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Simple Summary: This study extended the use of Track 3D trajectory instruments to investigate the previously unobserved nocturnal activities of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a species of moth Noctuidae. The results indicate that flying and wing flapping are the most common activities, with observed flight patterns including parabolic, circular, and zigzag trajectories. Spodoptera frugiperda, also known as the fall armyworm (FAW), is classified by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as a major agricultural pest. By gaining a more nuanced understanding of the fall armyworm's courtship behavior, simpler and more environmentally friendly methods of controlling this pest can be developed. This study used the Track 3D system to meticulously record and describe the activity characteristics and patterns of adult males and females during courtship. The results show that adult FAWs engaged in a variety of activities during courtship that were either discrete (flying, flapping, moving, and crawling), continuous (flapping + flying, flapping + crawling, and flying + crawling), or combined (flapping + touching + flapping; flying + touching + flying). Flying and flapping were the most common activities, with observed flight patterns consisting of parabolic, circular, and zigzag trajectories. The peak activity times for adult FAWs are mainly concentrated at 11:00 p.m., 3:00 a.m., and 5:00 a.m., providing fundamental data for the precise attraction and control of adult FAWs at later stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Threatened Taxa is the property of Wildlife Information Liaison Development and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Camera trapping has been used to assess the activity patterns of Indian crested porcupines and co-occurring mammals in urban protected areas. Data have been collected during the winter season. There is very lesser-known information available about the activity patterns and co-occurrence of free-ranging mammalian species in National Zoological Park, New Delhi (NZP). By using a preliminary sign survey and camera trapping technique, the information on free-ranging Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica) was collected during the study period i.e., January–April, 2021. For the sampling effort of 196 trap nights over the period of 60 days, a total of 229 photographs were captured. The estimated sign density for the Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) was recorded as 0.22sign/ha. Relative Abundance Indices (RAIs) were estimated as 24.49, 9.18 and 6.63 for Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica), common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) and small Indian civet (Viverricula indica) respectively. Porcupines were seen active throughout the night along with other small mammals like common palm civet and small Indian civet. For ICP high detection probability was between 1800–2000 h with the highest daily activity index (DAI) of 45.82. The highest degree of activity overlap was observed between ICP and CPC [Δ = 0.61 (± 0.07)] followed by CPC and SIC [Δ = 0.55 (± 0.12)] and & ICP and SIC [Δ = 0.49 (± 0.11)]. These observations highlight the nocturnal habits of these species, with each having specific peak activity times during the night and early morning hours. This information can be useful for understanding their behaviour, and habitat use, and for planning conservation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background This study aimed to investigate the relationships between accelerometer-measured physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) with physical function (PF) among older Chinese women in the community. Methods The present study comprised 1,113 community-dwelling older females, with an average age of 65 ± 2 years. We employed a linear regression analysis to investigate the relationship between patterns of PA and SB with PF. PA variables consisted of total PA time, bouted PA time (a continuous PA that lasts equal to or more than 10 min), and sporadic PA time (a continuous PA that lasts less than 10 min). SB variables included total SB time, 30-min bout of SB (a continuous SB that lasts equal to or more than 30 min), and 60-min bout of SB (a continuous SB that lasts equal to or more than 60 min). PF variables comprised handgrip strength (HGS), one-legged stance test with eyes closed (OLSTEC), usual walking speed (UWS), maximum walking speed (MWS) and chair-stand time (CT). To explore the joint effects of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) and SB on PF, we divided the duration of SB and MVPA participation in older women into different combinations: low MVPA & high SB, low MVPA & low SB, high MVPA & high SB, high MVPA & low SB. Results The study revealed a significant association between 30-min bout of SB and CT, which remained after adjusting for total MVPA time (P = 0.021). Both total MVPA and bouted MVPA were found to be positively associated with better UWS, MWS, CT, and PF Z-score. When the combination of low MVPA & high SB was used as a reference, the regression coefficients for PF ascended by 1.32 (P

Simple Summary: The daily activity rhythms of herbivores have significant ecological and conservation implications. Most studies have focused on predators and their prey, as well as sympatric carnivores or herbivores, with little attention given to ungulates in predator-free ecosystems. Using camera traps, we systematically studied the activity patterns and grouping characteristics of goitered gazelles in the Helan Mountains. Our findings reveal that goitered gazelles are crepuscular-like, with activity peaks occurring after dawn and before dusk. Their daily activity patterns and grouping characteristics vary across seasons, likely influenced by climatic conditions and resource availability. This research provides essential ecological insights for the restoration and conservation of goitered gazelle populations and underscores the importance of further behavioral studies on ecologically significant rare species in isolated habitats. Wildlife activity patterns, which reveal the daily allocation of time and energy, are crucial for understanding survival pressures, adaptive strategies, and behavioral characteristics in different environments. Among ungulates, grouping behavior is a prevalent adaptive trait that reflects the population structure, mating systems, and life history strategies formed over long-term evolutionary processes. This study aimed to elucidate the daily activity patterns and grouping characteristics of the rare goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) in the Helan Mountains of western China from 2022 to 2023 using camera trap monitoring. With a total of 3869 camera days of effective trapping, we recorded 442 independent detections of goitered gazelles. The results revealed the following: (1) Goitered gazelle is primarily active during the day, showing an activity pattern similar to crepuscular animals, with two activity peaks occurring after dawn and before dusk. (2) Daily activity patterns showed both seasonal and sex differences. In the warm season, morning activity peaks occurred earlier, and afternoon peaks occurred later compared to the cold season. The overlap in daily activity patterns between females and males in the warm season was lower than that in the cold season, and this trend persisted throughout the year. (3) The number of times different types of groups were observed varied significantly, with single males and single females accounting for a larger proportion of all observed groups. There was no significant difference in group size across seasons, with groups typically consisting of 1–2 individuals. Our study provides detailed insights into the temporal ecology and population structure of goitered gazelles in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. This information will guide the identification of future conservation priorities and the development of management plans for the reserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sympatric species reduce competitive interactions by segregating their ecological niche as a strategy that promotes coexistence. The main dimensions in which niche differentiation occurs are spatial, trophic, and temporal axes. Thus, describing the spatiotemporal patterns of sympatric species help us better grasp how species coexist. In Mexico, coyotes (Canis latrans) and gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) are sympatric and widely distributed, and information about their temporal and spatiotemporal interactions is still needed to explain their coexistence throughout their distribution. The evaluation of the ecological niche in temperate forests where both species coexist has shown high spatial and trophic overlap. Therefore, more pronounced segregation must occur in other niche dimensions, such as temporal and spatiotemporal axes, to maintain the coexistence between coyotes and gray foxes. As an approach to exploring the coexistence between these species in temperate forests, we pose the following question: Is there temporal or spatiotemporal segregation between sympatric coyotes and gray foxes? We hypothesized that both species maintain coexistence due to differences in their daily activity patterns (temporal segregation) and the presence of avoidance behaviors at the spatiotemporal level (spatiotemporal segregation), thereby reducing agonistic interactions. We aimed to evaluate indicators of niche segregation through two approaches: (i) temporal niche partitioning, measuring the overlap of the daily activity patterns and activity levels; and (ii) spatiotemporal niche partitioning, through temporal co-occurrence analysis and time to encounter analysis. In 2018, we used a camera-trap array (n = 43) to evaluate spatiotemporal interactions of coyotes and gray foxes in temperate forests of northern Mexico. We found that coyotes exhibited a diurnal daily activity pattern, whereas gray foxes were nocturnal, showing low overlap between daily activity patterns. Temporal co-occurrence and time to encounter analysis showed that coyotes and gray foxes occurred independently of each other. Therefore, we demonstrated that the spatiotemporal interactions between both species is a result of random species associations. In conclusion, here we provide evidence that ecological segregation occurred in the temporal niche and not in the spatiotemporal niche of the species. Thus, the temporal niche segregation represents one of the ecological strategies that facilitates the coexistence between coyotes and gray foxes and therefore promotes their sympatry in the temperate forests of northern Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PM2.5 pollution variations in different microenvironments would result in PM2.5 exposure inequity between rural and urban residents. In this study, the real-time PM2.5 exposure of urban and rural residents in China was examined based on portable PM2.5 sensors together with activity patterns derived from questionnaire surveys, with a focus on students and senior citizens who are sensitive to air pollution. The results showed that PM2.5 exposure varied significantly among different resident groups, with higher PM2.5 exposure of rural residents than those of urban residents. PM2.5 exposure peaks mostly occurred during (Accompanied) cooking activities owing to strong emissions. Sleeping and resting were the main activities that affected PM2.5 exposures of different resident groups, accounting for 60.7%–94.5% of total daily exposures. Furthermore, the long duration of sleeping makes it the predominant activity contributing to PM2.5 exposure inequity. It is necessary to obtain point-to-point respiratory volume (respiratory rate) data when measuring real-time PM2.5 exposure data and incorporate respiratory volume (respiratory rate) into the analysis of PM2.5 exposure. For the first time, this study quantified the PM2.5 exposure inequality based on a novel method and can provide useful information for further studies on the exposure inequity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Human-induced habitat loss and fragmentation facilitate the presence of domestic dogs (Canis l. familiaris) in natural habitats, posing risks to native wildlife through predation and competition. The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) faces increased vulnerability to dog attacks due to frequent pursuits. Aims: We evaluate the effect of predator presence (exotic and native) on the activity pattern and temporal avoidance behaviour of nine-banded armadillos in the Northeast region of São Paulo state, Brazil. Methods: We analysed camera trap data (2020–2022) for co-occurrence activity between nine-banded armadillos and domestic dogs, and native predators. We also investigated temporal variations between armadillo detections in response to the presence of predators. Key results: Nine-banded armadillos and ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) exhibited nocturnal activity, whereas domestic dogs and jaguarundis (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) were diurnal. The activity pattern of nine-banded armadillos remained consistent in the presence of domestic dogs and native predators, although the time between detections increased at sites frequented by dogs and ocelots. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that armadillos may avoid areas frequented by domestic dogs and ocelots over time, even without direct interactions. Implications: Our research may assist conservationists and policymakers in developing domestic dog control to mitigate the impact of domestic dogs on nine-banded armadillos. Controlling domestic dog populations and raising awareness among owners to confine their pets are crucial measures. We investigated the effects of domestic dogs (Canis l. familiaris) and native predators on the activity period and avoidance behaviour of nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) in human-altered landscapes in São Paulo State, Brazil. Domestic dog presence increased the time between detections of armadillos, suggesting that they temporally avoid areas used by dogs. Our results highlight the need for measures to control domestic dog populations to mitigate their impact on wildlife. Photograph by Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to investigate the relationships between accelerometer-measured physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) with physical function (PF) among older Chinese women in the community. Methods: The present study comprised 1,113 community-dwelling older females, with an average age of 65 ± 2 years. We employed a linear regression analysis to investigate the relationship between patterns of PA and SB with PF. PA variables consisted of total PA time, bouted PA time (a continuous PA that lasts equal to or more than 10 min), and sporadic PA time (a continuous PA that lasts less than 10 min). SB variables included total SB time, 30-min bout of SB (a continuous SB that lasts equal to or more than 30 min), and 60-min bout of SB (a continuous SB that lasts equal to or more than 60 min). PF variables comprised handgrip strength (HGS), one-legged stance test with eyes closed (OLSTEC), usual walking speed (UWS), maximum walking speed (MWS) and chair-stand time (CT). To explore the joint effects of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) and SB on PF, we divided the duration of SB and MVPA participation in older women into different combinations: low MVPA & high SB, low MVPA & low SB, high MVPA & high SB, high MVPA & low SB. Results: The study revealed a significant association between 30-min bout of SB and CT, which remained after adjusting for total MVPA time (P = 0.021). Both total MVPA and bouted MVPA were found to be positively associated with better UWS, MWS, CT, and PF Z-score. When the combination of low MVPA & high SB was used as a reference, the regression coefficients for PF ascended by 1.32 (P < 0.001) in the high MVPA & high SB group and by 1.13 (P < 0.001) in the high MVPA & low SB group. Conclusions: A significant association was observed between poorer lower limb function and prolonged, uninterrupted SB in older women, rather than with the total SB time. Concurrently, the insufficient engagement in MVPA may also be a crucial factor contributing to poorer PF in older women. Engaging in longer durations and higher intensity of PA, such as bouts of MVPA lasting a minimum of 10 min or longer, may contribute to better PF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passive acoustic monitoring is a reliable method to study species behaviour and ecology, enabling the discovery of species activity patterns, especially in remote locations. Here, we conducted a year-long recording study to describe annual and circadian patterns in the vocal activity of two African barbet species, the Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird Pogoniulus bilineatus and the Western Tinkerbird Pogoniulus coryphaea. We used automated software to detect vocalisations of the two species from 4893 one-hour recordings taken in Cameroon. In total, we obtained 31,526 vocalisations of Yellow-rumped Tinkerbirds and 1318 vocalisations of Western Tinkerbirds. We used generalised additive mixed models to determine whether the month or hour of recording or meteorological conditions influenced the species' vocal activity. Our results indicated that both tinkerbirds are likely seasonal breeders, as the highest vocal activity of both species was during the dry season. Both species exhibited smaller activity peaks in the wet season. Our study provides new information on the vocal activity patterns of two barbet species, which could be valuable in future monitoring and surveying efforts. This study provides an illustrative example of two useful technologies that facilitate studies in remote areas: passive acoustic monitoring for determining species' activity patterns and automatic recognition software for the rapid analysis of large datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountain hare is a cold‐adapted species threatened by climate change, but despite its emblematic nature, our understanding of the causes of population decline remains limited. Camera traps are increasingly used in ecology as a tool for monitoring animal populations at large spatial and temporal scales. In mountain environments where field work is constrained by difficult access and harsh conditions, camera traps constitute a promising tool for surveying rare and elusive species such as the mountain hare. Our study explored the use of camera traps as a tool for studying seasonal habitat occupancy and daily activity patterns of the mountain hare, in order to carry out long‐term monitoring of populations. We installed 46 camera traps along elevation gradients in the Mont‐Blanc massif (France) from January 2018 to June 2022. We measured habitat variables at each camera trap site in order to define vegetation composition and habitat structure. We performed multi‐season and single‐season occupancy models to respectively describe habitat occupancy of the mountain hare throughout the year and identify the environmental variables influencing mountain hare presence during the breeding season. Mountain hares occupy coniferous forest in winter, and then switch to mixed areas of shrubland and grassland above treeline in spring and the beginning of summer. In spring, occupancy probability of the mountain hare increases with relative cover of mixed low shrub and herbaceous layer (i.e. the 10–40 cm vegetation layer), suggesting a link to food resources and protection from predation. Our results also confirm the nocturnal and crepuscular activity of the mountain hare during the breeding season, and strictly nocturnal activity in winter. Our results demonstrate the efficiency of camera traps as tools for monitoring mountain hare habitat occupancy in mountain environments and underline the importance of diverse habitat mosaics for the preservation of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring the invasive exotic species and their effect on native fauna is fundamental for their effective control. The objective of this research is to evaluate the spatiotemporal distribution and overlap of medium‐large‐sized fauna in El Palmar National Park, Argentina, to consider potential negative interactions between native and exotic species. Camera traps were distributed in 27 sites between 2017 and 2019. Spatial and temporal overlap was estimated for every pair of exotic–native taxa. With 2673 camera days, two exotic and seven native taxa were recorded. All species were distributed along the extension of the National Park but in different numbers of sites. Exotic axis deer (Axis axis) was recorded in all sites but one, and exotic wild boar (Sus scrofa) occurred at only one‐third of the sites surveyed. The occurrence of native mammals ranged between 26% (Geoffroy's cat, Leopardus geoffroyi) and 67% (capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). Spatial overlap between native and exotic species was high overall and was higher in winter when species moved over larger areas to look for limited resources. Except for greater rhea (Rhea americana), which was diurnal, all species had crepuscular or nocturnal patterns. Both exotic species had an intermediate/high overlap in their activity pattern with almost all native species, including some species with similar diets, but the hours of their maximum activities did not strictly coincide. However, the existence of differences in the exotic species' activity patterns compared to their patterns in other areas where they inhabit could indicate segregation in daily activity to relax competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild boar (Sus scrofa), an abundant species across Europe, is often subjected to management in agro-ecosystems in order to control population size, or to scare them away from agricultural fields to safeguard crop yields. Wild boar management can benefit from a better understanding on changes in its space use across the diel cycle (i.e., diel space use) in relation to variable hunting pressures or other factors. Here, we estimate wild boar diel space use in an agro-ecosystem in central Belgium during four consecutive "growing seasons" (i.e., April–September). To achieve this, we fit generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) to camera trap data of wild boar aggregated over 1-h periods. Our results reveal that wild boar are predominantly nocturnal in all of the hunting management zones in Meerdaal, with activity peaks around sunrise and sunset. Hunting events in our study area tend to take place around sunrise and sunset, while non-lethal human activities occur during sunlight hours. Our GAMM reveals that wild boar use different areas throughout the diel cycle. During the day, wild boar utilized areas in the centre of the forest, possibly to avoid human activities during daytime. During the night, they foraged near (or in) agricultural fields. A post hoc comparison of space use maps of wild boar in Meerdaal revealed that their diurnal and nocturnal space use were uncorrelated. We did not find sufficient evidence to prove that wild boar spatiotemporally avoid hunters. Finally, our work reveals the potential of GAMMs to model variation in space across 24-h periods from camera trap data, an application that will be useful to address a range of ecological questions. However, to test the robustness of this approach we advise that it should be compared against telemetry-based methods to derive diel space use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ergoscience is the property of Schulz-Kirchner Verlag Gmbh and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Context: In the vicinity of the western Rajaji Tiger Reserve, a significant rise in conflicts between humans and leopards has occurred. These conflicts have resulted in a substantial number of human deaths, with 60% attacks resulting in deaths over a 4-year period. Aims: This study aims to examine any potential connection among the non-breeding tigers, leopards, prey, humans and the increased occurrence of conflicts. Methods: To address this objective, we conducted an analysis to evaluate the density of leopards, as well as their spatial and temporal behaviour with respect to tigers, prey and humans through on-site habitat use, circular statistics, diel-overlap as well spatial niche breadth and spatial-niche overlap. Key results: Our findings showed one of the highest leopard-density estimates (excluding cubs) (mean ± s.e.) of 23.7 ± 4.8 per 100 km2. When examining on-site habitat use by leopards, we found three variables that had a negative influence, namely, human presence, slope, and the presence of tigers. The presence of a large prey (sambar) had a positive influence. Leopards, exhibiting the highest spatial-niche breadth, demonstrated a small overlap with both tigers and humans, while displaying a significant diel overlap with sambar. The niche overlap was notably high with sambar, but very low with humans and tigers. Conclusions: Although tigers locally created a zone of spatial and temporal avoidance, at the population level the leopards experienced a surge in numbers in response to the reduced tiger numbers, indicated by their high density. This could be a cause of high leopard movement into nearby human settlements. This unique scenario could have contributed to conflict. Implications: Understanding the coexistence among different species and the impact of transient animals is crucial to develop effective management strategies to mitigate conflict. This approach would facilitate and ensure the long-term survival of diverse large carnivores in the tropical forests of southern Asia through sustained support for conservation from local communities. The larger carnivores often influence a top–down regulation on mesopredator behaviour. This study aimed to assess the response of the leopards to non-breeding tigers and its probable link with the conflict with humans, and showed that leopards avoided tigers and increased in substantial numbers, with transient individuals likely to be dispersing and causing conflict. We make recommendations to study the coexistence of copredators and transient animals. Photograph by Wildlife Institute of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Depression is a global burden with profound personal and economic consequences. Previous studies have reported that the amount of physical activity is associated with depression. However, the relationship between the temporal patterns of physical activity and depressive symptoms is poorly understood. In this exploratory study, we hypothesize that a particular temporal pattern of daily physical activity could be associated with depressive symptoms and might be a better marker than the total amount of physical activity. Methods To address the hypothesis, we investigated the association between depressive symptoms and daily dominant activity behaviors based on 24-h temporal patterns of physical activity. We conducted a cross-sectional study on NHANES 2011–2012 data collected from the noninstitutionalized civilian resident population of the United States. The number of participants that had the whole set of physical activity data collected by the accelerometer is 6613. Among 6613 participants, 4242 participants had complete demography and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) questionnaire, a tool to quantify depressive symptoms. The association between activity-count behaviors and depressive symptoms was analyzed using multivariable logistic regression to adjust for confounding factors in sequential models. Results We identified four physical activity-count behaviors based on five physical activity-counting patterns classified by unsupervised machine learning. Regarding PHQ-9 scores, we found that evening dominant behavior was positively associated with depressive symptoms compared to morning dominant behavior as the control group. Conclusions Our results might contribute to monitoring and identifying individuals with latent depressive symptoms, emphasizing the importance of nuanced activity patterns and their probability of assessing depressive symptoms effectively.

Background The concept of an occupational pattern in occupational therapy and occupational science has evolved with varying definitions, ranging from activity patterns to patterns of daily occupation.Aims This study aimed to explore the concept of occupational pattern, develop an updated definition of the concept, and theoretically validate the concept’s definition.Method Walker and Avant’s concept analysis method was used, where both theoretical frameworks and peer-reviewed scientific literature were searched and synthesized to clarify and define the concept. Furthermore, seven occupational therapists theoretically validated the concept.Findings The analysis included forty-nine references from various research contexts and theoretical perspectives. The synthesis yielded a conceptualization of the concept of occupational pattern, outlining it into three overarching categories: ‘content in an individual’s occupational pattern’, ‘designing an occupational pattern’, and ‘balancing the occupational pattern’.Implications An updated operational definition of the multifaceted concept of an occupational pattern now exists, with practical implications for enhancing the education of occupational therapy students and guiding the utilization of the concept. Moreover, it holds significance for instrument development and outcome measurement in research; especially in lifestyle intervention studies within the field of occupational therapy.

Background: Depression is a global burden with profound personal and economic consequences. Previous studies have reported that the amount of physical activity is associated with depression. However, the relationship between the temporal patterns of physical activity and depressive symptoms is poorly understood. In this exploratory study, we hypothesize that a particular temporal pattern of daily physical activity could be associated with depressive symptoms and might be a better marker than the total amount of physical activity. Methods: To address the hypothesis, we investigated the association between depressive symptoms and daily dominant activity behaviors based on 24-h temporal patterns of physical activity. We conducted a cross-sectional study on NHANES 2011–2012 data collected from the noninstitutionalized civilian resident population of the United States. The number of participants that had the whole set of physical activity data collected by the accelerometer is 6613. Among 6613 participants, 4242 participants had complete demography and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) questionnaire, a tool to quantify depressive symptoms. The association between activity-count behaviors and depressive symptoms was analyzed using multivariable logistic regression to adjust for confounding factors in sequential models. Results: We identified four physical activity-count behaviors based on five physical activity-counting patterns classified by unsupervised machine learning. Regarding PHQ-9 scores, we found that evening dominant behavior was positively associated with depressive symptoms compared to morning dominant behavior as the control group. Conclusions: Our results might contribute to monitoring and identifying individuals with latent depressive symptoms, emphasizing the importance of nuanced activity patterns and their probability of assessing depressive symptoms effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Transitions in temporal niche have occurred many times over the course of mammalian evolution. These are associated with changes in sensory stimuli available to animals, particularly with visual cues, because levels of light are so much higher during the day than at night. This relationship between temporal niche and available sensory stimuli elicits the expectation that evolutionary transitions between diurnal and nocturnal lifestyles will be accompanied by modifications of sensory systems that optimize the ability of animals to receive, process, and react to important stimuli in the environment. Methods: This study examines the influence of temporal niche on investment in sensory brain tissue of 13 rodent species (five diurnal; eight nocturnal). Animals were euthanized and the brains immediately frozen on dry ice; olfactory bulbs were subsequently dissected and weighed, and the remaining brain was weighed, sectioned, and stained. Stereo Investigator was used to calculate volumes of four sensory regions that function in processing visual (lateral geniculate nucleus, superior colliculus) and auditory (medial geniculate nucleus, inferior colliculus) information. A phylogenetic framework was used to assess the influence of temporal niche on the relative sizes of these brain structures and of olfactory bulb weights. Results: Compared to nocturnal species, diurnal species had larger visual regions, whereas nocturnal species had larger olfactory bulbs than their diurnal counterparts. Of the two auditory structures examined, one (medial geniculate nucleus) was larger in diurnal species, while the other (inferior colliculus) did not differ significantly with temporal niche. Conclusion: Our results indicate a possible indirect association between temporal niche and auditory investment and suggest probable trade-offs of investment between olfactory and visual areas of the brain, with diurnal species investing more in processing visual information and nocturnal species investing more in processing olfactory information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camera traps became the main observational method of a myriad of species over large areas. Data sets from camera traps can be used to describe the patterns and monitor the occupancy, abundance, and richness of wildlife, essential information for conservation in times of rapid climate and land‐cover changes. Habitat loss and poaching are responsible for historical population losses of mammals in the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot, especially for medium to large‐sized species. Here we present a data set from camera trap surveys of medium to large‐sized native mammals (>1 kg) across the Atlantic Forest. We compiled data from 5380 ground‐level camera trap deployments in 3046 locations, from 2004 to 2020, resulting in 43,068 records of 58 species. These data add to existing data sets of mammals in the Atlantic Forest by including dates of camera operation needed for analyses dealing with imperfect detection. We also included, when available, information on important predictors of detection, namely the camera brand and model, use of bait, and obstruction of camera viewshed that can be measured from example pictures at each camera location. Besides its application in studies on the patterns and mechanisms behind occupancy, relative abundance, richness, and detection, the data set presented here can be used to study species' daily activity patterns, activity levels, and spatiotemporal interactions between species. Moreover, data can be used combined with other data sources in the multiple and expanding uses of integrated population modeling. An R script is available to view summaries of the data set. We expect that this data set will be used to advance the knowledge of mammal assemblages and to inform evidence‐based solutions for the conservation of the Atlantic Forest. The data are not copyright restricted; please cite this paper when using the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the factors influencing the enrichment of the behaviour of the common leopard (Panthera pardus) in a captive environment is crucial for promoting their well-being and enhancing conservation efforts. Lack of species-specific enrichment can lead to stress, disturbances, and altered behavioural patterns, including developing stereotypic behaviours. This study aims to assess the effect of different types of enrichment on the behaviour and welfare of four individual common leopards housed at the National Zoological Park, New Delhi. This study was conducted in two phases: the first phase i.e. pre-enrichment phase, in which the enclosures of leopards were studied with the existing infrastructure and facilities, and in the second phase, the enrichment was introduced in the leopard enclosures i.e. post-enrichment phase. We used focal and scan sampling methods for data collection during Phase I (Pre-enrichment phase) and Phase II (Post-enrichment). This study provides valuable insights into the relationship between different types of enrichment and behaviour in common leopards in captivity. The main results of the study highlighted that with no enrichment, all leopards exhibit more inactive and more stereotypic behaviour than in the presence of enrichment. However, with the use of different enrichment interventions, the leopard exhibits more active behaviour. This study will in turn form a basis for the development of effective management approaches to minimize stress and disturbances, enhance the welfare of the studied species, and support conservation efforts in zoos across the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares the stories of Veis and Ramin and Khosrow and Shirin. The basis for this study is Greimas theory and the characters’ communication model, which assists the study to systematically identify the characters’ contributions in the events, and their motivations, demands and wills in the story’s incidents and actions. The essential grounds for this comparison is the transition from a similar superstructure to the Narrative infrastructure differentiation in two stories. The results of this study is an indication of the plot for Weis and Ramin which narrates the struggle of love with the law and the royal throne. Last but not least, the victory of love but the story of Khosrow and Shirin is based on the conflict and then the compromise of royal power with morality and religion. These are the most important differences between the two stories: In the story of Khosrow and Shirin, unexpected events and destiny play a greater role Creating beautiful scenes has no role in the plot. In the story of vis and Ramin, the plot has a logical order. The role and action of the characters is important in completing the plot, and women play a more important role in the story. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, leopards (Panthera pardus) and snow leopards (P. uncia) occupy distinct habitats. This study explored the coexistence of snow leopards and leopards within the Gaurishankar Conservation Area in Lapchi Valley, Nepal. Both leopard species are crucial for ecosystem stability as apex predators. Camera trapping data from 2018 to 2023 confirmed twenty species of wild mammals and two species of domesticated livestock in Lapchi Valley, where snow leopards have strong spatio-temporal overlap (Δ=0.74) with leopards. Snow leopards exhibited distinct temporal patterns before and after the leopards’ arrival in the study area. Generalized Linear Mixed Effect Models (GLMM) revealed seasonal and prey-type associations with leopard presence, highlighting the snow leopards' preference for cold season and wild prey. Leopards, however, did not show a significant seasonal preference. The findings highlight Lapchi Valley's ecological richness as well as the need for comprehensive conservation strategies. The record of spatial and temporal overlap between the leopards and snow leopards provides important insights into the behavioral dynamics of apex predators and the need for targeted biodiversity conservation in the face of changing ecosystems. The study emphasizes the valley's transboundary significance, calling for collaborative efforts between Nepal and China to help promote effective conservation management. Lapchi Valley's isolation, traditional and religious importance, and recent infrastructure developments further impact the conservation challenges.

Wild boar (Sus scrofa), an abundant species across Europe, is often subjected to management in agro-ecosystems in order to control population size, or to scare them away from agricultural fields to safeguard crop yields. Wild boar management can benefit from a better understanding on changes in its space use across the diel cycle (i.e., diel space use) in relation to variable hunting pressures or other factors. Here, we estimate wild boar diel space use in an agro-ecosystem in central Belgium during four consecutive “growing seasons” (i.e., April–September). To achieve this, we fit generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) to camera trap data of wild boar aggregated over 1-h periods. Our results reveal that wild boar are predominantly nocturnal in all of the hunting management zones in Meerdaal, with activity peaks around sunrise and sunset. Hunting events in our study area tend to take place around sunrise and sunset, while non-lethal human activities occur during sunlight hours. Our GAMM reveals that wild boar use different areas throughout the diel cycle. During the day, wild boar utilized areas in the centre of the forest, possibly to avoid human activities during daytime. During the night, they foraged near (or in) agricultural fields. A post hoc comparison of space use maps of wild boar in Meerdaal revealed that their diurnal and nocturnal space use were uncorrelated. We did not find sufficient evidence to prove that wild boar spatiotemporally avoid hunters. Finally, our work reveals the potential of GAMMs to model variation in space across 24-h periods from camera trap data, an application that will be useful to address a range of ecological questions. However, to test the robustness of this approach we advise that it should be compared against telemetry-based methods to derive diel space use.

Spodoptera frugiperda, also known as the fall armyworm (FAW), is classified by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as a major agricultural pest. By gaining a more nuanced understanding of the fall armyworm’s courtship behavior, simpler and more environmentally friendly methods of controlling this pest can be developed. This study used the Track 3D system to meticulously record and describe the activity characteristics and patterns of adult males and females during courtship. The results show that adult FAWs engaged in a variety of activities during courtship that were either discrete (flying, flapping, moving, and crawling), continuous (flapping + flying, flapping + crawling, and flying + crawling), or combined (flapping + touching + flapping; flying + touching + flying). Flying and flapping were the most common activities, with observed flight patterns consisting of parabolic, circular, and zigzag trajectories. The peak activity times for adult FAWs are mainly concentrated at 11:00 p.m., 3:00 a.m., and 5:00 a.m., providing fundamental data for the precise attraction and control of adult FAWs at later stages.

Comparatively little is known about the distribution and ecology of Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) and Temminck's Ground Pangolin (Smutsia temminckii). Both are elusive species that are normally nocturnal, solitary, and fossorial. Formally collected records have been used to map the distribution of these species, and social media records provide a tool to gather information on their distribution and ecology. We obtained 680 photographs and videos of aardvarks and 790 of ground pangolins in southern Africa from publicly available posts on Facebook and Instagram (2010–2019). The images provide new insights into the distribution, activity, drinking, and predation—and confirm that aardvarks are more diurnally active when they are in poor body condition. Social media can provide useful supplementary information for understanding of elusive mammals. These "soft" data can be applied to other species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization dramatically alters the ecological landscape, posing strong and novel challenge to wild animals. Although the behavioural adaptations of wildlife to urbanization have been well documented, the activity time budget and feeding habits of tree squirrels in Afro-tropical cities have received considerably limited investigations. Here, we studied the activity budget, feeding habits and habitat use by the Gambian sun squirrel (Heliosciurus gambianus) on the University of Ghana, Legon main campus in Accra, Ghana. Data was collected from December 2021 to July 2022 using focal sampling. We found that the activity pattern of H. gambianus was bimodal, with peaks in the mornings and evenings. Their activity budget composed largely of feeding (43.8%), foraging (23.1%) and observing (12.5%). Although the squirrels' activities were higher in the dry season, there was no significant difference between their activity budget in the dry and wet seasons. The Gambian sun squirrels consumed flowers, fruits/seeds and young leaves from 11 (six local and five exotic) tree species, but their diet composition varied seasonally. The squirrels used areas with high density or linear strip of tall trees (≥ 3.5 m) with overlapping canopies that enabled arboreal movement as they rarely used the ground. They nested in tree hollows and attic of buildings. Our study provides the first systematic data on the activity budget, feeding habits and habitat use of H. gambianus in a West African city and University campus. Our data can inform urban land-use planning and effective conservation of urban habitats and tree squirrels in Afro-tropical cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smartphones have become ubiquitous, allowing people to perform various tasks anytime and anywhere. As technology continues to advance, smartphones can now sense and connect to networks, providing context-awareness for different applications. Many individuals store sensitive data on their devices like financial credentials and personal information due to the convenience and accessibility. However, losing control of this data poses risks if the phone gets lost or stolen. While passwords, PINs, and pattern locks are common security methods, they can still be compromised through exploits like smudging residue from touching the screen. This research explored leveraging smartphone sensors to authenticate users based on behavioral patterns when operating the device. The proposed technique uses a deep learning model called DeepResNeXt, a type of deep residual network, to accurately identify smartphone owners through sensor data efficiently. Publicly available smartphone datasets were used to train the suggested model and other state-of-the-art networks to conduct user recognition. Multiple experiments validated the effectiveness of this framework, surpassing previous benchmark models in this area with a top F1-score of 98.96%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To inform the conservation of the Regionally Critically Endangered West African lion, we studied lion population size and social structure in Niokolo Koba National Park (NKNP), Senegal. Calling station and camera trap surveys were conducted and opportunistic lion observations were documented from 2015 to 2020. The average lion density was calculated as 0.50 lion/100 km² and the population size was estimated as 28-56 individuals. Average lion group size was 2.1 ± 1.45 lions (range 1-8 lions). There were no significant differences between observations of single individuals (43%), groups of two (22%), three (19%), four (4%) and more than four (5%) individual lions (X² = 30.021, p-value = 0.06452). Sex ratio showed a ratio of male:female of 1:1.1 to 1:2.8. About 13.59% of the lion population was composed of cubs while, respectively, 81.22% and 5.17% were adults and subadults. Based on the analysis of activity patterns, lions in NKNP are mainly nocturno-crepuscular (18:00-01:00) and matutinal (06:00-08:00). Lion population size and density are still low in NKNP compared to earlier estimates from the same area, in the late 1990s. We therefore conclude that the conservation of lions in NKNP must be further improved to safeguard this population in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is predicted to have far-reaching consequences for natural ecosystems given its influence on organismal physiology and behaviour, species interactions and community composition. Movement and predation are fundamental ecological processes that are of critical importance to ecosystem functioning. The natural movements and foraging behaviours of nocturnal invertebrates may be particularly sensitive to the presence of ALAN. However, we still lack evidence of how these processes respond to ALAN within a community context. We assembled insect communities to quantify their movement activity and predation rates during simulated Moon cycles across a gradient of diffuse night-time illuminance including the full range of observed skyglow intensities. Using radio frequency identification, we tracked the movements of insects within a fragmented grassland Ecotron experiment. We additionally quantified predation rates using prey dummies. Our results reveal that even low-intensity skyglow causes a temporal shift in movement activity from day to night, and a spatial shift towards open habitats at night. Changes in movement activity are associated with indirect shifts in predation rates. Spatio-temporal shifts in movement and predation have important implications for ecological networks and ecosystem functioning, highlighting the disruptive potential of ALAN for global biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services. This article is part of the theme issue 'Light pollution in complex ecological systems'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal changes in runoff and inundation create river-habitats that are considered key to the diversity of Amazonian bird species. However, studies on avifauna in different riverine habitats remain scarce. We used camera traps to survey the avifauna in river-created habitats along 39 km of river in the eastern Brazilian Amazon. We examined the number of bird species detected and species composition in islands and margin banks, evaluated species–area relationships in these two habitats, and examined if the most abundant bird species have differences in activity pattern between habitats. Cameras recorded 21 bird species from 13 families (Accipitridae, Ardeidae, Bucconidae, Caprimulgidae, Cathartidae, Columbidae, Cracidae, Hirundinidae, Icteridae, Scolopacidae, Thraupidae, Threskiornithidae, and Tyrannidae). Species composition did not differ between habitat types but we found a discernible area effect, explaining as much as 84% on the number of species detected across island sites. Overlaps of activity pattern of bird species were high between habitat types, but differences in activity peaks were found for Molothrus oryzivorus and Pitangus sulphuratus while examining islands and margin banks. River-created habitats are relevant to Amazonian bird diversity and studies on these habitats must be increased to better understand their value across the Amazon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governmental and private protected areas are a key focus of conservation concern, as they tend to be associated with greater biodiversity and abundance of threatened mammals than non-protected areas. Protected areas are also effective at limiting anthropogenic pressures that threaten endemic species. Behavioural shifts are often the most immediate response of animals to disturbance, indicating the importance of considering the direct links between the disturbance present in an ecosystem and the behavioural patterns of endemic species. Here, we assessed the effect of land cover protection along with anthropogenic disturbance factors (human and dog abundance, distance to the nearest house, percentage of native vegetation [relative to agricultural landscapes]) on the activity patterns and abundance of 6 mammal species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. Data were collected using camera traps employed during 2 dry seasons at 208 stations (6240 camera-days). Activity pattern analyses used the novel application of circular activity patterns and a direct circular outcome to assess the direct impact of protection status and anthropogenic disturbance on behavioural shifts in the mammal species. Relative abundance was calculated using the mean population size of individuals as well as the per-individual detection probability. Protection status significantly elicited behavioural shifts in 5 of the 6 mammals, with 4 of these mammals shifting more towards nocturnality in non-protected areas. Dog abundance was the most important covariate in activity pattern shifts in the giant anteater, with nocturnality increasing with dog abundance, whereas native vegetation was the most important covariate in activity pattern shifts in the agouti and puma, with nocturnality increasing with decreasing native vegetation. Relative abundance was significantly lower in non-protected areas in 2 mammals, one of which was the Vulnerable giant anteater. The findings here are the first time in which anthropogenic disturbance factors have been found to directly elicit shifts in the circular activity patterns of mammals, as well as highlight the importance of protected areas in mammal conservation. The methods used here can be applied to ecosystems globally to pinpoint the direct impact of disturbance factors on endemic species whilst also providing explicit information on how conservation initiatives can be strategically and effectively targeted.

Individuals’ participation in daily routine activities varies according to the situations they live in. Gender roles and marital status drive them to take part in various economic, leisure and travel activities. Married (or cohabiting) individuals, in comparison to singles, juggle activities interdependently with their partners' resources and work allocation, resulting in potentially complex intersecting schedules. The primary aim of this research is to explore the complexity (measured using Shannon’s entropy) of individuals’ activity patterns by considering diverse factors such as demographics, job/education, residential location, travel behaviour, gendered multitasking behaviour, time use preferences and partner interactions. To examine variations in complexity, we developed three separate models for single and partnered respondents, and all respondents, respectively. We used German Time Use Survey 2012/13 data and employed multilevel linear regression models. Gender interaction variables were additionally included in the analysis to examine the gender differences in coefficients. In general, our results suggest that activity pattern complexity is positively associated with demographics (being women, having young children), job/education (high levels of education, working in non-market sector), travel behaviour (number of trips, car, public transport and cycling), time spent on unpaid multitasking, preference for time use (leisure and unpaid work) and additional work hour preferences, whereas full-time/overtime working, paid multitasking negatively affects the complexity. For partnered respondents, factors such as increase in age, increase in income, working in shifts and time spent on paid multitasking have significant negative effects on the complexity of activity patterns, while partners’ time spent on unpaid work and leisure activities positively affects respondents’ complexity. The gender interaction with multitasking behaviour reveals that men’s activity patterns are increasingly complex with more time spent on unpaid multitasking, while for women, the complexity of activity patterns is positively associated with more time spent on paid multitasking.

Wildlife activity patterns, which reveal the daily allocation of time and energy, are crucial for understanding survival pressures, adaptive strategies, and behavioral characteristics in different environments. Among ungulates, grouping behavior is a prevalent adaptive trait that reflects the population structure, mating systems, and life history strategies formed over long-term evolutionary processes. This study aimed to elucidate the daily activity patterns and grouping characteristics of the rare goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) in the Helan Mountains of western China from 2022 to 2023 using camera trap monitoring. With a total of 3869 camera days of effective trapping, we recorded 442 independent detections of goitered gazelles. The results revealed the following: (1) Goitered gazelle is primarily active during the day, showing an activity pattern similar to crepuscular animals, with two activity peaks occurring after dawn and before dusk. (2) Daily activity patterns showed both seasonal and sex differences. In the warm season, morning activity peaks occurred earlier, and afternoon peaks occurred later compared to the cold season. The overlap in daily activity patterns between females and males in the warm season was lower than that in the cold season, and this trend persisted throughout the year. (3) The number of times different types of groups were observed varied significantly, with single males and single females accounting for a larger proportion of all observed groups. There was no significant difference in group size across seasons, with groups typically consisting of 1–2 individuals. Our study provides detailed insights into the temporal ecology and population structure of goitered gazelles in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. This information will guide the identification of future conservation priorities and the development of management plans for the reserve.

Urbanization of natural landscapes and increasing human populations have brought people and our companion animals into closer contact with wildlife, even within protected areas. To provide guidance for human–wildlife coexistence, it is therefore critical to understand the effects of anthropogenic disturbances and how well native wildlife species survive in human-dominated landscapes. We investigated the spatio-temporal responses of 10 vertebrate taxa, with an emphasis on the Endangered Eld's deer Rucervus eldii thamin, to anthropogenic disturbances in Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary, Myanmar. We quantified anthropogenic disturbances as distance from human settlements, distance from a highway, and the presence of people and free-ranging dogs Canis familiaris. Anthropogenic disturbances had stronger negative impacts on the detection of native wildlife species than on occupancy. Eld's deer avoided areas close to human settlements and showed low diel activity overlap with both people and dogs, although we found a positive association with human presence at the camera-trap sites. Five species exhibited lower diel activity overlap with people in the rainy season when human activity is the highest in our study area. All studied wildlife species shifted to nocturnal activity or did not show any clear activity pattern during the cool-dry season when the presence of dogs increased. The ecological and conservation impacts of dogs are underestimated in South-east Asia, particularly in Myanmar, and this case study highlights the impacts of dogs on the temporal use of habitat by wildlife and the need for better practices in the management of dogs within protected areas.

Variations in host traits that influence their exposure and susceptibility may impact probability of vector-transmitted diseases. Therefore, identifying the predictors of infection probability is necessary to understand the risk of disease outbreaks during expanding environmental perturbation. Here, we conducted a large survey based on microscopic examination and molecular analysis of haemosporidian parasite infection in raptors rescued at the Beijing Raptor Rescue Centre. Combining these data with biological and ecological variables of the raptors, we determined predictors that affect the probability of haemosporidian infection using generalized linear mixed models and multimodel inference. Our results showed that infection probability exhibited considerable variation across host species in raptors, and body mass, sex, and evolutionary history played relatively weaker roles in driving infection probability. Instead, activity pattern, age, geographic range size, migration distance, and nest type were important predictors of the probability of haemosporidian infection, and the role of each predictor differed in the three main haemosporidian genera (Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon). This macro-ecological analysis will add to our understanding of host traits that influence the probability of avian haemosporidian infection and will help inform risk of emerging diseases.

Examining multiple niche relationships, such as habitat use and activity patterns, between sympatric species contributes to an understanding of the mechanisms of coexistence and competition. Sika deer (Cervus nippon Temminck, 1838) and Japanese serows (Capricornis crispus (Temminck, 1836)) often show different habitat use, and diversity in vegetation and topography seems to facilitate their coexistence. Conversely, their habitat use may overlap in areas with low-diversity habitats; however, this remains unstudied. Moreover, whether they spatiotemporally avoid each other to reduce direct interference is unclear. We examined the fine-scale patterns of habitat use and activity of deer and serows in the subalpine forests of Mount Fuji, which have low-diversity habitats, using camera trapping data over 3 years. Deer and serow habitat niches largely overlapped, especially in summer (92%–94%) and autumn (89%–91%), suggesting that low-diversity habitats facilitate overlapping habitat use. Both species selected areas frequently used by the other during spring to autumn and their temporal niches largely overlapped, especially in summer (88%) and autumn (83%), suggesting that they do not spatiotemporally avoid each other (i.e., there is no direct interference). Rapid range expansion of deer into these subalpine habitats may exclude native serows through resource exploitative competition rather than interference competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activity patterns and time budgets play a crucial role in the successful farming and management of animals. In this study, the behavior patterns of 53 forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) were analyzed from October 2nd to 16th, 2021, throughout the day and night. The results showed a distinct dawn--dusk activity rhythm in the captive forest musk deer with a peak activity observed at dawn (07:00 - 10:00) and dusk (16:00 - 19:00). Additionally, there were smaller activity peaks lasting less than an hour during the nighttime (00:00 - 04:00). Comparing behavior ratios between peak and off-peak periods, it was evident that all behaviors, except rumination (RU), showed significant differences. Furthermore, no significant differences were found in the behavior ratios of the forest musk deer between the daytime and night-time. During the daytime, the percentages of time spent performing locomotion (32.87 ± 3.38%), feeding (14.43 ± 1.81%), and RU (5.62 ± 1.46%) were slightly higher compared to the night-time. Based on these findings, it is important to match the management strategies for musk deer farming with the animals' activity patterns and behavioral rhythms. Doing so can enhance farming outputs and contribute to the welfare of captive forest musk deer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large and meso-carnivores play crucial roles in ecosystems. A systematic camera trap study conducted in Khao Yai National Park has confirmed that this area serves as a habitat for at least 18 significant carnivorous wildlife species from 6 families and 14 genera. Most of this wildlife is active during the night. The study identified 2 species as endangered, 6 species as vulnerable, and 2 species as near-threatened according to the IUCN Red List. When considering the conservation status at the national level, there is 1 species in the critically endangered category, 5 species in the endangered category, 6 species in the vulnerable category, and 2 species in the near-threatened category. The study's results have highlighted the close correlation between the distribution of wild animals in the area and human activities. Therefore, it is crucial to enforce strict regulations to avoid disrupting natural behaviors within this ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of technology, there is an increasing number of automatically collected data sources applied in human mobility research. Although these data sets can record travel spatiotemporal information, the semantical information of travel cannot be reflected, e.g., activity pattern or trip purpose. In this paper, we proposed a methodological framework to explore the activity patterns and trip purposes of public transit riders using smart card data in an unsupervised way. First, the heuristic rules are proposed to identify home/working activity based on the multidays travel regularity of passengers. Second, we use a modified latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) model to explore the activity patterns for the remaining activities based on four activity attributes (including arrival time, duration, day of the week, and destination station functional attribute). In this model, the trip attributes of each passenger are considered as a word in the document with specific topics that correspond to different activity characteristics, based on which the trip purpose of each topic is inferred to interpret travel behavior. The proposed methodology is demonstrated using transit smart card data from Beijing. The performance of our model is compared with two baselines based on perplexity and the result shows that our model achieved the best. Besides, the proportions of inferred trip purposes are compared to the values from travel survey in 2020 Beijing Transport Development Annual Report. The reliability of the results is further confirmed. This work can be extended to other automated travel datasets without ground-truth labels and used to understand and predict travel demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation of mammals in human-dominated landscapes requires essential information on their ecological aspects. We used camera traps to assess the wild mammal assemblage, their relative abundance, and activity patterns in the human-dominated landscape of Vansda taluka, Gujarat, India. We deployed 80 camera traps in square grids of 2 km2 resulting in an area coverage of 160 km2. To assess the mammal assemblage, relative abundance of species, and activity pattern, respectively, we used a count of species, relative abundance index (RAI), and circular statistics. We captured 13 mammals, including the wild pig, Indian hare, leopard, rhesus macaque, common grey mongoose, small Indian civet, common palm civet, Indian crested porcupine, hanuman langur, chital, barking deer, striped hyena, and jungle cat. The wild pig was the most abundant (RAI = 10.29), while the jungle cat was the least abundant (RAI = 0.04) species. Hanuman langur, rhesus macaque, and chital showed diurnal activity, while striped hyena, barking deer, small Indian civet, common palm civet, and Indian crested porcupine showed nocturnal activity. Leopard, wild pig, common grey mongoose, and Indian hare showed cathemeral activity pattern. The present study serves as a baseline for future studies and help formulate conservation strategies for wild mammals in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We observed out‐of‐crevice behaviours on seven pancake tortoises (Malacochersus tornieri Siebenrock, 1903) at six sites in the Tarangire–Manyara Ecosystem. Most out‐of‐crevice activities were observed during the wet season and late morning, which included basking, walking, foraging and suspected courtship fighting. Predation was evidenced on six live tortoises and two carcasses, with suspects being mesocarnivores, birds and lizards. Future studies should understand the effects of seasonal resource availability on behaviours and life history aspects, as well as predators and predation rates experienced by pancake tortoises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Biotropica is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)