Interacting effects of human presence and landscape modification on birds and mammals

Science 2026 Open access

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Authors: Ruth Y. Oliver, Scott W. Yanco, Diego Ellis-Soto, Brett R. Jesmer, Juliet Cohen, Song Gao, Robert Patchett, Tal Avgar, Keith Bildstein, Nicholas W. Bakner, David Barber, Kristin Barker
+80 more Joseph G. Barnes, Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, Jerrold L. Belant, John F. Benson, Joël Bêty, Dean E. Beyer, David Bird, Nathaniel Bowersock, Andy J. Boyce, Ben Carlson, Michael L. Casazza, Michael J. Chamberlain, Michael J. Cherry, Bret A. Collier, Alyson Courtemanch, Sarah C. Davidson, Darren DeBloois, Vickie DeNicola, Christopher R. DeSorbo, Robert C. Dowler, Daniel Dupont, L. Mark Elbroch, John Elliott, Betsy A. Evans, W. Mark Ford, David Hancock, Molly Hardesty‐Moore, Jason E. Hawley, Mackenzie R. Jeffress, Scott Jennings, Matthew J. Kauffman, Roland Kays, Marcella J. Kelly, Bryan M. Kluever, Myles Lamont, Scott LaPoint, Tayler N. LaSharr, Josée Lefebvre, Pierre Legagneux, Matthias-Claudio Loretto, David Lumpkin, L. Martínez, John M. Marzluff, Douglas McCauley, Fiona McDuie, Tony W. Mong, Kevin L. Monteith, Thomas Mueller, Levi Newediuk, Anna C. Ortega, Federico Ossi, Cory Overton, J. Clint Perkins, Tyler R. Petroelje, Laura Prugh, Kimberly A. Sager‐Fradkin, Michael Seer, Avery Shawler, Shannon Skalos, Rachel A. Smiley, Julia Sommerfeld, Daniel R. Stahler, John A. Stephenson, R Stevens, Nathan J. Svoboda, Jean‐François Therrien, Phillipe J. Thomas, Meredith VanAcker, Eric Vander Wal, Dan E. Varland, Tana L. Verzuh, Brittany L. Wagler, Nils Warnock, Stephen L. Webb, Christopher K. Williams, Christopher C. Wilmers, David Wolfson, Julie Young, Christian Rutz, W. Jetz
DOI: 10.1126/science.adq3396
Cited by: 4
References: 79

Abstract

Sustainable human-wildlife coexistence requires a mechanistic understanding of the many ways that humans affect animals. However, progress is hampered by the lack of accessible data measuring the dynamic presence of people. Here, we leverage mobile-device data to disentangle how human presence and landscape modification differentially influence the use of geographic and environmental space for 37 mammal and bird species across the United States. Human presence affected more than 65% of species, with substantial variation across species. For ~60% of species that responded to human activities, the effects were interdependent-animals tended to react more strongly to human presence in less modified habitats. Our results demonstrate that human presence and landscape modification have complex combined effects on wildlife, which need to be considered for effective management.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Wildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation Avian ecology and behavior

Publication details

Journal / source
Science
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Volume
392
Issue
6800
Pages
879–884
Publication date
21 May 2026
Language
EN