A call for increased integration of experimental approaches in movement ecology

Rapid developments in animal-tracking technology have enabled major advances in the field of movement ecology, which seeks to understand the drivers and consequences of movement across scales, taxa, and ecosystems. The field has made ground-breaking discoveries, yet the majority of studies in movement ecology remain reliant on observational approaches. While important, observational studies are limited compared to experimental methods that can reveal causal relationships and underlying mechanisms. As such, we advocate for a renewed focus on experimental approaches in animal movement ecology. We illustrate a way forward in experimental movement ecology across two fundamental levels of biological organisation: individuals and social groups. We then explore the application of experiments in movement ecology to study anthropogenic influences on wildlife movement, and enhance our mechanistic understanding of conservation interventions. In each of these examples, we draw upon previous research that has effectively employed experimental approaches, while highlighting outstanding questions that could be answered by further experimentation. We conclude by highlighting the ways experimental manipulations in both laboratory and natural settings provide a promising way forward to generate mechanistic understandings of the drivers, consequences, and conservation of animal movement.

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Publication Details

Journal
Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
Published
2025-04-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70025
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.43

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article

A call for increased integration of experimental approaches in movement ecology

Ellen O. Aikens, Jorge F. S. Menezes, E. M. Lourie, Tal Avgar et al.
2 citations
Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
3.43
article

A call for increased integration of experimental approaches in movement ecology

Ellen O. Aikens, Jorge F. S. Menezes, E. M. Lourie, Tal Avgar, Jack A. Brand, Nina Attias, K. Whitney Hansen, Mitchell W. Serota, Iris D. Bontekoe, Cassandre Aimon, Tomas Brodin, Benjamin Koger, Michael G. Bertram, Arne Hegemann
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Rapid developments in animal-tracking technology have enabled major advances in the field of movement ecology, which seeks to understand the drivers and consequences of movement across scales, taxa, and ecosystems. The field has made ground-breaking discoveries, yet the majority of studies in movement ecology remain reliant on observational approaches. While important, observational studies are limited compared to experimental methods that can reveal causal relationships and underlying mechanisms. As such, we advocate for a renewed focus on experimental approaches in animal movement ecology. We illustrate a way forward in experimental movement ecology across two fundamental levels of biological organisation: individuals and social groups. We then explore the application of experiments in movement ecology to study anthropogenic influences on wildlife movement, and enhance our mechanistic understanding of conservation interventions. In each of these examples, we draw upon previous research that has effectively employed experimental approaches, while highlighting outstanding questions that could be answered by further experimentation. We conclude by highlighting the ways experimental manipulations in both laboratory and natural settings provide a promising way forward to generate mechanistic understandings of the drivers, consequences, and conservation of animal movement.

Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical SocietyVol. 100(5)
University of Wyoming (US), Zoological Society of London (GB), University of British Columbia (CA), Stockholm University (SE), Texas A&M University – Kingsville (US), Lund University (SE), University of Konstanz (DE), Hebrew University of Jerusalem (IL), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE), University of Florida (US), Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (DE), Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá (BR), Monash University (AU), Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (IN), University of California, Berkeley (US)
University of California, Berkeley Foundation, Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas, Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
3.43
DOISourceOpenAlex
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