Animals Notice More Than Roads: People Nearby Can Change Where They Live
environmental niche
The habitats and resources an animal uses.
landscape modification
Long-lasting changes to land, such as roads, farms, or cities.
anthropause
A period when human movement dropped during COVID-19 lockdowns.
What happened
People have changed wildlife habitats by building roads, cities, farms, and other structures. A new study shows that animals also respond to people simply being nearby.
Researchers examined weekly GPS records from 4,581 individual mammals and birds. The animals represented 37 species across the continental United States. The team compared matching periods in 2019 and 2020. It paired animal locations with anonymized cellphone geolocation data measured at neighborhood-level resolution.
The study was published in Science, a scientific journal.
Separating built land from moving people
Roads, farms, and cities can show how much a landscape has been modified. They do not show how many people are nearby during a particular week. COVID-19 lockdowns changed human movement sharply. The land itself did not change on the same schedule. This created a rare comparison between permanent landscape changes and short-term human presence.
The wider COVID-19 Bio-Logging Initiative called this unusual pause in human movement the anthropause. The comparison helped researchers ask a more precise question. Do animals react to the places humans build, to people moving through those places, or to both?
The main result: no single animal rule
Human presence and landscape modification affected 57% of the species together. Human presence was linked with changes in the area animals occupied or their environmental niche. An environmental niche is the mix of habitats and resources an animal uses. These changes appeared in 67% of mammal species and 68% of bird species.
When both pressures were considered, about 67% of mammal species and 41% of bird species used less habitat. Animals were especially sensitive to people in less-developed landscapes. National parks, for example, showed stronger sensitivity than cities in the study.
But the species did not respond in one universal way. Wolves expanded the area they used when people were present. Researchers suggest that their long, difficult history with humans may play a role. Wolves may also spread out to move farther from people.
White-tailed deer showed another pattern. Their environmental niches expanded as landscapes became more modified. Their niches contracted as human presence increased. Sandhill cranes showed the reverse response.
Why the finding matters
Conservation plans often map roads, buildings, farms, and other lasting changes. Those maps are important, but they can miss a changing pressure: where people are, and when they are there. Combining animal tracking with mobile-device data could support more targeted decisions about when and where animals need space.
The finding also challenges a simple idea that all wildlife avoids people in the same way. A quiet national park may require different planning from a crowded city. A wolf, deer, and crane may need different solutions in the same region.
What remains unknown
The study measured how animals used space and resources. It did not show whether those changes helped animals survive. A smaller or larger area could reflect adjustment, stress, or another process. The researchers are now asking whether animals that change their behavior face higher or lower death risks.
The evidence also comes from 37 species in the United States. It cannot automatically describe every wild animal everywhere. The results show complex relationships, not one simple cause-and-effect rule.
What to watch next
The next step is connecting behavior changes with survival. That work may reveal which responses help animals cope and which responses signal trouble. It could also help conservation managers give different species space at the right places and times.
Sources: the Science paper, the University of California, Santa Barbara research summary
Animals notice people, not just roads
📰 Full story: Animals Notice More Than Roads: People Nearby Can Change Where They Live
Scientists found that nearby people can change the space animals use. Different species react in different ways.
anonymized phone data
Phone locations with personal names removed.
environmental niche
The places and resources an animal uses.
GPS
A system that records an animal’s location.
💡 The gist
- Scientists compared animal GPS records with anonymous phone locations.
- People changed animal space, even without building something new.
- Different species reacted differently, so conservation must be specific.
Scientists studied 4,581 individual mammals and birds across the continental United States. They covered 37 species. Records came from matching weeks in 2019 and 2020.
GPS showed where animals moved. Anonymized phone data showed where people moved. Personal names were removed. Roads, farms, and cities show landscape change. They do not show how many people are nearby today.
During COVID-19 lockdowns, many people stayed home. Human movement changed quickly. The land itself changed much more slowly. This helped researchers separate two pressures.
Human presence changed animal space or niche. This happened for 67% of mammal species. It happened for 68% of bird species. An environmental niche means the places and resources an animal uses.
Overall, 57% of species felt both human pressures. About 67% of mammal species and 41% of bird species used less habitat. The effect was stronger in less-developed places. National parks sometimes showed more sensitivity than cities.
Animals did not share one rule. Wolves expanded the area they used when people were present. Researchers suggest their history with people may matter. White-tailed deer changed their niche in another direction. Sandhill cranes showed the reverse pattern.
One conservation plan cannot fit every species. Managers may need to protect space at specific times. They may also need different plans for parks and cities.
However, the study does not show whether each change helps animals. It may show adjustment, stress, or something else. The animals came from one country and 37 species. Results may differ elsewhere.
Next, researchers will compare behavior changes with death risk. That could show which responses support survival.
Sources: the study, the research summary
When people come near, animals may change places
📰 Full story: Animals Notice More Than Roads: People Nearby Can Change Where They Live
Animals notice people nearby. They may change where they go.
Scientists watched wild mammals and birds. They used small location tools. The tools showed where animals went.
They also checked phones with names removed. That showed where people were.
Roads and towns can change animal spaces. People nearby can change them too. During a sickness, many people stayed home. The roads and towns stayed mostly the same. This gave scientists a useful comparison.
Some animals used less space near people. Wolves used more space. Deer and cranes reacted differently. Animals do not all follow one rule.
Scientists do not know if these changes help. The animals may be getting used to people. It may also be hard for them. Next, scientists will see how well animals survive.
Source: the study