Human‐induced behavioural changes of global threatened terrestrial mammals

Abstract

AbstractAimUnderstanding changes in the behaviour of threatened species responding to rapidly increasing human disturbances is critical for biodiversity conservation. Here, we synthesize a meta‐analysis of the cumulative effect of human disturbances on the behaviour of global threatened terrestrial mammals.LocationGlobal terrestrial ecosystem.Time PeriodData collected from 1993 to 2021.Major Taxa StudiedTerrestrial mammals.ResultsThere were significant differences in behavioural changes among categories of human disturbances (i.e. biological invasion, climate change, grazing, habitat degradation, protection management, road traffic and tourism). The effect size of road traffic on behavioural change was the largest and particularly led habitat selection to be more specialized. The effect size for habitat degradation on foraging behaviour was the largest, and the effect mainly led to a shorter time spent in foraging and a change in food selection. Changes to behaviour increased with human disturbance intensity and varied among species according to their functional traits including body mass, food habits, migration and group type. Climate change, grazing, road traffic and tourism had a greater effect on larger species. The effect size for habitat degradation on omnivorous species was the largest, while carnivorous and solitary species were more sensitive to tourism, and migratory species were especially vulnerable to climate changes.Main ConclusionsThe diverse human disturbances interact with disturbance intensity, and some species' functional traits significantly affected the behavioural change in threatened terrestrial mammals. Such behavioural changes away from predisturbance patterns may have consequences for their fitness and community interactions. The management and conservation of threatened species should incorporate knowledge of their behavioural responses to human disturbance and take into account the potential ecological consequences for biodiversity conservation.