Dispersal and connectivity in increasingly extreme climatic conditions.

While climate change has been shown to impact several life-history traits of wild-living animal populations, little is known about its effects on dispersal and connectivity. Here, we capitalize on the highly variable flooding regime of the Okavango Delta to investigate the impacts of changing environmental conditions on the dispersal and connectivity of the endangered African wild dog (Lycaon pictus). Based on remote sensed flood extents observed over 20 years, we derive two extreme flood scenarios: a minimum and a maximum flood extent, representative of very dry and very wet environmental periods. These conditions are akin to those anticipated under increased climatic variability, as it is expected under climate change. Using a movement model parameterized with GPS data from dispersing individuals, we simulate 12,000 individual dispersal trajectories across the ecosystem under both scenarios and investigate patterns of connectivity. Across the entire ecosystem, surface water coverage during maximum flood extent reduces dispersal success (i.e., the propensity of individuals to disperse between adjacent subpopulations) by 12% and increases dispersal durations by 17%. Locally, however, dispersal success diminishes by as much as 78%. Depending on the flood extent, alternative dispersal corridors emerge, some of which in the immediate vicinity of human-dominated landscapes. Notably, under maximum flood extent, the number of dispersing trajectories moving into human-dominated landscapes decreases by 41% at the Okavango Delta's inflow, but increases by 126% at the Delta's distal end. This may drive the amplification of human-wildlife conflict. While predicting the impacts of climate change on environmental conditions on the ground remains challenging, our results highlight that environmental change may have significant consequences for dispersal patterns and connectivity, and ultimately, population viability. Acknowledging and anticipating such impacts will be key to effective conservation strategies and to preserve vital dispersal corridors in light of climate change and other human-related landscape alterations.

Higher Mortality Is Not a Universal Cost of Dispersal: A Case Study in African Wild Dogs.

AbstractMortality is considered one of the main costs of dispersal. A reliable evaluation of mortality, however, is often hindered by a lack of information about the fate of individuals that disappear under unexplained circumstances (i.e., missing individuals). Here, we addressed this uncertainty by applying a Bayesian mortality analysis that inferred the fate of missing individuals according to information from individuals with known fate. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that mortality during dispersal is higher than mortality among nondispersers using 32 years of mark-resighting data from a free-ranging population of the endangered African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) in northern Botswana. Contrary to expectations, we found that mortality during dispersal was lower than mortality among nondispersers, indicating that higher mortality is not a universal cost of dispersal. Our findings suggest that group living can incur costs for certain age classes, such as limited access to resources as group density increases, that exceed the mortality costs associated with dispersal. By challenging the accepted expectation of higher mortality during dispersal, we urge for further investigations of this key life history trait and propose a robust statistical approach to reduce bias in mortality estimates.

Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns.

COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020 reduced human mobility, providing an opportunity to disentangle its effects on animals from those of landscape modifications. Using GPS data, we compared movements and road avoidance of 2300 terrestrial mammals (43 species) during the lockdowns to the same period in 2019. Individual responses were variable with no change in average movements or road avoidance behavior, likely due to variable lockdown conditions. However, under strict lockdowns 10-day 95th percentile displacements increased by 73%, suggesting increased landscape permeability. Animals' 1-hour 95th percentile displacements declined by 12% and animals were 36% closer to roads in areas of high human footprint, indicating reduced avoidance during lockdowns. Overall, lockdowns rapidly altered some spatial behaviors, highlighting variable but substantial impacts of human mobility on wildlife worldwide.

Ultrasound-Assisted Continence Care Support in an Inpatient Care Setting: Protocol for a Pilot Implementation Study.

BACKGROUND: This nonrandomized exploratory intervention and feasibility study examines how digital assistive technology (DAT), comprising a DFree ultrasound sensor, affects nursing care for continence support and evaluates nurses' willingness to incorporate DAT into the planning and practical implementation of care processes. OBJECTIVE: The relief provided by DFree in the clinical care setting and the extent to which it supports nursing care for activities of daily living pertaining to "micturition" is unclear. DAT DFree is expected to reduce nurses' workload in clinical continence-care settings and was designed as a human-technology interaction that ensures a high level of usability for the subjects (ie, the nurses) and increases user acceptance by at least one level (eg, from average to slightly above average) during the study. METHODS: Approximately 45 nurses from neurology, neurosurgery, and geriatric medicine clinics and polyclinics at the University Medicine Halle will be included in the 90-day (3-month) intervention on-site in the respective wards. After the wards are equipped with digital technologies, the participating nurses will be trained to use DFree and will be able to select DFree as a possible patient-care resource if the anamnesis includes bladder dysfunction among only patients who are willing to participate. The willingness of nurse participants to use DFree in planning their care process will be assessed using the Technology Usage Inventory at 3 measurement points. The primary target values include the results of the multidimensional Technology Usage Inventory assessment that will be processed using descriptive statistics. Ten participating nurses will be invited to conduct extensive guided interviews that are intended to provide information about the device's usefulness and feasibility in the specific field of continence care and possible improvements. RESULTS: It is expected that the intention to use will be confirmed by nurses, and the number of nursing problems, such as bladder dysfunction-induced bedwetting, will be reduced with a high rating of DAT usability. CONCLUSIONS: First, this study aims to produce multilevel innovative impacts, including practical, scientific, and societal effects. The results will provide practical solutions for workload reduction in the field of nursing support for continence care, where digital assistive technologies are becoming increasingly important. The DFree ultrasonic sensor is a new technical tool for the treatment of bladder dysfunction. Generating feedback to improve technical applications can increase the user-friendliness and usefulness of the device. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien DRKS00031483; https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00031483. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/47025.

A three-step approach for assessing landscape connectivity via simulated dispersal: African wild dog case study.

Context: Dispersal of individuals contributes to long-term population persistence, yet requires a sufficient degree of landscape connectivity. To date, connectivity has mainly been investigated using least-cost analysis and circuit theory, two methods that make assumptions that are hardly applicable to dispersal. While these assumptions can be relaxed by explicitly simulating dispersal trajectories across the landscape, a unified approach for such simulations is lacking. Objectives: Here, we propose and apply a simple three-step approach to simulate dispersal and to assess connectivity using empirical GPS movement data and a set of habitat covariates. Methods: In step one of the proposed approach, we use integrated step-selection functions to fit a mechanistic movement model describing habitat and movement preferences of dispersing individuals. In step two, we apply the parameterized model to simulate dispersal across the study area. In step three, we derive three complementary connectivity maps; a heatmap highlighting frequently traversed areas, a betweenness map pinpointing dispersal corridors, and a map of inter-patch connectivity indicating the presence and intensity of functional links between habitat patches. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed three-step approach in a case study in which we use GPS data collected on dispersing African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) inhabiting northern Botswana. Results: Using step-selection functions we successfully parametrized a detailed dispersal model that described dispersing individuals' habitat and movement preferences, as well as potential interactions among the two. The model substantially outperformed a model that omitted such interactions and enabled us to simulate 80,000 dispersal trajectories across the study area. Conclusion: By explicitly simulating dispersal trajectories, our approach not only requires fewer unrealistic assumptions about dispersal, but also permits the calculation of multiple connectivity metrics that together provide a comprehensive view of landscape connectivity. In our case study, the three derived connectivity maps revealed several wild dog dispersal hotspots and corridors across the extent of our study area. Each map highlighted a different aspect of landscape connectivity, thus emphasizing their complementary nature. Overall, our case study demonstrates that a simulation-based approach offers a simple yet powerful alternative to traditional connectivity modeling techniques. It is therefore useful for a variety of applications in ecological, evolutionary, and conservation research. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10980-023-01602-4.

Comparison of Acceptance and Knowledge Transfer in Patient Information Before an MRI Exam Administered by Humanoid Robot Versus a Tablet Computer: A Randomized Controlled Study. / Akzeptanz und Wissenstransfer in einem Patienteninformationsgespräch vor MRT-Untersuchungen ­ Vergleich von humanoidem Roboter und Tablet-Computer: eine randomisiert-kontrollierte Studie.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether a humanoid robot in a clinical radiological setting is accepted as a source of information in conversations before MRI examinations of patients. In addition, the usability and the information transfer were compared with a tablet. METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned to a robot or tablet group with their consent prior to MRI. The usability of both devices was compared with the extended System Usability Scale (SUS) and the information transfer with a knowledge query. Reasons for refusal were collected by a non-responder questionnaire. RESULTS: At the University Hospital Halle 117 patients were included for participation. There was no statistically significant difference in gender and age. Of 18 non-responders, 4 refused to participate partly because of the robot; for another 3 the reason could not be clarified. The usability according to SUS score was different with statistical significance between the groups in the mean comparison and was one step higher for the tablet on the adjective scale. There was no statistically significant difference in knowledge transfer. On average, 8.41 of 9 questions were answered correctly. CONCLUSION: This study is the first application, in a clinical radiological setting, of a humanoid robot interacting with patients. Tablet and robot are suitable for information transfer in the context of MRI. In comparison to studies in which the willingness to interact with a robot in the health care sector was investigated, the willingness is significantly higher in the present study. This could be explained by the fact that it was a concrete use case that was understandable to the participants and not a hypothetical scenario. Thus, potentially high acceptance for further specific areas of application of robots in radiology can be assumed. The higher level of usability perceived in the tablet group can be explained by the fact that here the interface represents a form of operation that has been established for years in all population groups. More frequent exposure to robots could also improve the response in the future. KEY POINTS: · patients accept humanoid robots in clinical radiologic situations. · at present they can only convey information as well as an inexpensive tablet. · future systems can relieve the burden on personnel.. CITATION FORMAT: · Stoevesandt D, Jahn P, Watzke S et al. Comparison of Acceptance and Knowledge Transfer in Patient Information Before an MRI Exam Administered by Humanoid Robot Versus a Tablet Computer: A Randomized Controlled Study. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2021; 193: 947 - 954.

When to stay and when to leave? Proximate causes of dispersal in an endangered social carnivore.

Reliable estimates of birth, death, emigration and immigration rates are fundamental to understanding and predicting the dynamics of wild populations and, consequently, inform appropriate management actions. However, when individuals disappear from a focal population, inference on their fate is often challenging. Here we used 30 years of individual-based mark-recapture data from a population of free-ranging African wild dogs Lycaon pictus in Botswana and a suite of individual, social and environmental predictors to investigate factors affecting the decision to emigrate from the pack. We subsequently used this information to assign an emigration probability to those individuals that were no longer sighted within their pack (i.e. missing individuals). Natal dispersal (i.e. emigration from the natal pack) showed seasonal patterns with female dispersal peaking prior to the mating season and male dispersal peaking at the beginning of the wet season. For both sexes, natal dispersal rate increased in the absence of unrelated individuals of the opposite sex in the pack. Male natal dispersal decreased with increasing number of pups in the pack and increased in larger packs. Female natal dispersal decreased with increasing number of pups in larger packs, but increased with increasing number of pups in smaller packs. Individuals of both sexes were less likely to exhibit secondary dispersal (i.e. emigration from a pack other than the natal pack) if they were dominant and if many pups were present in the pack. Our models predicted that 18% and 25% of missing females and males, respectively, had likely dispersed from the natal pack, rather than having died. A misclassification of this order of magnitude between dispersal and mortality can have far-reaching consequences in the evaluation and prediction of population dynamics and persistence, and potentially mislead conservation actions. Our study showed that the decision to disperse is context-dependent and that the effect of individual, social and environmental predictors differs between males and females and between natal and secondary dispersal related to different direct and indirect fitness consequences. Furthermore, we demonstrated how a thorough understanding of the proximate causes of dispersal can be used to assign a dispersal probability to missing individuals. Knowledge of causes of dispersal can then be used within an integrated framework to more reliably estimate mortality rates.