tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Ecol Lett
. 2026 Jan;29(1):e70265.
doi: 10.1111/ele.70265.
Waterfowl Move Less in Heterogeneous and Human-Populated Landscapes, With Implications for Spread of Avian Influenza Viruses
Claire S Teitelbaum[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Diann J Prosser[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Joshua T Ackerman[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Sakib Ahmed[SUP] 6 [/SUP], A B M Sarowar Alam[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Kazi Zenifar Azmiri[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Nyambaya Batbayar[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Joël Bêty[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Abigail Blake-Bradshaw[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Dmitrijs Boiko[SUP] 10 11 [/SUP], Nelleke H Buitendijk[SUP] 12 13 [/SUP], Jeffrey J Buler[SUP] 14 [/SUP], David Cabot[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Michael L Casazza[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Bradley Cohen[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Batmunkh Davaasuren[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Sébastien Farau[SUP] 16 [/SUP], Jamie Feddersen[SUP] 17 [/SUP], John Fieberg[SUP] 18 [/SUP], Wolfgang Fiedler[SUP] 19 [/SUP], Peter Glazov[SUP] 20 [/SUP], Larry R Griffin[SUP] 21 22 [/SUP], Matthieu Guillemain[SUP] 23 [/SUP], Heath Hagy[SUP] 24 [/SUP], Matthew J Hardy[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Cory Highway[SUP] 9 [/SUP], David Hoffman[SUP] 25 [/SUP], Tehan Kang[SUP] 26 [/SUP], Allison Keever[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Jennifer Kilburn[SUP] 27 [/SUP], Andrea Kölzsch[SUP] 19 28 [/SUP], Helmut Kruckenberg[SUP] 29 [/SUP], Toni Laaksonen[SUP] 30 [/SUP], Brian S Ladman[SUP] 31 [/SUP], Hansoo Lee[SUP] 26 [/SUP], Siwan Lee[SUP] 26 [/SUP], Josée Lefebvre[SUP] 32 [/SUP], Pierre Legagneux[SUP] 33 [/SUP], Hans Linssen[SUP] 12 13 [/SUP], Jesper Madsen[SUP] 34 [/SUP], Nicholas M Masto[SUP] 24 [/SUP], Scott McWilliams[SUP] 35 [/SUP], Tori Mezebish Quinn[SUP] 35 [/SUP], Carl Mitchell[SUP] 22 [/SUP], Axelle Moreau[SUP] 16 [/SUP], Gerhard Müskens[SUP] 36 [/SUP], Scott Newman[SUP] 37 [/SUP], Bart A Nolet[SUP] 12 13 [/SUP], Rascha J M Nuijten[SUP] 38 39 [/SUP], Jay Osenkowski[SUP] 27 [/SUP], Cory T Overton[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Antti Piironen[SUP] 40 [/SUP], Betty Plaquin[SUP] 23 [/SUP], Andrew M Ramey[SUP] 41 [/SUP], Jean Rodrigue[SUP] 32 [/SUP], David Rodrigues[SUP] 42 [/SUP], Kees H T Schreven[SUP] 12 13 [/SUP], Yali Si[SUP] 43 [/SUP], Jeffery D Sullivan[SUP] 4 [/SUP], John Takekawa[SUP] 44 [/SUP], Philippe J Thomas[SUP] 45 [/SUP], Mariëlle van Toor[SUP] 46 [/SUP], Jonas Waldenström[SUP] 46 [/SUP], Christopher K Williams[SUP] 14 [/SUP], David W Wolfson[SUP] 18 [/SUP], Fei Xu[SUP] 47 [/SUP], Ian G Brosnan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Susan E W De La Cruz[SUP] 48 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Animal movements contribute to the spread of infectious diseases and are driven in part by environmental conditions. We investigated the links among the environment, animal movement, and infectious disease dynamics in waterfowl, which are among the primary wildlife hosts of avian influenza viruses. By combining telemetry data on 4606 individuals from 26 waterfowl species with data on land cover, weather, and vegetation, we found that waterfowl moved less in areas of higher land cover heterogeneity and higher human population density. Moreover, predicted waterfowl movement distances were weakly but positively correlated with distances between detections of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild waterfowl, suggesting that environmental conditions might contribute to the spread of this disease via their effects on bird movements. By considering wildlife movements alongside other drivers of infectious disease dynamics, such as livestock production and human mobility, we move closer to predicting outbreaks and informing interventions.
Keywords: animal movement; avian influenza; dispersal; land cover; vegetation; waterbirds; weather.
. 2026 Jan;29(1):e70265.
doi: 10.1111/ele.70265.
Waterfowl Move Less in Heterogeneous and Human-Populated Landscapes, With Implications for Spread of Avian Influenza Viruses
Claire S Teitelbaum[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Diann J Prosser[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Joshua T Ackerman[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Sakib Ahmed[SUP] 6 [/SUP], A B M Sarowar Alam[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Kazi Zenifar Azmiri[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Nyambaya Batbayar[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Joël Bêty[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Abigail Blake-Bradshaw[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Dmitrijs Boiko[SUP] 10 11 [/SUP], Nelleke H Buitendijk[SUP] 12 13 [/SUP], Jeffrey J Buler[SUP] 14 [/SUP], David Cabot[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Michael L Casazza[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Bradley Cohen[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Batmunkh Davaasuren[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Sébastien Farau[SUP] 16 [/SUP], Jamie Feddersen[SUP] 17 [/SUP], John Fieberg[SUP] 18 [/SUP], Wolfgang Fiedler[SUP] 19 [/SUP], Peter Glazov[SUP] 20 [/SUP], Larry R Griffin[SUP] 21 22 [/SUP], Matthieu Guillemain[SUP] 23 [/SUP], Heath Hagy[SUP] 24 [/SUP], Matthew J Hardy[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Cory Highway[SUP] 9 [/SUP], David Hoffman[SUP] 25 [/SUP], Tehan Kang[SUP] 26 [/SUP], Allison Keever[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Jennifer Kilburn[SUP] 27 [/SUP], Andrea Kölzsch[SUP] 19 28 [/SUP], Helmut Kruckenberg[SUP] 29 [/SUP], Toni Laaksonen[SUP] 30 [/SUP], Brian S Ladman[SUP] 31 [/SUP], Hansoo Lee[SUP] 26 [/SUP], Siwan Lee[SUP] 26 [/SUP], Josée Lefebvre[SUP] 32 [/SUP], Pierre Legagneux[SUP] 33 [/SUP], Hans Linssen[SUP] 12 13 [/SUP], Jesper Madsen[SUP] 34 [/SUP], Nicholas M Masto[SUP] 24 [/SUP], Scott McWilliams[SUP] 35 [/SUP], Tori Mezebish Quinn[SUP] 35 [/SUP], Carl Mitchell[SUP] 22 [/SUP], Axelle Moreau[SUP] 16 [/SUP], Gerhard Müskens[SUP] 36 [/SUP], Scott Newman[SUP] 37 [/SUP], Bart A Nolet[SUP] 12 13 [/SUP], Rascha J M Nuijten[SUP] 38 39 [/SUP], Jay Osenkowski[SUP] 27 [/SUP], Cory T Overton[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Antti Piironen[SUP] 40 [/SUP], Betty Plaquin[SUP] 23 [/SUP], Andrew M Ramey[SUP] 41 [/SUP], Jean Rodrigue[SUP] 32 [/SUP], David Rodrigues[SUP] 42 [/SUP], Kees H T Schreven[SUP] 12 13 [/SUP], Yali Si[SUP] 43 [/SUP], Jeffery D Sullivan[SUP] 4 [/SUP], John Takekawa[SUP] 44 [/SUP], Philippe J Thomas[SUP] 45 [/SUP], Mariëlle van Toor[SUP] 46 [/SUP], Jonas Waldenström[SUP] 46 [/SUP], Christopher K Williams[SUP] 14 [/SUP], David W Wolfson[SUP] 18 [/SUP], Fei Xu[SUP] 47 [/SUP], Ian G Brosnan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Susan E W De La Cruz[SUP] 48 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 41574835
- DOI: 10.1111/ele.70265
Animal movements contribute to the spread of infectious diseases and are driven in part by environmental conditions. We investigated the links among the environment, animal movement, and infectious disease dynamics in waterfowl, which are among the primary wildlife hosts of avian influenza viruses. By combining telemetry data on 4606 individuals from 26 waterfowl species with data on land cover, weather, and vegetation, we found that waterfowl moved less in areas of higher land cover heterogeneity and higher human population density. Moreover, predicted waterfowl movement distances were weakly but positively correlated with distances between detections of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild waterfowl, suggesting that environmental conditions might contribute to the spread of this disease via their effects on bird movements. By considering wildlife movements alongside other drivers of infectious disease dynamics, such as livestock production and human mobility, we move closer to predicting outbreaks and informing interventions.
Keywords: animal movement; avian influenza; dispersal; land cover; vegetation; waterbirds; weather.