Animal lifestyle affects acceptable mass limits for attached tags

Rory P. Wilson; Kayleigh A. Rose; Richard Gunner; Mark D. Holton; Nikki J. Marks; Nigel C. Bennett; Stephen H. Bell; Joshua P. Twining; Jamie Hesketh; Carlos M. Duarte; Neil Bezodis; Milos Jezek; Michael Painter; Vaclav Silovsky; Margaret C. Crofoot; Roi Harel; John P. Y. Arnould; Blake M. Allan; Desley A. Whisson; Abdulaziz Alagaili; David M. Scantlebury

doi:10.1098/rspb.2021.2005

Animal lifestyle affects acceptable mass limits for attached tags

Rory P. Wilson, Kayleigh A. Rose, Richard Gunner, Mark D. Holton, Nikki J. Marks, Nigel C. Bennett, Stephen H. Bell, Joshua P. Twining, Jamie Hesketh, Carlos M. Duarte, Neil Bezodis, Milos Jezek, Michael Painter, Vaclav Silovsky, Margaret C. Crofoot, Roi Harel, John P. Y. Arnould, Blake M. Allan, Desley A. Whisson, Abdulaziz AlagailiDavid M. Scantlebury

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Animal-attached devices have transformed our understanding of vertebrate ecology. To minimize any associated harm, researchers have long advocated that tag masses should not exceed 3% of carrier body mass. However, this ignores tag forces resulting from animal movement. Using data from collar-attached accelerometers on 10 diverse free-ranging terrestrial species from koalas to cheetahs, we detail a tag-based acceleration method to clarify acceptable tag mass limits. We quantify animal athleticism in terms of fractions of animal movement time devoted to different collar-recorded accelerations and convert those accelerations to forces (acceleration × tag mass) to allow derivation of any defined force limits for specified fractions of any animal's active time. Specifying that tags should exert forces that are less than 3% of the gravitational force exerted on the animal's body for 95% of the time led to corrected tag masses that should constitute between 1.6% and 2.98% of carrier mass, depending on athleticism. Strikingly, in four carnivore species encompassing two orders of magnitude in mass (ca 2–200 kg), forces exerted by ‘3%' tags were equivalent to 4–19% of carrier body mass during moving, with a maximum of 54% in a hunting cheetah. This fundamentally changes how acceptable tag mass limits should be determined by ethics bodies, irrespective of the force and time limits specified.

Original language	English (US)
Journal	Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Volume	288
Issue number	1961
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.2005
State	Published - Oct 27 2021

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2021-11-01
Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): KAUST Sensor Initiative
Acknowledgements: This work benefitted by funding from: the CAASE project (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)) under the KAUST Sensor Initiative (R.P.W., R.G., M.H., C.M.D.); the Royal Society/Wolfson Laboratory refurbishment scheme (R.P.W.); the Department of Learning and the Challenge Funding, and access provided by the National Trust and Forest Service NI (D.M.S., J.P.T.); the Vice Deanship of Research Chairs at the King Saud University, Saudi Arabia (A.A., D.M.S., N.C.B.); The Royal Society 2009/R3 JP090604 (D.M.S.); Natural Environment Research Council NE/I002030/1 (D.M.S.); the Department for Economy Global Challenges Research Fund (D.M.S.); the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) Northern Ireland (currently the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) through various studentships (D.M.S., N.J.M.); the Department for the Economy studentship to J.P.T. (D.M.S., N.J.M.); the National Science Foundation IIS-1514174, IOS-1250895 (M.C.C.); the Packard Foundation Fellowship 2016-65130 (M.C.C.); the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in the framework of the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship endowed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (M.C.C.); Deakin University, the advanced research supporting the forestry and wood-processing sector's adaptation to global change and EVA4.0, no. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000803 financed by OP RDE and supported by grant QK1910462.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
General Environmental Science
General Immunology and Microbiology
General Medicine

Access to Document

10.1098/rspb.2021.2005

Cite this

Wilson, R. P., Rose, K. A., Gunner, R., Holton, M. D., Marks, N. J., Bennett, N. C., Bell, S. H., Twining, J. P., Hesketh, J., Duarte, C. M., Bezodis, N., Jezek, M., Painter, M., Silovsky, V., Crofoot, M. C., Harel, R., Arnould, J. P. Y., Allan, B. M., Whisson, D. A., ... Scantlebury, D. M. (2021). Animal lifestyle affects acceptable mass limits for attached tags. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1961). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.2005

@article{0e06f97ef08a4cb08245a158be369355,

title = "Animal lifestyle affects acceptable mass limits for attached tags",

abstract = "Animal-attached devices have transformed our understanding of vertebrate ecology. To minimize any associated harm, researchers have long advocated that tag masses should not exceed 3% of carrier body mass. However, this ignores tag forces resulting from animal movement. Using data from collar-attached accelerometers on 10 diverse free-ranging terrestrial species from koalas to cheetahs, we detail a tag-based acceleration method to clarify acceptable tag mass limits. We quantify animal athleticism in terms of fractions of animal movement time devoted to different collar-recorded accelerations and convert those accelerations to forces (acceleration × tag mass) to allow derivation of any defined force limits for specified fractions of any animal's active time. Specifying that tags should exert forces that are less than 3% of the gravitational force exerted on the animal's body for 95% of the time led to corrected tag masses that should constitute between 1.6% and 2.98% of carrier mass, depending on athleticism. Strikingly, in four carnivore species encompassing two orders of magnitude in mass (ca 2–200 kg), forces exerted by {\textquoteleft}3%' tags were equivalent to 4–19% of carrier body mass during moving, with a maximum of 54% in a hunting cheetah. This fundamentally changes how acceptable tag mass limits should be determined by ethics bodies, irrespective of the force and time limits specified.",

author = "Wilson, {Rory P.} and Rose, {Kayleigh A.} and Richard Gunner and Holton, {Mark D.} and Marks, {Nikki J.} and Bennett, {Nigel C.} and Bell, {Stephen H.} and Twining, {Joshua P.} and Jamie Hesketh and Duarte, {Carlos M.} and Neil Bezodis and Milos Jezek and Michael Painter and Vaclav Silovsky and Crofoot, {Margaret C.} and Roi Harel and Arnould, {John P. Y.} and Allan, {Blake M.} and Whisson, {Desley A.} and Abdulaziz Alagaili and Scantlebury, {David M.}",

note = "KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2021-11-01 Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): KAUST Sensor Initiative Acknowledgements: This work benefitted by funding from: the CAASE project (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)) under the KAUST Sensor Initiative (R.P.W., R.G., M.H., C.M.D.); the Royal Society/Wolfson Laboratory refurbishment scheme (R.P.W.); the Department of Learning and the Challenge Funding, and access provided by the National Trust and Forest Service NI (D.M.S., J.P.T.); the Vice Deanship of Research Chairs at the King Saud University, Saudi Arabia (A.A., D.M.S., N.C.B.); The Royal Society 2009/R3 JP090604 (D.M.S.); Natural Environment Research Council NE/I002030/1 (D.M.S.); the Department for Economy Global Challenges Research Fund (D.M.S.); the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) Northern Ireland (currently the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) through various studentships (D.M.S., N.J.M.); the Department for the Economy studentship to J.P.T. (D.M.S., N.J.M.); the National Science Foundation IIS-1514174, IOS-1250895 (M.C.C.); the Packard Foundation Fellowship 2016-65130 (M.C.C.); the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in the framework of the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship endowed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (M.C.C.); Deakin University, the advanced research supporting the forestry and wood-processing sector's adaptation to global change and EVA4.0, no. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000803 financed by OP RDE and supported by grant QK1910462.",

year = "2021",

month = oct,

day = "27",

doi = "10.1098/rspb.2021.2005",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "288",

journal = "Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences",

issn = "0962-8452",

publisher = "Royal Society, The",

number = "1961",

}

Wilson, RP, Rose, KA, Gunner, R, Holton, MD, Marks, NJ, Bennett, NC, Bell, SH, Twining, JP, Hesketh, J, Duarte, CM, Bezodis, N, Jezek, M, Painter, M, Silovsky, V, Crofoot, MC, Harel, R, Arnould, JPY, Allan, BM, Whisson, DA, Alagaili, A & Scantlebury, DM 2021, 'Animal lifestyle affects acceptable mass limits for attached tags', Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 288, no. 1961. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.2005

TY - JOUR

T1 - Animal lifestyle affects acceptable mass limits for attached tags

AU - Wilson, Rory P.

AU - Rose, Kayleigh A.

AU - Gunner, Richard

AU - Holton, Mark D.

AU - Marks, Nikki J.

AU - Bennett, Nigel C.

AU - Bell, Stephen H.

AU - Twining, Joshua P.

AU - Hesketh, Jamie

AU - Duarte, Carlos M.

AU - Bezodis, Neil

AU - Jezek, Milos

AU - Painter, Michael

AU - Silovsky, Vaclav

AU - Crofoot, Margaret C.

AU - Harel, Roi

AU - Arnould, John P. Y.

AU - Allan, Blake M.

AU - Whisson, Desley A.

AU - Alagaili, Abdulaziz

AU - Scantlebury, David M.

N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2021-11-01 Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): KAUST Sensor Initiative Acknowledgements: This work benefitted by funding from: the CAASE project (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)) under the KAUST Sensor Initiative (R.P.W., R.G., M.H., C.M.D.); the Royal Society/Wolfson Laboratory refurbishment scheme (R.P.W.); the Department of Learning and the Challenge Funding, and access provided by the National Trust and Forest Service NI (D.M.S., J.P.T.); the Vice Deanship of Research Chairs at the King Saud University, Saudi Arabia (A.A., D.M.S., N.C.B.); The Royal Society 2009/R3 JP090604 (D.M.S.); Natural Environment Research Council NE/I002030/1 (D.M.S.); the Department for Economy Global Challenges Research Fund (D.M.S.); the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) Northern Ireland (currently the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) through various studentships (D.M.S., N.J.M.); the Department for the Economy studentship to J.P.T. (D.M.S., N.J.M.); the National Science Foundation IIS-1514174, IOS-1250895 (M.C.C.); the Packard Foundation Fellowship 2016-65130 (M.C.C.); the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in the framework of the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship endowed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (M.C.C.); Deakin University, the advanced research supporting the forestry and wood-processing sector's adaptation to global change and EVA4.0, no. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000803 financed by OP RDE and supported by grant QK1910462.

PY - 2021/10/27

Y1 - 2021/10/27

N2 - Animal-attached devices have transformed our understanding of vertebrate ecology. To minimize any associated harm, researchers have long advocated that tag masses should not exceed 3% of carrier body mass. However, this ignores tag forces resulting from animal movement. Using data from collar-attached accelerometers on 10 diverse free-ranging terrestrial species from koalas to cheetahs, we detail a tag-based acceleration method to clarify acceptable tag mass limits. We quantify animal athleticism in terms of fractions of animal movement time devoted to different collar-recorded accelerations and convert those accelerations to forces (acceleration × tag mass) to allow derivation of any defined force limits for specified fractions of any animal's active time. Specifying that tags should exert forces that are less than 3% of the gravitational force exerted on the animal's body for 95% of the time led to corrected tag masses that should constitute between 1.6% and 2.98% of carrier mass, depending on athleticism. Strikingly, in four carnivore species encompassing two orders of magnitude in mass (ca 2–200 kg), forces exerted by ‘3%' tags were equivalent to 4–19% of carrier body mass during moving, with a maximum of 54% in a hunting cheetah. This fundamentally changes how acceptable tag mass limits should be determined by ethics bodies, irrespective of the force and time limits specified.

AB - Animal-attached devices have transformed our understanding of vertebrate ecology. To minimize any associated harm, researchers have long advocated that tag masses should not exceed 3% of carrier body mass. However, this ignores tag forces resulting from animal movement. Using data from collar-attached accelerometers on 10 diverse free-ranging terrestrial species from koalas to cheetahs, we detail a tag-based acceleration method to clarify acceptable tag mass limits. We quantify animal athleticism in terms of fractions of animal movement time devoted to different collar-recorded accelerations and convert those accelerations to forces (acceleration × tag mass) to allow derivation of any defined force limits for specified fractions of any animal's active time. Specifying that tags should exert forces that are less than 3% of the gravitational force exerted on the animal's body for 95% of the time led to corrected tag masses that should constitute between 1.6% and 2.98% of carrier mass, depending on athleticism. Strikingly, in four carnivore species encompassing two orders of magnitude in mass (ca 2–200 kg), forces exerted by ‘3%' tags were equivalent to 4–19% of carrier body mass during moving, with a maximum of 54% in a hunting cheetah. This fundamentally changes how acceptable tag mass limits should be determined by ethics bodies, irrespective of the force and time limits specified.

UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10754/673021

UR - https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2021.2005

U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2021.2005

DO - 10.1098/rspb.2021.2005

M3 - Article

C2 - 34702077

SN - 0962-8452

VL - 288

JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

IS - 1961

ER -

Animal lifestyle affects acceptable mass limits for attached tags

Abstract

Bibliographical note

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this