Movement upscaled: From behavioural responses to population dynamics of interacting animal species (MoveUP)

Interspecific interactions between animals are key to their local population and community dynamics. At the community level, which is pertinent to species distributions, biodiversity patterns, and conservation, interactions are typically considered aggregated as effects of species’ densities on each other. However, interactions occur first and foremost at the individual level and through behaviour. To understand population dynamics fully and to build effective predictive models, we synergise the two perspectives. The project MoveUP has three modules:

• Provisioning of statistical methods: We develop methods for analyzing animal tracking data. In particular, we look into methods for analyzing high-frequency data (e.g. data with multiple observations per minute) identifying fine-scale spatiotemporal interactions between individuals (e.g. attraction and avoidance), and evaluate and improve robustness of methods
• Interactive movements of songbird species: We use the ATLAS telemetry system to track the fine-scale movements of two bunting species, the yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) and corn bunting (Emberiza calandra). With this, we investigate if and how individuals of the different species respond to each other during their regular activities such as foraging and territorial maintenance. Finally, we study how space use and interactions impact individual performance and fitness.
• Consequences of fine-scale interactions at the community level: We investigate how fine-scale interactions of species during their everyday activities scale up to effects at the level of an individual's life time (e.g. fitness parameters) and at the population level (e.g. population spatial patterns and population dynamics). For this, we mainly use modelling approaches.

2022

Parry V, Schlägel UE, Tiedemann R & Weithoff G (2022). Behavioural responses of defended and undefended prey to their predator—a case study of Rotifera. Biology. 11:1217. doi:10.3390/biology1108121

Roeleke M, Schlägel UE, Gallagher C, Pufelski J, Blohm T, Nathan R, Toledo S, Jeltsch F, Voigt CC (2022). Insectivorous bats form mobile sensory networks to optimize prey localization: The case of the common noctule bat. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 119: e2203663119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2203663119

Nathan R, Monk CT, Arlinghaus R, Adam T, Alós J, Assaf M, Baktoft H, Beardsworth CE, Bertram MG, Bijleveld AI, Brodin T, Brooks JL, Campos-Candela A, Cooke SJ, Gjelland KØ, Gupte PR, Harel R, Hellström G, Jeltsch F, Killen SS, Klefoth T, Langrock R, Lennox RJ, Lourie E, Madden JR, Orchan Y, Pauwels IS, Říha M, Roeleke M, Schlägel UE, Shohami D, Signer J, Toledo S, Vilk O, Westrelin S, Whiteside MA & Jarić I (2022). Big-data approaches lead to an increased understanding of the ecology of animal movement. Science. 375:eabg1780. doi:10.1126/science.abg1780

2021

Milles A, Dammhahn M, Schlägel UE, Jeltsch F & Grimm V (2021). Fluctuations in density-dependent selection drive the evolution of a pace-of-life-syndrome within and between populations. The American Naturalist. 199(4). doi:10.1086/718473

Schlägel U & Mädlow W (2021). All-season space use by non-native resident Mandarin Ducks (Aix galericulata) in northeastern Germany. Journal of Ornithology. 163:71–82.  doi:10.1007/s10336-021-01932-7

Crawford M, Schlägel U, May F, Wurst S, Grimm V &Jeltsch F (2021). While shoot herbivores reduce, root herbivores increase nutrient enrichment’s impact on diversity in a grassland model. Ecology. 102: e03333. doi:10.1002/ecy.3333

2020

Roeleke M, Blohm T, Hoffmeister U, Marggraf L, Schlägel UE, Teige T & Voigt CC (2020). Landscape structure influences the use of social information in an insectivorous bat. Oikos. 129:912–923. doi: 10.1111/oik.07158

Potts J & Schlägel UE (2020). Parametrising diffusion-taxis equations from animal movement trajectories using step selection analysis. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 11:1092-1105. doi: 10.1111/2041-210X.13406

Schlägel UE, Grimm V, Blaum N, Colangeli P, Dammhahn M, Eccard J, Hausmann SL, Herde A, Hofer H, Joshi J, Kramer-Schadt S, Litwin M, Lozada-Gobilard SD, Müller MEH, Müller T, Nathan R, Petermann JS, Pirhofer-Walzl K, Radchuk V, Rillig MC, Roeleke M, Schäfer M, Scherer C, Schiro G, Scholz C, Teckentrup L, Tiedemann R, Ullmann W, Voigt C, Weithoff G & Jelsch F (2020). Movement-mediated community assembly and coexistence. Biological Reviews. 95:1073-1096. doi: 10.1111/brv.12600

2019

Schlägel UE, Signer J, Herde A, Eden S, Jeltsch F, Eccard JA & Dammhahn M (2019). Estimating interactions between individuals from concurrent animal movements. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 10:1234–1245. doi: 10.1111/2041-210X.13235

Jeltsch F, Grimm V, Reeg J & Schlägel UE (2019). Give chance a chance: from coexistence to coviability in biodiversity theory. Ecosphere. 10( 5):e02700. doi:10.1002/ecs2.2700