ORCID , Jasper A.J. Eikelboom ORCID , William F. Fagan ORCID , Morgan J. Farmer ORCID , Julian Fennessy ORCID , S. P. Finnegan ORCID , Christen H. Fleming ORCID , Bonnie Fournier ORCID , Nicholas L. Fowler ORCID , Mariela G. Gantchoff ORCID , Alexandre Garnier ORCID , Benedikt Gehr ORCID , Chris Geremia , Jacob R. Goheen University of WyomingORCID , Morgan Hauptfleisch ORCID , Mark Hebblewhite ORCID , Morten Heim ORCID , Anne G. Hertel ORCID , Marco Heurich ORCID , A. J. Mark Hewison ORCID , James Hodson , Nicholas E. Hoffman , J. Grant C. Hopcraft ORCID , Đuro Huber ORCID , Edmund J. Isaac ORCID , Karolina Janik , Miloš Ježek ORCID , Örjan Johansson ORCID , Neil R. Jordan ORCID , Petra Kaczensky ORCID , Douglas Kamaru University of WyomingORCID , Matthew J. Kauffman University of WyomingORCID , Todd M. Kautz ORCID , Roland Kays ORCID , Allicia Kelly ORCID , Jonas Kindberg ORCID , Miha Krofel ORCID , Josip Kusak ORCID , Clayton T. Lamb ORCID , Tayler N. LaSharr University of WyomingORCID , Peter Leimgruber ORCID , Horst Leitner ORCID , Michael Lierz ORCID , John D. C. Linnell ORCID , Purevjav Lkhagvajav ORCID , Ryan A. Long ORCID , José Vicente López‐Bao ORCID , Matthias‐Claudio Loretto ORCID , Pascal Marchand ORCID , Hans Martin ORCID , Luis Martínez University of WyomingORCID , Roy McBride ORCID , Ashley McLaren ORCID , Erling L. Meisingset ORCID , Joerg Melzheimer ORCID , Evelyn H. Merrill ORCID , Arthur D. Middleton ORCID , Kevin L. Monteith University of WyomingORCID , Seth A. Moore ORCID , Bram Van Moorter ORCID , Nicolas Morellet ORCID
Journal Info American Association for the Advancement of Science | Science , vol: 380 , iss: 6649 , pages: 1059 - 1064
Publication Date 6/9/2023
ISSN 0036-8075
TypeKeyword Image article
Open Access green Green Access
DOI https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abo6499
KeywordsKeyword Image Animal Movement (Score: 0.513975) , Foraging Behavior (Score: 0.500553)