Waterfowl Move Less in Heterogeneous and Human‐Populated Landscapes, With Implications for Spread of Avian Influenza Viruses - UTU Research Portal

A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Waterfowl Move Less in Heterogeneous and Human‐Populated Landscapes, With Implications for Spread of Avian Influenza Viruses

Authors: Teitelbaum, Claire S.; Prosser, Diann J.; Ackerman, Joshua T.; Ahmed, Sakib; Sarowar Alam, A. B. M.; Azmiri, Kazi Zenifar; Batbayar, Nyambaya; Bêty, Joël; Blake‐Bradshaw, Abigail; Boiko, Dmitrijs; Buitendijk, Nelleke H.; Buler, Jeffrey J.; Cabot, David; Casazza, Michael L.; Cohen, Bradley; Davaasuren, Batmunkh; Farau, Sébastien; Feddersen, Jamie; Fieberg, John; Fiedler, Wolfgang; Glazov, Peter; Griffin, Larry R.; Guillemain, Matthieu; Hagy, Heath; Hardy, Matthew J.; Highway, Cory; Hoffman, David; Kang, Tehan; Keever, Allison; Kilburn, Jennifer; Kölzsch, Andrea; Kruckenberg, Helmut; Laaksonen, Toni; Ladman, Brian S.; Lee, Hansoo; Lee, Siwan; Lefebvre, Josée; Legagneux, Pierre; Linssen, Hans; Madsen, Jesper; Masto, Nicholas M.; McWilliams, Scott; Mezebish, Quinn Tori; Mitchell, Carl; Moreau, Axelle; Müskens, Gerhard; Newman, Scott; Nolet, Bart A.; Nuijten, Rascha J. M.; Osenkowski, Jay; Overton, Cory T.; Piironen, Antti; Plaquin, Betty; Ramey, Andrew M.; Rodrigue, Jean; Rodrigues, David; Schreven, Kees H. T.; Si, Yali; Sullivan, Jeffery D.; Takekawa, John; Thomas, Philippe J.; van Toor, Mariëlle; Waldenström, Jonas; Williams, Christopher K.; Wolfson, David W.; Xu, Fei; Brosnan, Ian G.; De La Cruz, Susan E. W.

Publisher: Wiley

Publication year: 2026

Journal: Ecology Letters

Article number: e70265

Volume: 29

Issue: 1

ISSN: 1461-023X

eISSN: 1461-0248

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.70265

Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access

Publication channel's open availability : Partially Open Access publication channel

Web address : https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.70265

Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/508936559

Self-archived copy's licence: CC BY

Self-archived copy's version: Publisher`s PDF

Abstract

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.

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Funding information in the publication:
This work was supported by the Science Mission Directorate, Internet of Animals, NASA Earth Exchange.Funding for this study was provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Agency's Internet of Animals (NASA-IoA) project and the NASA Earth eXchange (NEX).