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The last decade has brought a worldwide surge of interest in rewilding-the repopulation of large herbivores and carnivores-as a strategy for conserving species and reviving ecosystem functions. Rewilding initiatives, if closely monitored, can provide unique insights into the ecology of the world's largest animals at otherwise impossible spatial and temporal scales. Capitalizing on these opportunities, and developing a knowledge base to guide future restoration efforts, requires the collection and dissemination of long-term data that document community reassembly. To date, such data are virtually nonexistent: most megafaunal restoration projects are nascent and/or have not been rigorously monitored. Since 2008, the Gorongosa Restoration Project, in Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, has facilitated the recovery of megafauna populations that were severely depleted or extirpated during the country's civil war (1977-1992). For over a decade, we have monitored Gorongosa's large-herbivore populations to understand how animal behavior and trophic interactions change as communities reassemble. Here, we present spatiotemporally explicit data sets on the movements and diets of large herbivores in Gorongosa between 2013 and 2025, along with annual rainfall data. This period encompassed extremes of climate (including some of the driest and wettest years on record) and the reintroduction, starting in 2018, of locally extinct apex predators and scavengers: African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), leopard (Panthera pardus), spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), and side-striped jackal (Lupulella adusta). We used GPS telemetry to monitor 277 herbivores of seven species (listed below with number of individuals collared, median duration of tracking, and median number of locations per individual): Cape bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus: 103 individuals; 280 days; 6646 fixes), nyala (T. angasii: 37 individuals; 306 days; 6789 fixes), greater kudu (T. strepsiceros: 80 individuals; 300 days; 17,365 fixes), common eland (T. oryx: 10 individuals; 334 days; 15,783 fixes), waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus: 22 individuals; 13 days; 2877 fixes), plains zebra (Equus quagga: 7 individuals; 212 days; 1171 fixes), and African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana: 18 individuals; 706 days; 33,122 fixes). For 295 individuals that were immobilized during this work, we present morphological measurements (chest girth, body length, hind-foot length, weight), reproductive status and nutritional condition (ultrasound measurements, palpation scores), and fate (mortality date and cause, if known). For diet analysis, we used DNA metabarcoding to identify and quantify the relative abundances of plant taxa in 3785 fecal samples from 27 mammal species belonging to 11 families and 7 orders. In all, we recorded 516 food-plant taxa from at least 87 plant families and 39 orders. For Gorongosa's 15 most common large herbivores, the median sampling depth was 216 fecal samples per species (interquartile range 156-279); the overall median sampling depth was 92 samples per species (range 1-499). We include basic metadata collected in the field (e.g., date, time, GPS location, animal sex, and age) along with laboratory notes and information on plant taxonomic identification. These data are valuable not just as a window on one ecosystem's recovery from armed conflict, but also as a resource for macroecology, meta-analysis, and synthetic studies of animal movement, diet, and the dynamics of community reassembly. The data are freely available for use and this paper should be cited whenever data are reused; see Data S1: Metadata S1: Class III.B.4 for additional details.

The persistence of animal populations in anthropogenic landscapes often depends on adjusting their foraging and movement strategies to environmental changes that involve energetic trade-offs. However, it remains unclear how ecological resilience translates into movement flexibility and which factors influence animal movement in modified environments. Howler monkeys (Alouatta spp.) are known to cope with significant anthropogenic pressure across their range. We examined how a gradient of habitat disturbance alters intrinsic traits of black howler monkeys (A. pigra) and extrinsic habitat characteristics, and how these factors, in turn, drive their movement. We monitored six groups of black howler monkeys in southeastern Mexico for 1 year, collecting data on movement, activity, diet, neighbouring-group presence, food availability and microclimate. We developed intrinsic and extrinsic models to identify the main drivers of movement across three spatiotemporal scales. Our results revealed scale-dependent responses to disturbance. At the smallest scale (5-min steps), movement probability increased with folivory levels and proximity to neighbouring groups but was significantly constrained by high temperatures. At the intermediate scale (daily paths), resource sparseness led to longer daily travel distances, while group crowding in isolated fragments increased path circuity, reducing travel efficiency. Finally, at the broadest scale (use of space), groups in highly disturbed sites exhibited up to 99% seasonal home range overlap, indicating spatial saturation and a lack of buffering capacity against environmental stochasticity. Our analyses show that while black howler monkeys exhibit behavioural flexibility, their capacity to cope with anthropogenic disturbance is limited by physiological and spatial constraints. As human activities continue to alter ecosystems, animals must adjust their strategies to navigate changing habitats and shifting resource availability; however, when environmental limits exceed an organism's inherent flexibility, populations may face an increased risk of local extinction. La persistencia de las poblaciones animales en paisajes antropogénicos depende, en general, de su capacidad para ajustar sus estrategias de movimiento y forrajeo ante cambios ambientales, lo cual suele implicar compromisos energéticos (trade‐offs). Sin embargo, aún no está claro cómo la resiliencia ecológica se traduce en flexibilidad de movimiento, ni qué factores determinan el movimiento de los animales en paisajes modificados. Los monos aulladores (Alouatta spp.) son conocidos por su capacidad para lidiar con la presión humana a lo largo de su área de distribución. En este estudio, examinamos cómo un gradiente de perturbación del hábitat altera los rasgos intrínsecos de los monos aulladores negros (A. pigra) y las características extrínsecas del hábitat, y cómo estos factores, a su vez, impulsan su movimiento. Monitoreamos durante un año seis grupos de monos aulladores negros en el sureste de México, colectando datos sobre movimiento, actividad, dieta, presencia de grupos vecinos, disponibilidad de alimento y microclima. Desarrollamos modelos intrínsecos y extrínsecos para identificar los principales determinantes de su movimiento. Nuestros resultados revelaron respuestas a la perturbación dependientes de la escala. A la escala más fina (intervalos de 5 min), la probabilidad de movimiento aumentó con los niveles de folivoría y la proximidad a grupos vecinos, pero se vio significativamente limitada por las altas temperaturas. A la escala intermedia (trayectorias diarias), la dispersión de los recursos derivó en distancias de viaje más largas, mientras que el hacinamiento de grupos en fragmentos aislados aumentó la tortuosidad de las trayectorias, lo que redujo la eficiencia de sus movimientos. Finalmente, a la escala más amplia (ámbitos hogareños), los grupos en sitios altamente perturbados exhibieron un solapamiento estacional de hasta el 99%, lo que indica una saturación espacial y una falta de capacidad de amortiguación frente a la estocasticidad ambiental. Nuestros análisis muestran que, aunque los monos aulladores negros poseen flexibilidad conductual, su capacidad para afrontar la perturbación antropogénica está limitada por restricciones fisiológicas y espaciales. A medida que las actividades humanas continúan alterando los ecosistemas, los animales deben ajustar sus estrategias para navegar en hábitats cambiantes; sin embargo, cuando las presiones ambientales superan la flexibilidad inherente de los organismos, las poblaciones pueden enfrentar un mayor riesgo de extinción local.

Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) threaten both biodiversity and human safety worldwide. Despite empirical efforts to characterize the major determinants of WVC risk and optimize mitigation strategies, we still lack a theoretical framework linking traffic, landscape, and individual movement features to collision risk. Here, we introduce such a framework by leveraging recent advances in movement ecology and reaction-diffusion stochastic processes with partially absorbing boundaries. Focusing on range-resident terrestrial mammals-responsible for most fatal WVCs-we model interactions with a single linear road and derive exact expressions for key survival statistics, including mean collision time and road-induced lifespan reduction. These quantities are expressed in terms of measurable parameters, such as traffic intensity or road width, and movement parameters that can be robustly estimated from relocation data, such as home-range crossing times, home-range sizes, or distance between home-range center and road. Therefore, our work provides an effective theoretical framework integrating movement and road ecology, laying the foundation for data-driven, evidence-based strategies to mitigate WVCs and promote safer, more sustainable transportation networks.

Collective movement in terrestrial isopods has rarely been documented and almost never discussed. Here, we report a novel behavioral phenomenon in isopods from the species Armadillo sordidus: large nocturnal aggregations forming coordinated circular movements involving thousands of individuals. The behavior was observed naturally in several locations in northern Israel and could be experimentally induced using artificial white light. Ultraviolet light and magnetic fields did not induce this behavior. Image analysis revealed approximately 5500 individuals within a single aggregation, and manual tracking confirmed a clear circular movement pattern. The observed sex ratio (1:4 males to females) and presence of many gravid females suggest that the behavior is not reproductive. Instead, the circular motion appears to represent a density-dependent, light-induced aggregation response. To our knowledge, this is the first formal documentation of collective circular movement in isopods, potentially arising from anthropogenic light pollution.

Ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are economically important pests of ornamental nursery crops because the presence of <5 attacks can render thin-barked deciduous trees unmarketable. In North America, Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky), Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford), Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff), and Cnestus mutilatus (Blandford) are among the most destructive ambrosia beetle pest species in nursery systems. Anisandrus maiche (Stark) is a new emerging pest in North America. These species preferentially colonize physiologically stressed hosts by orienting to ethanol emitted from plant tissues, creating a strong linkage between host stress, beetle behavior, and management risk. Despite the widespread use of ethanol-baited traps and preventative insecticide applications, ambrosia beetle management remains challenging due to variability in phenology, species-specific cryptic and social behaviors, and continual pressure from surrounding woodlots. The objective of this review was to synthesize current knowledge on the natural history and landscape ecology of beetles in the tribe Xyleborini and to discuss how this information can be applied to improve integrated pest management in nursery systems. Mechanisms of host selection and ethanol-mediated attraction, a review of monitoring tools and their interpretation, and an examination of species-specific differences in flight activity, dispersal capacity, overwintering biology, and reproductive behavior are biologically relevant to management. Landscape context, including proximity to woodlots and the spatial distribution of hosts, influences the risk of beetle infestations. Management tactics, including cultural, chemical, biological, and behavioral, are discussed in the context of ambrosia beetle biology, ecology, and movement across nursery-woodlot interfaces.

Cocaine and its metabolites are increasingly being detected in aquatic environments worldwide. While previous research has demonstrated that these substances can affect brain function and behavior in wildlife, this research has exclusively been conducted under artificial laboratory conditions. How cocaine pollution affects animal behavior in the wild is, thus, unknown. Here, we combine slow-release chemical implants with acoustic telemetry tracking to reveal how environmentally realistic levels of cocaine and its main metabolite, benzoylecgonine, affect the movement of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolts in a large natural lake (Lake V&#xe4;ttern, Sweden). Benzoylecgonine exposure increased weekly movement rates of fish in the wild, with exposed fish swimming up to &#x223c;1.9 times farther per week relative to controls. In addition, benzoylecgonine-exposed fish dispersed up to &#x223c;12.3 km farther than control conspecifics. These results indicate that cocaine-derived pollutants can alter fish spatial ecology, potentially influencing habitat use, trophic interactions, and population-level dispersal patterns in natural ecosystems.

Animals across diverse taxa navigate complex and unpredictable environments by modulating movement to maintain stability and efficiency. Active neural feedback has traditionally been viewed as the sole and primary mechanism for control. In this Review, we highlight the importance of non-neural, mechanical control mechanisms that allow for rapid modulation of locomotor systems. As the speed of movement increases or organisms face perturbations that rapidly change loading conditions, neural responsiveness may become too slow to adapt effectively. In such cases, pre-tuned modulation through intrinsic muscle properties, elastic structures and tissue compliance can provide a faster, more reliable response, sometimes outperforming active control in maintaining stability and energetic efficiency. We explore how these forms of mechanical control complement neural feedback and enhance control across size scales, particularly in systems where rapid adjustments are critical. We synthesize recent findings to provide a framework for understanding the trade-offs between passive and active control and highlight the potential mechanisms that function in parallel, across levels of biological organization to modulate locomotor output.

Satellite tracking has revolutionized our understanding of animal migration, yet its reliability increasingly depends on the geopolitical stability of the regions frequented by wildlife. Here, we show that military-induced interference with global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) during ongoing conflicts in Eastern Europe has severely compromised the accuracy of global positioning systems (GPS)-based tracking data for black-headed gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus). In 2024-2025, GPS trajectories revealed erratic, low-quality, and geographically implausible positions coinciding with known zones of electronic warfare. These inaccuracies hinder efforts to locate breeding colonies, identify key stopover habitats, and assess disease transmission risks posed by migratory birds, particularly for zoonoses such as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1. Our findings illustrate how modern conflicts now extend their impact into ecological research infrastructures, calling for systematic correction methods and international coordination to safeguard the robustness of movement ecology studies and One Health models in a geopolitically unstable world.

Long-range dispersals of marine bacteria in the oceans have remained largely indecipherable, which is particularly relevant for Vibrio, responsible for global epidemics in humans and animals. Here, we combine the analysis of 40 terabases of metagenomic data and satellite-tracked surface drifter data, from across the globe revealing that Vibrio are abundant members of the ocean surface and show a strong association with microplankton, which appears to govern their distribution and connectivity at a global scale. We identify long-distance biological corridors connecting Vibrio communities, including potentially pathogenic Vibrio. These corridors allow movement over thousands of kilometres in a fairly short time, with estimates of less than 1.5 years to cross an ocean basin. These findings have deep implications for the demography and community dynamics of Vibrio species and the epidemiology of associated diseases.

The ability to evaluate fatigability during locomotion is crucial in various fields, from wildlife biology to clinical medicine. In wildlife, resistance to fatigue, or endurance, can determine the success of certain predator-prey encounters and underpins the ability of animals to migrate or disperse over long distances. In clinical contexts, endurance provides a reliable marker of physiological function, which could help guide exercise prescriptions and aid clinical decision making. However, current methods do not allow for accurate, non-invasive assessment of physical capacities over extended periods in natural and clinical settings. We propose a method for modelling the intensity-duration relationship based on dynamic body acceleration (DBA) records, from which we derived critical intensity, a key metabolic threshold in exercise physiology that delimits heavy from severe intensity domains. We recorded accelerometer data from 19 free-ranging species (n=272) across a wide interspecific and intraspecific range: from rats (10-2&#xa0;kg) to elephants (103&#xa0;kg), including oncology patients to regular runners. The three-parameter hyperbolic DBA-duration model revealed an excellent fit on experimental DBA records (median r2=0.995). By retrieving laboratory estimates of metabolic threshold for 15 species (n=688) from the literature, we demonstrated that critical DBA is a reliable proxy of metabolic threshold assessed in the laboratory both at the interspecific (r2=0.88, P<0.001) and intraspecific (Homo sapiens) levels (r2=0.90, P=0.051). The proposed method opens up new avenues for deciphering interactions among animals and between animals and their environment, through the lens of movement and physiology, but also for individualising the assessment of physical capacity in a clinical context.

As urbanization continues to accelerate, human-dominated habitats are becoming increasingly important for wildlife as some species of conservation concern move into urban landscapes. In response to the widespread loss or conversion of their preferred wetland habitat, black-crowned night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax; BCNH) frequently nest in urban areas. Despite being the most widely distributed colonial wading bird in the world, BCNH face population declines and have been listed as a special-status species in 11&#x2009;U.S. states and Ontario, Canada. The largest remaining BCNH rookery in the Great Lakes region of the U.S. is located at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois. Although nesting in an urban center is inherently risky, this colony appears to be thriving. We used GPS/GSM satellite transmitters to better understand the home range size, habitat use, and activity patterns of individual birds during the breeding season. We found that BCNH foraged in a wide variety of natural and highly modified waterbodies and exhibited distinct behavioral differences between breeding and non-breeding birds. Non-breeding birds' home ranges were on average 18 times larger than those of breeding birds, which primarily foraged within 10&#x2009;km of the colony, while non-breeding birds ranged widely but continued to use relatively urban habitats. All birds were active throughout the 24-h period, but breeding BCNH showed higher activity rates than non-breeding birds during daytime hours. Understanding the behavior of this declining species within urban landscapes can improve our understanding of this species' ecology and provide valuable insights to inform management and conservation efforts.

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Urbanization creates vast human-altered landscapes effectively isolating remaining pockets of habitat and introducing linear anthropogenic features such as roads and utility corridors. These features may function as barriers, corridors, or habitat, potentially in unexpected ways. We investigated the spatial ecology of eastern copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix) in a suburban nature park in the St. Louis metropolitan area (Missouri, USA) to determine the extent that roads, paved foot trails, and powerline clear cuts influence movement and habitat selection. Using radiotelemetry, we tracked 14 adult snakes (7 males and 7 females) over six active seasons (2018-2023), collecting 1950 relocations. Random path analyses, step selection functions, and context-dependent movement models uncovered an apparent paradox; snakes of both sexes avoided crossing roads at all spatial scales, yet preferred roadside habitat. Both sexes also selected for foot trail crossings and occupancy of powerline clear cuts, potentially utilizing these features for improved foraging habitat, thermoregulatory opportunities, and refugia. Additionally, males moved further per step than females, but there was no difference in movement probability between the sexes. Snakes' odds of moving were 46% lower when occupying roadside habitat and 2.3 times higher when occupying powerline clear cuts, suggesting differing behavioral states within, and functions of, these habitats. Our findings suggest that linear anthropogenic features can simultaneously act as barriers, movement corridors, and preferred habitat, underscoring the need to determine whether such features provide genuine benefits or function as ecological traps for wildlife occupying urban landscapes.

Anthropogenic disturbances pose significant challenges for wildlife conservation, especially for threatened primates such as the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata). We investigated whether and how human presence and noise influence the immediate movement responses of mantled howler monkeys inhabiting an agroforestry system in Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. Between January 2020 and April 2021, we recorded monkey and human locations, human activities, and A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure levels (LAeq) at 15-min intervals during 823&#xa0;h of observation. Using generalized linear mixed models, we found that both the occurrence and magnitude of avoidance movement increased significantly with increasing worker numbers and sound pressure levels. Although movement increased throughout the day, movement direction relative to human location remained constant, suggesting that circadian patterns influence when, but not how animals respond to anthropogenic factors. Therefore, howler monkeys avoid human presence while maintaining their characteristic energy-conservative ranging patterns, suggesting a complex balance between risk avoidance and metabolic demands. Our findings have important implications for wildlife management in agroforestry systems, as even relatively low levels of human presence (approximately one person per hectare) and noise (ranging from 40 to 85&#xa0;dB) can trigger behavioral responses.

For road mitigation measures to prevent roadkill and conserve landscape connectivity to be effective, the measures must be located where animals are most likely to encounter roads. However, accurate identification of road encounter hotspots is difficult when presence records are sparse and collected haphazardly, often the case with small, uncommon species. Blanding's Turtle Emydoidea blandingii is a threatened species for which road mortality contributes to population declines. Using opportunistic detections of Blanding's Turtle along roads, we investigated whether it is possible to predict road encounter hotspots throughout an extensive road network with such data. First, we used general linear modeling (GLM) to infer landscape features associated with Blanding's Turtle road encounter records. After locating spatial clusters of encounters, GLM was used to identify landscape features associated with these hotspots. Next, Blanding's Turtle least cost movement paths were delineated within the landscape, and sites where paths crossed roads were located. Blanding's Turtle locations were positively associated with proximity and extent of wetlands, and negatively associated with grasslands and developed land use. Hotspots were located along predicted Blanding's Turtle least cost movement paths, indicating that behavioral movement models are useful for predicting encounter locations. A significant fraction of road encounter records came from a small number of hotspot sites, located along the predicted movement paths. We conclude that it is possible to generate predictive models of road encounter hotspots even when data are sparse, collected opportunistically, and subject to spatial biases in reporting across a road network. These models can be applied throughout a road network to identify road segments that are good candidates for effective road mitigation.

Understanding how animals achieve movement and athletic performance in varied conditions requires integration across physiological systems and structural scales from molecules to ecosystems. This special issue on The Integrative Biology of Exercise presents a comparative and integrative perspective rooted in fundamental principles of musculoskeletal biomechanics and energy metabolism, highlighting the methodological advances required to study these principles in a comparative and ecologically relevant context. The special issue adopts a broad definition of 'exercise' that includes any muscle-driven movement that increases energy expenditure above resting levels and elicits acute, plastic and adaptive responses on various time scales. We highlight several themes from the special issue that represent impactful emerging research directions: (1) bridging between human exercise sciences, comparative physiology and movement ecology; (2) exercise capacity, costs, plasticity and adaptation; (3) new technology enabling advances in field-based and minimally invasive experimental measurements in exercise physiology; (4) diversity and adaptation in fuel use for exercise performance; and (5) environmental factors that influence exercise capacity. In line with Journal of Experimental Biology's aims and scope, we focus on combining rigorous, comparative experimental approaches with theoretical and conceptual frameworks to reveal the mechanisms that determine exercise capacity, enable plasticity across lifespan and shape their evolution.

Movement behavior of freshwater invertebrates is largely understudied, although gaining insights into behavioral responses may be crucial to better understand their ecology and to guide their conservation. The objective of this study was to examine whether movement distances and burrowing depths of Unio nanus, a species of the U. crassus complex, and Anodonta spp. would vary between three different habitats (dominated by either U. nanus or Anodonta spp. or in which both species were rare) in a headwater stream in southern Germany within longer (8 weeks) and shorter (48 hours, controlled for substrate) field experiments. We hypothesized that mussels should be the most mobile (i.e., larger locomotion distances) and burrow less in presumably unsuitable habitats where they are rare. Both taxa were most mobile at a sidearm location where both species were rare, and which had the lowest water depth and flow velocity. While U. nanus burrowed significantly deeper at the other faster-flowing sites, burrowing of Anodonta spp. was more variable and did not significantly differ between sites. The results suggest that low water levels may trigger increased mobility in both species, potentially as an adaptation to avoid drying. The stronger behavioral response of U. nanus may reflect its adaptation to more dynamic, lotic environments.

We develop an integro-partial differential equation model that incorporates nonlocal resource gradients directly into the advection term to represent perception-mediated animal movement in heterogeneous environments. By systematically comparing this formulation with a classical model based on local gradients of synthesized nonlocal resource quantities, we identify key regimes where their predictions diverge. Under varying light patterns (linear, Gaussian, and periodic) and resource landscapes (pulsed Gaussian and pulsed uniform), both models exhibit changes in foraging success and optimal detection scales with movement rates. The gradient-based model consistently achieves similar maximal foraging success as the abundance-based model but with smaller optimal detection scales, particularly under strong advection and smoothly varying resource gradients. Periodic light patterns generate intricate crossover behavior in the relative foraging success of the two models as detection scale increases, with gradient-based perception favoring more localized sampling under such conditions. Boundary conditions critically shape foraging outcomes: when resource peaks occur near domain boundaries, absorbing (Dirichlet) conditions can substantially reduce foraging efficiency, especially at higher diffusion rates and larger detection scales, highlighting the importance of accounting for boundary effects in fragmented or constrained habitats. Our findings demonstrate how the mathematical representation of nonlocal perception affects predicted optimal movement strategies, providing testable hypotheses for empirical studies and guidance for selecting modeling frameworks in diverse ecological contexts.