Is wild boar heading towards movement ecology? A review of trends and gaps

Abstract

Studies about the movement of mammals have recently gained much emphasis thanks to the development of new tracking technology, allowing highly accurate recording of animal movement. However, the amount of data made available requires effective theoretical and analytical framework for appropriate scientific use, i.e. to answer questions of interest. Within this review, we used systematic reviewing technique and the movement ecology framework to assess current knowledge and gaps in wild boar Sus scrofa spatial behaviour, species of high economic, ecological and social interest. Specifically, we observed that the development of new tracking techniques (radio‐telemetry and global positioning system) has promoted movement‐related studies since the early 2000. However, the ecology of movement, i.e. the why, how, when and where exactly an individual is moving is rarely the focus of these studies, which instead lies in the consequences of wild boar movement, e.g. the spread of disease, seed dispersal or damage. Most of the current studies are thus concerned with the interaction between environmental factors and spatial behaviour of the species, while other components of movement, internal state, navigation, and motion capacity are seldom studied. Compared to others ungulates, we also observed that wild boar movement ecology is still poorly considered in the literature. This review highlights the need for more quantitative descriptions of movement and behavioural‐based approaches relating wild boar movement to its internal, navigational, and motion capacities. We expect that facilitated access to tracking technologies, in terms of cost and miniaturization, along with current interest in movement ecology will greatly promote increased knowledge in wild boar spatial behaviour.