Bison movements change with weather: Implications for their continued conservation in the Anthropocene
Animal movement patterns are affected by complex interactions between biotic and abiotic landscape conditions, and these patterns are being altered by weather variability associated with a changing climate. Some animals, like the American plains bison (Bison bison L.; hereafter, plains bison), are c...
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ftunivnebraskali:oai:digitalcommons.unl.edu:agronomyfacpub-2602 2023-11-12T04:28:13+01:00 Bison movements change with weather: Implications for their continued conservation in the Anthropocene McMillan, Nicholas A. Fuhlendorf, Samuel D. Luttbeg, Barney Goodman, Laura E. Davis, Craig A. Allred, Brady W. Hamilton, Robert G. 2022-11-17T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/agronomyfacpub/1606 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/agronomyfacpub/article/2602/viewcontent/Macmillan_EE_2023_Bison_movements.pdf unknown DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/agronomyfacpub/1606 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/agronomyfacpub/article/2602/viewcontent/Macmillan_EE_2023_Bison_movements.pdf Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications climate change conservation grasslands landscape movement ecology ungulates weather variability Agricultural Science Agriculture Agronomy and Crop Sciences Botany Horticulture Life Sciences Other Plant Sciences Plant Biology Plant Sciences text 2022 ftunivnebraskali 2023-10-30T12:12:41Z Animal movement patterns are affected by complex interactions between biotic and abiotic landscape conditions, and these patterns are being altered by weather variability associated with a changing climate. Some animals, like the American plains bison (Bison bison L.; hereafter, plains bison), are considered keystone species, thus their response to weather variability may alter ecosystem structure and biodiversity patterns. Many movement studies of plains bison and other ungulates have focused on point-pattern analyses (e.g., resource-selection) that have provided information about where these animals move, but information about when or why these animals move is limited. For example, information surrounding the influence of weather on plains bison movement in response to weather is limited but has important implications for their conservation in a changing climate. To explore how movement distance is affected by weather patterns and drought, we utilized 12-min GPS data from two of the largest plains bison herds in North America to model their response to weather and drought parameters using generalized additive mixed models. Distance moved was best predicted by air temperature, wind speed, and rainfall. However, air temperature best explained the variation in distance moved compared to any other single parameter we measured, predicting a 48% decrease in movement rates above 28°C. Moreover, severe drought (as indicated by 25-cm depth soil moisture) better predicted movement distance than moderate drought. The strong influence of weather and drought on plains bison movements observed in our study suggest that shifting climate and weather will likely affect plains bison movement patterns, further complicating conservation efforts for this wide-ranging keystone species. Moreover, changes in plains bison movement patterns may have cascading effects for grassland ecosystem structure, function, and biodiversity. Plains bison and grassland conservation efforts need to be proactive and adaptive when considering the ... Text Bison bison bison Plains Bison University of Nebraska-Lincoln: DigitalCommons@UNL |
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Open Polar |
collection |
University of Nebraska-Lincoln: DigitalCommons@UNL |
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ftunivnebraskali |
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unknown |
topic |
climate change conservation grasslands landscape movement ecology ungulates weather variability Agricultural Science Agriculture Agronomy and Crop Sciences Botany Horticulture Life Sciences Other Plant Sciences Plant Biology Plant Sciences |
spellingShingle |
climate change conservation grasslands landscape movement ecology ungulates weather variability Agricultural Science Agriculture Agronomy and Crop Sciences Botany Horticulture Life Sciences Other Plant Sciences Plant Biology Plant Sciences McMillan, Nicholas A. Fuhlendorf, Samuel D. Luttbeg, Barney Goodman, Laura E. Davis, Craig A. Allred, Brady W. Hamilton, Robert G. Bison movements change with weather: Implications for their continued conservation in the Anthropocene |
topic_facet |
climate change conservation grasslands landscape movement ecology ungulates weather variability Agricultural Science Agriculture Agronomy and Crop Sciences Botany Horticulture Life Sciences Other Plant Sciences Plant Biology Plant Sciences |
description |
Animal movement patterns are affected by complex interactions between biotic and abiotic landscape conditions, and these patterns are being altered by weather variability associated with a changing climate. Some animals, like the American plains bison (Bison bison L.; hereafter, plains bison), are considered keystone species, thus their response to weather variability may alter ecosystem structure and biodiversity patterns. Many movement studies of plains bison and other ungulates have focused on point-pattern analyses (e.g., resource-selection) that have provided information about where these animals move, but information about when or why these animals move is limited. For example, information surrounding the influence of weather on plains bison movement in response to weather is limited but has important implications for their conservation in a changing climate. To explore how movement distance is affected by weather patterns and drought, we utilized 12-min GPS data from two of the largest plains bison herds in North America to model their response to weather and drought parameters using generalized additive mixed models. Distance moved was best predicted by air temperature, wind speed, and rainfall. However, air temperature best explained the variation in distance moved compared to any other single parameter we measured, predicting a 48% decrease in movement rates above 28°C. Moreover, severe drought (as indicated by 25-cm depth soil moisture) better predicted movement distance than moderate drought. The strong influence of weather and drought on plains bison movements observed in our study suggest that shifting climate and weather will likely affect plains bison movement patterns, further complicating conservation efforts for this wide-ranging keystone species. Moreover, changes in plains bison movement patterns may have cascading effects for grassland ecosystem structure, function, and biodiversity. Plains bison and grassland conservation efforts need to be proactive and adaptive when considering the ... |
format |
Text |
author |
McMillan, Nicholas A. Fuhlendorf, Samuel D. Luttbeg, Barney Goodman, Laura E. Davis, Craig A. Allred, Brady W. Hamilton, Robert G. |
author_facet |
McMillan, Nicholas A. Fuhlendorf, Samuel D. Luttbeg, Barney Goodman, Laura E. Davis, Craig A. Allred, Brady W. Hamilton, Robert G. |
author_sort |
McMillan, Nicholas A. |
title |
Bison movements change with weather: Implications for their continued conservation in the Anthropocene |
title_short |
Bison movements change with weather: Implications for their continued conservation in the Anthropocene |
title_full |
Bison movements change with weather: Implications for their continued conservation in the Anthropocene |
title_fullStr |
Bison movements change with weather: Implications for their continued conservation in the Anthropocene |
title_full_unstemmed |
Bison movements change with weather: Implications for their continued conservation in the Anthropocene |
title_sort |
bison movements change with weather: implications for their continued conservation in the anthropocene |
publisher |
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/agronomyfacpub/1606 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/agronomyfacpub/article/2602/viewcontent/Macmillan_EE_2023_Bison_movements.pdf |
genre |
Bison bison bison Plains Bison |
genre_facet |
Bison bison bison Plains Bison |
op_source |
Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/agronomyfacpub/1606 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/agronomyfacpub/article/2602/viewcontent/Macmillan_EE_2023_Bison_movements.pdf |
_version_ |
1782341492026638336 |