Remote sensing technology as a window into primate movement, habitat, and conservation

Mclean Kevin A, Willimantic CT

Investigators

Abstract

This award was provided as part of NSF's Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (SPRF) program. The goal of the SPRF program is to prepare promising, early career doctoral-level scientists for scientific careers in academia, industry or private sector, and government. SPRF awards involve two years of training under the sponsorship of established scientists and encourage Postdoctoral Fellows to perform independent research. NSF seeks to promote the participation of scientists from all segments of the scientific community, including those from underrepresented groups, in its research programs and activities; the postdoctoral period is considered to be an important level of professional development in attaining this goal. Each Postdoctoral Fellow must address important scientific questions that advance their respective disciplinary fields. In tropical forests, the majority of mammals seek food and shelter in the canopy, the uppermost layer of the forest where dense networks of branches, vines, and vegetation meet to form a complex, three-dimensional habitat. Repeated use of pathways through the treetops has been described in many primate species, suggesting that their movement decisions are based on careful selection, but exactly how these decisions are made has been difficult to study because we lack sufficient information about canopy habitat itself. Laser scanning technology has revolutionized the way we can analyze forest habitat, providing three-dimensional maps of forest structure. When combined with tracking data from primates fitted with GPS collars, researchers can get an animal-eye view of their movements and begin to understand how and why they determine their paths through the trees. The ways in which primates plan and recall their routes is particularly interesting to biological anthropologists, as this helps to understand how they perceive space and how human perception of space evolved. In addition, because many primates contribute important roles to forest ecosystems, ecologists are similarly interested in primate movement, as it improves our knowledge of how they use and influence their habitat across the landscape, as well as how to define high-quality habitat for conservation planning. This project will provide a unique opportunity for a postdoctoral scientist to receive training and gain experience across the boundaries of different scientific fields of study, where many of the most interesting research questions lie. The project will also provide ample opportunity to engage with public science communication and education. Real data and 360-degree video will be used to create Virtual Reality short film that introduces concepts of animal habitat and movement. Design of elementary school curricula adapted for bilingual classrooms will provide university students from traditionally underrepresented groups with practical experience in science research, communication, and outreach, and will introduce elementary school students from similarly underrepresented backgrounds to topics in behavioral and environmental sciences through a citizen science initiative using camera traps. This activity will allow students to not only learn about, but also actively participate in scientific research. This project will provide previously inaccessible insight into the processes that drive movement behavior in arboreal primates using cutting-edge remote sensing and animal tracking technology. The role of spatial memory in the development of efficient foraging strategies for high-quality resources is considered a critical evolutionary adaptation in arboreal primates. This research will use tracking data from two arboreal primate species that rely heavily on fruit, as well as three additional frugivorous mammals that exhibit arboreal, terrestrial, and scansorial (both arboreal and terrestrial) habitat use. Remote sensing data and GPS tracking data at high spatial and temporal resolutions will be used to design descriptive movement models using step selection functions and corridor analysis. These descriptive models will be used to parameterize predictive, agent-based models that will allow for assessment of arboreal mammal performance under varying forest fragmentation and land use scenarios. Imaging of complex forest structure using high-resolution Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) enables us for the first time to characterize arboreal habitat in fine detail across the vast spatial scales at which animal behavior occurs. Thus, this project represents a transformative advance in our understanding of primate movement and arboreal habitat itself. Habitat loss is a primary conservation concern for primates and other arboreal mammals. Characterizing arboreal movement and developing predictive movement models based on the underlying mechanisms driving movement behavior may provide an indication of animals' ability to preserve the necessary foraging efficiency to maintain fitness across increasingly fragmented landscapes.