Christer Moe Rolandsen

Anthropogenic land conversion is putting increasing pressure on wildlife populations around the world. To mitigate impacts, it is necessary to develop a detailed mechanistic understanding of how animals are affected by different types of human activity. A key challenge is to disentangle the effects of static infrastructure, like roads or buildings, and the presence of humans in the landscape. To address this question, we examined if terrestrial mammals altered their movement behaviour around buildings in response to reduced human mobility during COVID‐19 lockdowns. We compiled GPS tracking data from 35 study sites across five continents, for 10 carnivore species and 13 herbivore species, totalling >1 million location records from 586 individuals. For each study, we used integrated step selection analysis to test the extent to which animals changed their avoidance of buildings as lockdown took effect, leveraging the recently released Microsoft MLBuildings dataset of global building locations. Analysis of population‐level effects revealed that, in areas with high Human Footprint Index (HFI), animals tended to show a significant reduction in their avoidance of buildings during lockdown, but not in low HFI areas. No such trend was detected during equivalent periods in years other than 2020, indicating that behavioural changes were a result of reduced human mobility during lockdowns. Overall, our findings suggest that animals living alongside humans exhibit greater plasticity when people change their behaviour, likely indicating the combined effects of environmental filtering and habituation. More generally, our study provides a critical first step towards developing evidence‐based tools for forecasting how wildlife movement behaviour may change in response to different land‐use strategies, human activities, conservation interventions or environmental perturbations.

Parasites are ubiquitous in wildlife and can influence health and fitness. Thus, the inclusion of parasites in wildlife monitoring programs could provide important information for understanding declines in population body condition or recruitment rates. However, parasites are often neglected as a factor in wildlife management. We characterised the gastrointestinal parasite community of moose ( Alces alces ) in central Norway over an autumn hunting season and the following winter, using parasitological examination of faecal samples. We identified an age-related effect on parasite communities, including increased prevalence and abundance of Protostrongylidae species and increased community richness in yearlings compared to older moose. We also found that individuals with a lower body mass had higher burdens of Trichostrongylidae and Protostrongylidae species in autumn. There was some evidence for increased parasite burdens in males compared to females, while there was less evidence for seasonal differences between autumn and winter in a subsample of adult females. We found no strong associations between parasite burdens and moose population density. Our results add to the growing body of literature supporting the use of parasite burdens as proxies for an individual’s health status and potentially as predictors for fitness effects. In many Fennoscandian moose populations, the body condition and recruitment rates of individuals are declining, thus further monitoring of parasites may be needed to better understand the mechanisms behind these declines, including the potential role of parasites.

We describe a chromosome-level genome assembly from a wild alpine reindeer individual (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) from the Rondane area in Southern Norway. The assembly is resolved into two pseudo-haplotypes: hap 1 spanning 3,081 Mb and hap 2 spanning 2,633 Mb. Contig N50 and scaffold N50 lengths are in the range of 31 to 41 and 66 to 69 Mb, respectively. A large part of these two haplotypes (83.8% and 90.4%, respectively) are scaffolded into 34 autosomal chromosomal pseudomolecules, and in sex chromosomes X and Y for hap 1. The BUSCO completeness scores are 98.0% and 95.2%, respectively, and gene annotations of the assemblies identified 37,998 and 36,977 protein-coding genes. We also present an updated and improved genome assembly for Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus; contig N50 46 to 48 Mb, scaffold N50 67 to 71 Mb, BUSCO 95.4% to 98.0%) and a comparison with previously published genome assemblies of reindeer.

The ongoing biodiversity crisis requires policy tools to establish baselines and assess biodiversity status. Reindeer and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) are iconic ungulates in the Arctic and subarctic, but populations are declining. Although the species is considered vulnerable globally in the International Union for Conservation of Nature [IUCN] Red List, more detailed policy tools at the population level would allow for targeted conservation efforts nationally. We developed an environmental quality standard (or norm) for reindeer populations to evaluate their overall status and put complex variation and change into simple status categories (poor, medium, and good) based on sets of quantitative indicators for 1) population performance, genetic diversity, and health status; 2) available lichen resources; and 3) loss of seasonal habitat and connectivity. We implemented the environmental quality standard for 10 national and 14 smaller wild reindeer areas (populations) in Norway. Except for 1 area with good status, all others ranged from medium (n = 11) to poor quality (n = 12). More than half of the populations had medium (n = 7) or poor (n = 6) status for 1 or more population performance indicators, with negative trends in calf body mass and recruitment in several populations. High loss of genetic diversity gave poor status in 4 small and isolated populations, and 2 populations with chronic wasting disease scored poor on health status. The status of lichen resources was medium (n = 20) or good (n = 3), with 1 exception. However, lichen time series data were not available to evaluate temporal trends to assess overgrazing. Loss of connectivity (poor; n = 7) was more problematic than loss of seasonal habitat (n = 3). The poor availability of high‐quality empirical data, particularly on population performance, has limited the ability to fully assess the conservation status of several small populations. The environmental quality standard provides an important step towards operationalizing management and aiding in securing the long‐term conservation of wild reindeer. We discuss further improvements and the potential usefulness of this approach for other large mammals.

Most ungulate populations are regulated by hunting, and harvest rate is regulated through quotas and hunting season duration. Hunting is well known to affect behaviour of ungulates, but how annual variation in quotas and hunting season duration affects individual behaviour remains uncertain. Harvest rates reach their highest level when aiming to limit outbreaks of infectious diseases. In Norway, marked changes to hunting regulations of wild reindeer Rangifer tarandus were implemented as part of chronic wasting disease (CWD) management (2019‒2022) in the Hardangervidda population, Norway. Here, we quantify the movements (step length) of 135 female GPS‐marked alpine reindeer during years (2001‒2022) with largely variable levels of quotas, harvest rates (0‒33%) and hunting season duration (31‒58 days). A strong predictor of movement was season with a decline from mid‐ August to early October, and longer and more variable movement distances during daytime compared to the night. Reindeer moved more in years with higher harvest rates, but mainly in late September and not in the beginning of the hunting season. Movements were higher during weekends, only in early September. Our study shows that responses to hunting of an alpine ungulate living in open habitat appear to differ from those of forest living ungulates. The high level of sociality of reindeer may further increase disturbance effects relative to less social and forest‐dwelling species. Hunting season occurs at a critical time before the winter season in northern Europe, and further studies are needed to investigate whether increased movements during hunting affect body condition.

We describe a chromosome-level genome assembly from a wild alpine reindeer individual ( Rangifer tarandus tarandus) from the Rondane area in Southern Norway. The assembly is resolved into two pseudo-haplotypes: hap 1 spanning 3,081 megabases and hap 2 spanning 2,633 megabases. Contig N50 and scaffold N50 lengths are in the range of 31-41 Mb and 66-69 Mb, respectively. A large part of these two haplotypes (83.8% and 90.4%, respectively) are scaffolded into 34 autosomal chromosomal pseudomolecules, and in sex chromosomes X and Y for hap 1. The BUSCO completeness scores are 98.0% and 95.2%, respectively, and gene annotations of the assemblies identified 37,998 and 36,977 protein-coding genes. We also present an updated and improved genome assembly for Svalbard reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) and a comparison with previously published genome assemblies of reindeer.

Mammalian dispersal is characterized by long‐distance movements, and whether dispersal is sex‐dependent and occurs at pre‐saturation densities affects colonization speed and concurrent pathogen spread. In Scandinavia, Sweden classifies wild boar Sus scrofa as a native species and retains high densities, while Norwegian authorities considers it an alien invasive species and maintains the population at a minimum. With a long shared border and the recent detection of African swine fever (ASF) in Sweden, long‐distance dispersal of wild boar into Norway is a concern. Using high‐density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis of relatedness among 192 wild boar distributed across Sweden and Norway, we report sex and determined the likely origin of seven dispersing individuals detected far outside of the current Norwegian range margins. Dispersal distances varied from 61 to 431 km (mean = 230) and all seven dispersers were males, which reduces the likelihood of successful reproduction and establishment. Five of the wild boar originated from the low‐density population at the colonization border in Norway, indicating pre‐saturation dispersal. Sweden is of interest given the risk of pathogen spread. However, in the current epidemiological situation, we nevertheless consider it very unlikely that ASF will enter Norway by long‐distance wild boar dispersal.

Competing objectives are common in the management of wildlife diseases. However, the extent to which disease mitigation conflicts with other goals has rarely been quantified. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a lethal cervid disease widely distributed in North America and recently detected in Europe. After the detection of CWD among reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Norway in 2016, intensified and male‐biased harvesting was used to manage CWD, but this may have adverse side effects. Based on extensive surveillance data (2001‒2022) gathered by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) and local management in addition to harvest statistics, we quantified how CWD management in Hardangervidda, Norway, changed harvest rates and affected population size, operational sex ratio, and age structure, and, in turn, whether recruitment, sex ratio of calves, and calving dates were affected. We used a formal reindeer quality standard to define adverse management. The estimated harvest rate of adult males reached >40% annually; however, the population size was only moderately reduced because the harvest of adult females was similar or decreased. The sex ratio changed from approximately 1:2.2 to 1:6.5 (males ≥3 years: females ≥1 year), which brought the population from good to poor quality according to the reindeer quality standard. The proportion of prime‐aged (≥5 years) males among adult males (≥2 years) in the harvest decreased from >60% to approximately 30%. Demographic changes led to limited side effects in the short‐term, with a delay of 4‒5 days in calving dates and a slightly more female‐biased sex ratio among the harvested calves but without a marked change in early recruitment. Wildlife populations are increasingly threatened by severe disease outbreaks that may require intensive management. Our study highlights the importance of extensive surveillance to document the potential adverse effects on population abundance, demography, and demographic side effects. The fairly limited short‐term adverse impacts can be traded against a higher likelihood of future sustainability without severe diseases; however, this may become an issue of concern if the disease becomes endemic. Balancing these trade‐offs would benefit from good communication between veterinary sciences and wildlife ecology experts.

Wildlife tagging provides critical insights into animal movement ecology, physiology, and behavior amid global ecosystem changes. However, the stress induced by capture, handling, and tagging can impact post-release locomotion and activity and, consequently, the interpretation of study results. Here, we analyze post-tagging effects on 1585 individuals of 42 terrestrial mammal species using collar-collected GPS and accelerometer data. Species-specific displacements and overall dynamic body acceleration, as a proxy for activity, were assessed over 20 days post-release to quantify disturbance intensity, recovery duration, and speed. Differences were evaluated, considering species-specific traits and the human footprint of the study region. Over 70% of the analyzed species exhibited significant behavioral changes following collaring events. Herbivores traveled farther with variable activity reactions, while omnivores and carnivores were initially less active and mobile. Recovery duration proved brief, with alterations diminishing within 4–7 tracking days for most species. Herbivores, particularly males, showed quicker displacement recovery (4 days) but slower activity recovery (7 days). Individuals in high human footprint areas displayed faster recovery, indicating adaptation to human disturbance. Our findings emphasize the necessity of extending tracking periods beyond 1 week and particular caution in remote study areas or herbivore-focused research, specifically in smaller mammals.