Towards a better understanding of animal movement patterns
2 Institut für Terrestrische Ökosysteme, ETH Zürich
3 Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald
P 2.2 in Biodiversity and Nature Protection
The environmental determinants of animal movement patterns are still insufficiently understood. Yet, recent advances in e.g. radio-telemetry and modelling techniques promise to assist in disentangling the complex network of factors influencing animal movement, like physiology, life history, behaviour, and habitat conditions. An important motivation for this research is its potential relevance for the assessment of human impacts on animal populations. The increase in human induced land cover change, e.g. agriculture, forestry, and habitat fragmentation through barriers like fences and streets, has lead to changes in movement patterns, with animals becoming restricted to smaller areas and migration paths being disrupted.
The aim of this project is a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the spatio-temporal patterns of animal movements. We use an individual-based, spatially explicit model approach to study the behaviour of three animal species: roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (Cervus elaphus) and lynx (Lynx lynx) in the “Bavarian Forest” national park. The model aims to reproduce key aspects of the animals’ habitat use and to relate movement patterns to relevant abiotic and biotic parameters. Model calibration will be based on a hierarchical Bayesian framework. The results of this project will be used in the development of recommendations for management strategies in the “Bavarian Forest” national park.