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