Movement decisions in natural catastrophes: How a flying scavenger deals with a volcanic eruption

摘要: Understanding how organisms react to natural catastrophes is of special interest for ecologists and managers because they may drive changes in species distributions abundance indeed cause extinctions. Particularly, explosive volcanic eruptions promote major the environment forcing make decisions, first allowing them survive then, obtain best balance between costs benefits derived from such changes. Our objective was study movement decisions a large scavenger bird, Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), facing eruption that injected millions tons abrasive ash into atmosphere causing pronounced environments where these birds reside. By using dataset GPS-based locations obtained before, during, after eruption, we explored fall subsequent livestock mortality patterns affected behavior studied species. Interestingly, found birds: 1) did not show significant their home ranges, 2) reacted plume only very short distances it, 3) change foraging habitat preferences accordance with caused by eruption. work discusses various trade-offs free-ranging animals perceive under conditions catastrophe eventually alter fitness-related traits.