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ANIMAL MIGRATION

Ungulates on the move

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 6, pages 853–854 (2022)Cite this article

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Examining the evolutionary history of ungulate migration shows that this behaviour has evolved multiple times in response to grassland expansion and increased seasonality of resources.

Animal migration is a fascinating phenomenon. Extreme movements have been documented in species such as khulan, which can travel 6,145 km each year across Mongolia1. Animals migrate for many reasons, including to avoid parasites and disease, find mates, follow food resources and avoid predation2. Migration also has an important role in ecosystem functioning, including long-distance nutrient transport and vegetation availability3. Despite the importance and prevalence of migratory behaviour, we know very little about its evolutionary history and what triggered animals to start migrating. Writing in Nature Ecology & Evolution, Abraham and colleagues4 found that less than half of extant ungulate species are migratory, and identified the past and present drivers of migration.

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Fig. 1: Relationships between factors that shape ungulate migration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES), Faculty of Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Marlee A. Tucker

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  1. Marlee A. Tucker
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Correspondence to Marlee A. Tucker.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Tucker, M.A. Ungulates on the move. Nat Ecol Evol 6, 853–854 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01757-4

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