Human-induced Environmental Change Research Articles

Announcing Big-Bee: An initiative to promote understanding of bees through image and trait digitization

While bees are critical to sustaining a large proportion of global food production, as well as pollinating both wild and cultivated plants, they are decreasing in both numbers and diversity. Our understanding of the factors driving these declines is limited, in part, because we lack sufficient data on the distribution of bee species to predict changes in their geographic range under climate change scenarios. Additionally lacking is adequate data on the behavioral and anatomical traits that may make bees either vulnerable or resilient to human-induced environmental changes, such as habitat loss and climate change. Fortunately, a wealth of associated attributes can be extracted from the specimens deposited in natural history collections for over 100 years. Extending Anthophila Research Through Image and Trait Digitization (Big-Bee) is a newly funded US National Science Foundation Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections project. Over the course of three years, we will create over one million high-resolution 2D and 3D images of bee specimens (Fig. 1), representing over 5,000 worldwide bee species, including most of the major pollinating species. We will also develop tools to measure bee traits from images and generate comprehensive bee trait and image datasets to measure changes through time. The Big-Bee network of participating institutions includes 13 US institutions (Fig. 2) and partnerships with US government agencies. We will develop novel mechanisms for sharing image datasets and datasets of bee traits that will be available through an open, Symbiota-Light (Gilbert et al. 2020) data portal called the Bee Library. In addition, biotic interaction and species association data will be shared via Global Biotic Interactions (Poelen et al. 2014). The Big-Bee project will engage the public in research through community science via crowdsourcing trait measurements and data transcription from images using Notes from Nature (Hill et al. 2012). Training and professional development for natural history collection staff, researchers, and university students in data science will be provided through the creation and implementation of workshops focusing on bee traits and species identification. We are also planning a short, artistic college radio segment called "the Buzz" to get people excited about bees, biodiversity, and the wonders of our natural world.

Oviposition site selection and learning in a butterfly under niche expansion: an experimental test

Organisms that colonize new habitats may gain fitness advantages from changes in habitat selection including oviposition behaviour. Variation in oviposition site selection may contribute to ecological differentiation in response to novel ecological conditions. Both inherited and environmentally induced or learned differences may contribute to variation in preoviposition search behaviour and oviposition site selection. We addressed this issue with the speckled wood butterfly, Pararge aegeria . Over recent decades, this species has expanded its habitat use by colonizing anthropogenic environments with populations that show differences in several phenotypic traits (i.e. ecotypes). Here we tested whether preoviposition search behaviour and oviposition site selection differ between field-derived females from forested and agricultural ecotypes, and whether prior experience would change their behaviour differently. We used F 1 -offspring reared under common garden laboratory conditions and observed individuals of both ecotypes repeatedly in an indoor experimental arena. The arena offered compartments with host plants under simulated open and woody landscape conditions, as well as control compartments. In contrast with predictions, ecotypic differences in preference were found not for a particular microhabitat, but rather for oviposition site versus control compartment. Nevertheless, exploration and microhabitat use differed between females of agricultural and forest ecotypes. Furthermore, we provide evidence of short-term (i.e. a few hours after initial exposure) learning in the context of preoviposition search behaviour, pointing at the often ignored role of habitat familiarization. Our study sheds new light on behavioural changes that relate to habitat use in novel environments for a species that thrives successfully in landscapes under rapid human-induced environmental change. • Butterfly oviposition behaviour was studied in an experimental arena. • We compared innate and altered behaviour of two ecotypes in repeated trials. • In first trials agricultural ecotype females occurred more near oviposition sites. • Behavioural plasticity was greater in the agricultural than the woodland ecotype. • Microhabitat familiarization plays a role in oviposition search behaviour.

Impacts of the National Forest Rehabilitation Plan and Human-Induced Environmental Changes on the Carbon and Nitrogen Balances of the South Korean Forests

Humans have affected the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles in forests; however, the quantification of the responses of forest C and N balances to human activities is limited. In this study, we have quantified the impacts of the long-term national forest rehabilitation plan and the contribution of the increase in air temperature, CO2 concentration, and N deposition on the C and N balances of the South Korean forests during 1973–2020 by using a biogeochemical model. During the simulation period, the C balance increased from 0.2 to 4.3 Mg C ha−1 year−1, and the N balance increased from 0.2 to 17.4 kg N ha−1 year−1. This resulted in the storage of 825 Tg C and 3.04 Tg N by the whole South Korean forests after the national forest rehabilitation plan. The increase in air temperature, CO2 concentration, and N deposition contributed −11.5, 17.4, and 177 Tg C to the stored C stock, respectively, and −25.4, 8.90, and 1807 Mg N to the stored N stock, respectively. This study provides references for future forest rehabilitation efforts and broadens our knowledge on the impacts of human-induced environmental changes on the C and N balances of forests.

Where are they now? Tracking the Mediterranean lionfish invasion via local dive centers

Invasive species are globally on the rise due to human-induced environmental change and are often a source of harm to their new ecosystems. Tracking the spread of invaders is crucial to better manage invasive species, and citizen science is often used to collect sighting data. However, this can be unreliable due to the general public's limited expertise for accurate identification and a lack of clear absence data. Here, we introduce a refined method of citizen science by tracking the spread of the invasive lionfish (Pterois miles) in the Mediterranean Sea using dive centers' expertise on local marine wildlife. We contacted 1131 dive centers on the Mediterranean coast via email and received 216 responses reporting whether or not lionfish were present in their area and, if present, the year they were first sighted. Currently, lionfish sightings are observed in the eastern half of the Mediterranean, though the front is continuing to move west with the furthest sighting as far as Corfu, Greece (19.939423°E, 39.428017°N). In 2020, lionfish also expanded their invasive range north on the Turkish Aegean coast to Karaburun (26.520657°E, 38.637033°N), showing that the invasion is ongoing. We found that the invasive range is now exceeding previous invasion models, highlighting the need for additional research on lionfish biology to inform management efforts. Continuous monitoring of invasive fronts based on dive center reports and a better understanding of what makes lionfish so invasive is crucial to creating effective management strategies and mitigating their negative impact on native ecosystems.

Inbreeding reduces fitness of seed beetles under thermal stress.

Human‐induced environmental change can influence populations both at the global level through climatic warming and at the local level through habitat fragmentation. As populations become more isolated, they can suffer from high levels of inbreeding, which contributes to a reduction in fitness, termed inbreeding depression. However, it is still unclear if this increase in homozygosity also results in a corresponding increase in sensitivity to stressful conditions, which could intensify the already detrimental effects of environmental warming. Here, in a fully factorial design, we assessed the life‐long impact of increased inbreeding load and elevated temperature on key life history traits in the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus. We found that beetles raised at higher temperatures had far reduced fitness and survival than beetles from control temperatures. Importantly, these negative effects were exacerbated in inbred beetles as a result of increased inbreeding load, with further detrimental effects manifesting on individual eclosion probability and lifetime reproductive success. These results reveal the harmful impact that increasing temperature and likelihood of habitat fragmentation due to anthropogenetic changes in environmental conditions could have on populations of organisms worldwide.

Annual and perennial Medicago show signatures of parallel adaptation to climate and soil in highly conserved genes.

Human induced environmental change may require rapid adaptation of plant populations and crops, but the genomic basis of environmental adaptation remain poorly understood. We analysed polymorphic loci from the perennial crop Medicago sativa (alfalfa or lucerne) and the annual legume model species M.truncatula to search for a common set of candidate genes that might contribute to adaptation to abiotic stress in both annual and perennial Medicago species. We identified a set of candidate genes of adaptation associated with environmental gradients along the distribution of the two Medicago species. Candidate genes for each species were detected in homologous genomic linkage blocks using genome-environment (GEA) and genome-phenotype association analyses. Hundreds of GEA candidate genes were species-specific, of these, 13.4% (M.sativa) and 24% (M.truncatula) were also significantly associated with phenotypic traits. A set of 168 GEA candidates were shared by both species, which was 25.4% more than expected by chance. When combined, they explained a high proportion of variance for certain phenotypic traits associated with adaptation. Genes with highly conserved functions dominated among the shared candidates and were enriched in gene ontology terms that have shown to play a central role in drought avoidance and tolerance mechanisms by means of cellular shape modifications and other functions associated with cell homeostasis. Our results point to the existence of a molecular basis of adaptation to abiotic stress in Medicago determined by highly conserved genes and gene functions. We discuss these results in light of the recently proposed omnigenic model of complex traits.

Whiptail lizard lineage delimitation and population expansion as windows into the history of Amazonian open ecosystems

Historical variations in climate and landscape configuration are the main aspects known to generate and maintain diversity. Taxa associated with open habitats within broader forest contexts are often overlooked in studies of Neotropical biogeography. We investigated the evolutionary and demographic history of lizards in the Cnemidophorus lemniscatus species group, which encompasses three described species – one unisexual and two bisexuals – restricted to open environments in Amazonia. We also explored the geographic ecology of the group using critical ecophysiological traits as proxies for sensitivity or resilience to environmental change. To that end, we delimited the main lineages within the group, estimated their divergence times, and asked if these lineages have experienced changes in effective population size. We recovered six lineages, three of which correspond to C. cryptus, C. lemniscatus, and C. gramivagus, and three yet unnamed species. We recovered divergence events during the Late Miocene and signs of recent population expansion for at least one of the species (the parthenogenetic C. cryptus). This pattern corroborates the ancient emergence of the Amazonian open areas, followed by a high and recent dynamism during the Pleistocene. Conserved traits related to high thermal tolerance and broad thermal tolerance ranges likely facilitated niche tracking and establishment in open ecosystems during Pleistocene climatic fluctuations. Our results bring insights regarding how these species might be influenced, and even favoured, by human-induced environmental changes in the contemporary timescale.

Complex life histories predispose aphids to recent abundance declines.

Many animals change feeding habits as they progress through life stages, exploiting resources that vary in space and time. However, complex life histories may bring new risks if rapid environmental change disrupts the timing of these switches. Here, we use abundance times series for a diverse group of herbivorous insects, aphids, to search for trait and environmental characteristics associated with declines. Our meta dataset spanned three world regions and >300 aphid species, tracked at 75 individual sites for 10-50years. Abundances were generally falling, with median changes of -8.3%, -5.6%, and -0.1% per year in the central USA, northwestern USA, and United Kingdom, respectively. Aphids that obligately alternated between host plants annually and those that were agricultural pests exhibited the steepest declines, relative to species able to persist on the same host plant year-round or those in natural areas. This suggests that host alternation might expose aphids to climate-induced phenology mismatches with one or more of their host plant species, with additional risks from exposure to insecticides and other management efforts. Warming temperatures through time were associated with milder aphid declines or even abundance increases, particularly at higher latitudes. Altogether, while a warming world appeared to benefit some aphid species in some places, most aphid species that had time-sensitive movements among multiple host plants seemed to face greater risk of decline. More generally, this suggests that recent human-induced rapid environmental change is rebalancing the risks and rewards associated with complex life histories.

Humans and climate as possible drivers of the morphology and function of the mandible of Suncus etruscus in Corsica

Human-induced environmental changes have increased rapidly during the Holocene and have reached alarming levels today. Consequently, it is crucial to better understand the impact of humans and climate on the faunas and floras through time. Understanding the direct and underlying effect of past human activity not only contributes to improving our knowledge of human history but also provides insights for the future. We here investigate the effect of the human-induced environmental changes that took place during the modern era (14–19th century AD) on the mandible of a small mammal, Suncus etruscus, in Corsica. We detected rapid morphological changes in mandible shape over the relatively short period of time included in our study, suggesting a strong human impact on the island. The morphological changes observed had functional consequences as they are related to changes in the mechanical potential of the principal masticatory muscle, the temporalis that, in turn, reflects shifts in the animal's diet over time. These results highlight the effect that the 600-year human agricultural activity shifts had on the island and its fauna. The integration of the body and the ramus of the mandible appears to be related to the mechanical potential of the temporalis muscle but does not constitute an indicator of human-induced environmental change. Whether these morphological changes are the result of natural selection (genetic processes) or of phenotypic plasticity (epigenetic processes) remains to be elucidated.

Bumblebee resilience to climate change, through plastic and adaptive responses.

Bumblebees are ubiquitous, cold-adapted eusocial bees found worldwide from subarctic to tropical regions of the world. They are key pollinators in most temperate and boreal ecosystems, and both wild and managed populations are significant contributors to agricultural pollination services. Despite their broad ecological niche at the genus level, bumblebee species are threatened by climate change, particularly by rising average temperatures, intensifying seasonality and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. While some temperature extremes may be offset at the individual or colony level through temperature regulation, most bumblebees are expected to exhibit specific plastic responses, selection in various key traits, and/or range contractions under even the mildest climate change. In this review, we provide an in-depth and up-to-date review on the various ways by which bumblebees overcome the threats associated with current and future global change. We use examples relevant to the fields of bumblebee physiology, morphology, behaviour, phenology, and dispersal to illustrate and discuss the contours of this new theoretical framework. Furthermore, we speculate on the extent to which adaptive responses to climate change may be influenced by bumblebees' capacity to disperse and track suitable climate conditions. Closing the knowledge gap and improving our understanding of bumblebees' adaptability or avoidance behaviour to different climatic circumstances will be necessary to improve current species climate response models. These models are essential to make correct predictions of species vulnerability in the face of future climate change and human-induced environmental changes to unfold appropriate future conservation strategies.

Face mask-wear did not affect large-scale patterns in escape and alertness of urban and rural birds during the COVID-19 pandemic

Actions taken against the COVID-19 pandemic have dramatically affected many aspects of human activity, giving us a unique opportunity to study how wildlife responds to the human-induced rapid environmental changes. The wearing of face masks, widely adopted to prevent pathogen transmission, represents a novel element in many parts of the world where wearing a face mask was rare before the COVID-19 outbreak. During September 2020–March 2021, we conducted large-scale multi-species field experiments to evaluate whether face mask-use in public places elicits a behavioural response in birds by comparing their escape and alert responses when approached by a researcher with or without a face mask in four European countries (Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, and Poland) and Israel. We also tested whether these patterns differed between urban and rural sites. We employed Bayesian generalized linear mixed models (with phylogeny and site as random factors) controlling for a suite of covariates and found no association between the face mask-wear and flight initiation distance, alert distance, and fly-away distance, respectively, neither in urban nor in rural birds. However, we found that all three distances were strongly and consistently associated with habitat type and starting distance, with birds showing earlier escape and alert behaviour and longer distances fled when approached in rural than in urban habitats and from longer initial distances. Our results indicate that wearing face masks did not trigger observable changes in antipredator behaviour across the Western Palearctic birds, and our data did not support the role of habituation in explaining this pattern.

2400 years of climate and human-induced environmental change recorded in sediments of Lake Młynek in northern Poland

Abstract. In the densely forested Warmia and Masuria region (northern Poland) there are many small endorheic lakes characterized by their low sedimentation rate, which makes them excellent archives of Holocene environmental and palaeoclimatic change. Lake Młynek, located near the village of Janiki Wielkie, was selected for multi-faceted palaeoenvironmental research supported with radiocarbon dates. Sediments from this lake also contain unique information about human impact on the environment, because a stronghold has been operating on its northern shore since the early Iron Age to the early Medieval period, giving the opportunity to correlate palaeoenvironmental data with the phases of human activity over the last 2400 years. During the second and third centuries BCE the lake was surrounded by a dense deciduous forest. From the first century BCE to second century CE the forest around the lake was much reduced, which can be associated with the first pre-Roman (La Tène) and Roman occupation phase evidenced by the construction of the stronghold located close to the lake. From the second up to ninth century CE gradual restoration of the forest and a decline in human activity took place, along with lake deepening and the onset of a colder and humid climatic phase which corresponded to the global cooling episode known as the Bond 1 event (1.5 ka BP). The next intensive phase of forest clearing around the lake occurred between the 9th–13th century CE as result of human activity (Middle Age settlement phase of the stronghold). Whilst this period is marked by a warming, the human impact which has transformed the landscape likely overprints any signals of climate-driven environmental changes.

The treadmill of protection: How public finance constrains climate adaptation

As the physical impacts of the Anthropocene begin to make themselves felt around the globe, maintaining current levels of economic prosperity, in many communities, will consume an increasing portion of public finances. This is because existing investments in property and capital will require new forms of protection if they are to continue generating stable streams of public revenue. Since Anthropocene impacts are unevenly distributed, some territories will be under more pressure than others to shift limited public spending to cope with growing levels of exposure. The sinking of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands provides a clear example of this trend of accelerating local vulnerability due to human-induced environmental change. With the bulk of state revenue tied to activities concentrated along Louisiana’s coasts, the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has launched an ambitious plan of government-backed expenditures that seek to defend the economic viability of these zones. Yet, many actions aimed at preventing immediate loss also work to secure incumbent extractive industries, such as offshore oil and gas drilling, which themselves contribute to the very vulnerabilities requiring state intervention in the first place. This paper, borrowing from the environmental sociology of Allan Schnaiberg, considers the social consequences of this dynamic, dubbed the “treadmill of protection.”

Updating salamander datasets with phenotypic and stomach content information for two mainland Speleomantes

European plethodontid salamanders (genus Speleomantes; formerly Hydromantes) are a group of eight strictly protected amphibian species which are sensitive to human-induced environmental changes. Long-term monitoring is highly recommended to evaluate their status and to assess potential threats. Here we used two low-impact methodologies to build up a large dataset on two mainland Speleomantes species (S. strinatii and S. ambrosii), which represents an update to two previously published datasets, but also includes several new populations. Specifically, we provide a set of 851 high quality images and a table gathering stomach contents recognized from 560 salamanders. This dataset offers the opportunity to analyse phenotypic traits and stomach contents of eight populations belonging to two Speleomantes species. Furthermore, the data collection performed over different periods allows to expand the potential analyses through a wide temporal scale, allowing long-term studies.

Paleolimnological approach for management sustainable use of tropical lakes

Tropical aquatic resources provide ecosystem services, which are affected by human activities. Human-induced environmental change in Indonesian lakes has considerably increased since the new order in 1970. In general, many Indonesian lakes had deteriorated due to sedimentation and eutrophication, which induced the blooming of aquatic plants, mostly by water hyacinth. Water security becomes a problem, particularly in the dry seasons, but water overflow and flooding occur in many places during wet seasons. Landscape and climate changes, pollution, species diversity, preserved in lake sediment, provide long-term proof of environmental changes. This paper will discuss a paleolimnological approach to reconstruct past environmental changes. Paleolimnology is learning about stratigraphy sediment of the lakes where fossils are well preserved in the sediment and provide information about the past conditions of the catchment area. Lakes’ sediment records the changes in condition of the catchment area, like a diary book. Paleolimnology had been studied for Rawapening Lake and Telaga Warna Lake, Dieng. Reconstruction of the past environmental condition is required to predict future conditions. Reconstruction is an activity recreate past conditions by pointing the organism stored in layers of sediment, therefore, reflecting the environmental conditions based on organisms deposited, to develop the best sustainable water resources management, as in alignment with the concept of water – energy – food nexus.

Habitat disturbance alters color contrast and the detectability of cryptic and aposematic frogs

Abstract Animals use color both to conceal and signal their presence, with patterns that match the background, disrupt shape recognition, or highlight features important for communication. The forms that these color patterns take are responses to the visual systems that observe them and the environments within which they are viewed. Increasingly, however, these environments are being affected by human activity. We studied how pattern characteristics and habitat change may affect the detectability of three frog color patterns from the Bocas del Toro archipelago in Panama: Beige-Striped Brown Allobates talamancae and two spotted morphs of Oophaga pumilio, Black-Spotted Green and Black-Spotted Red. To assess detectability, we used visual modeling of conspecifics and potential predators, along with a computer-based detection experiment with human participants. Although we found no evidence for disruptive camouflage, we did find clear evidence that A. talamancae stripes are inherently more cryptic than O. pumilio spots regardless of color. We found no evidence that color pattern polytypism in O. pumilio is related to differences in the forest floor between natural sites. We did, however, find strong evidence that human disturbance affects the visual environment and modifies absolute and rank order frog detectability. Human-induced environmental change reduces the effectiveness of camouflage in A. talamancae, reduces detectability of Black-Spotted Green O. pumilio, and increases chromatic contrast, but not detectability, in Black-Spotted Red O. pumilio. Insofar as predators may learn about prey defenses and make foraging decisions based on relative prey availability and suitability, such changes may have wider implications for predator–prey dynamics.

Interacting effects of land-use change and natural hazards on rice agriculture in the Mekong and Red River deltas in Vietnam

Abstract. Vietnam is a major rice producer, and much of the rice grown is concentrated in the Red River Delta (RRD) and the Mekong River Delta (MRD). While the two deltas are highly productive regions, they are vulnerable to natural hazards and the effects of human-induced environmental change. To show that the processes and issues affecting food security are reinforcing, interdependent and operating at multiple scales, we used a systems-thinking approach to represent the major linkages between anthropogenic land-use and natural hazards and elaborate on how the drivers and environmental processes interact and influence rice growing area, rice yield and rice quality in the two deltas. On a local scale, demand for aquaculture and alternative crops, urban expansion, dike development, sand mining and groundwater extraction decrease rice production in the two deltas. Regionally, upstream dam construction impacts rice production in the two deltas despite being distally situated. Separately, the localized natural hazards that have adversely affected rice production include droughts, floods and typhoons. Outbreaks of pests and diseases are also common. Climate-change-induced sea level rise is a global phenomenon that will affect agricultural productivity. Notably, anthropogenic developments meant to improve agricultural productivity or increase economic growth can create many unwanted environmental consequences such as an increase in flooding, saltwater intrusion and land subsidence, which in turn decreases rice production and quality. In addition, natural hazards may amplify the problems created by human activities. Our meta-analysis highlights the ways in which a systems-thinking approach can yield more nuanced perspectives to tackle “wicked” and interrelated environmental challenges. Given that deltas worldwide are globally significant for food production and are highly stressed and degraded, a systems-thinking approach can be applied to provide a holistic and contextualized overview of the threats faced in each location.

Taxonomic and functional threshold responses of vertebrate communities in the Atlantic Forest Hotspot

Ecological thresholds are an indicator of rapid and non-linear changes along both natural habitat and land-use gradients. Thus, they can be used to quantify biodiversity responses to human-induced environmental change. We investigated multiple thresholds by analyzing eight environmental predictors of both taxonomic and functional composition of amphibian and bird communities in 47 independent sample units, located within a heterogeneous land use matrix of the megadiverse Atlantic Forest hotspot. We demonstrate that current land use practices alter both the taxonomic and functional composition and promote the establishment of non-native taxa resulting in novel assemblages. Whereas anuran communities experienced dramatic compositional shifts as a result of the transformation of closed forest habitats into Eucalyptus monocultures (at less than 10% land cover), bird communities were mainly altered through the loss of old-growth forest (at 20% forest cover loss). In both groups, observed thresholds were lower than previously reported and much lower than the 20% forest set-aside requirement defined by current land-use legislation. We argue that the strategy of halting forest loss through rapid afforestation with non-native trees has converse and potentially detrimental effects on the conservation of native forest biodiversity. Future studies need to investigate how including novel assemblages in current conservation management strategies can enhance biodiversity protection in human-impacted forest landscapes. The identification of taxon-specific thresholds for both taxonomic and functional community shifts is indispensable when formulating common land use practices and designing mitigation measures. Threshold analyses can guide these actions by providing clear and quantifiable break-points for conservation practitioners.

The specificity of sperm-mediated paternal effects in threespine sticklebacks.

Parental effects may help offspring respond to challenging environments, but whether parental exposure to different environmental challenges induces similar responses in offspring is largely unknown. We compared the offspring of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) fathers who had been exposed to a potentially threatening stimulus (net), a native predator (sculpin), or who had been left unexposed (control). Relative to offspring of control fathers, offspring of sculpin-exposed fathers were more responsive (greater change in activity) to a simulated sculpin predator attack, while offspring of net-exposed fathers were less responsive (fewer antipredator behaviors) and showed altered stress responses compared to the control. To evaluate whether parental exposure primes offspring to respond to specific stimuli (e.g., offspring of net-exposed fathers respond most strongly to a net), we then exposed offspring of each paternal treatment to nets, native sculpin models, or non-native trout models. Paternal treatment did not influence offspring response to different stimuli; instead, offspring were generally more responsive to the native sculpin predator compared to nets or non-native trout predator, suggesting that sticklebacks have innate predator recognition of native predators. Collectively, these results underscore that, while parental exposure to non-ecologically relevant stressors elicits effects in intergenerational studies, these findings may not mirror those produced when parents encounter ecologically relevant stressors. Knowing that parental effects can be predator-specific furthers our understanding of the ways in which parental effects may evolve to be adaptive and suggests the potential for transgenerational plasticity to affect how animals respond to human induced environmental change, including non-native predators.

The plasticity of ungulate migration in a changing world.

Migratory ungulates are thought to be declining globally because their dependence on large landscapes renders them highly vulnerable to environmental change. Yet recent studies reveal that many ungulate species can adjust their migration propensity in response to changing environmental conditions to potentially improve population persistence. In addition to the question of whether to migrate, decisions of where and when to migrate appear equally fundamental to individual migration tactics, but these three dimensions of plasticity have rarely been explored together. Here, we expand the concept of migratory plasticity beyond individual switches in migration propensity to also include spatial and temporal adjustments to migration patterns. We develop a novel typological framework that delineates every potential change type within the three dimensions, then use this framework to guide a literature review. We discuss broad patterns in migratory plasticity, potential drivers of migration change, and research gaps in the current understanding of this trait. Our result reveals 127 migration change events in direct response to natural and human-induced environmental changes across 27 ungulate species. Species that appeared in multiple studies showed multiple types of change, with some exhibiting the full spectrum of migratory plasticity. This result highlights that multidimensional migratory plasticity is pervasive in ungulates, even as the manifestation of plasticity varies case by case. However, studies thus far have rarely been able to determine the fitness outcomes of different types of migration change, likely due to the scarcity of long-term individual-based demographic monitoring as well as measurements encompassing a full behavioral continuum and environmental gradient for any given species. Recognizing and documenting the full spectrum of migratory plasticity marks the first step for the field of migration ecology to employ quantitative methods, such as reaction norms, to predict migration change along environmental gradients. Closer monitoring for changes in migratory propensity, routes, and timing may improve the efficacy of conservation strategies and management actions in a rapidly changing world.