TREE Review Charts the Future of 3D Tracking in Movement Ecology

Led by Sequeira Lab alumni Dr Ben D’Antonio and our Lab Lead Assoc Prof Ana Sequeira, a new review entitled "3D tracking of marine megafauna to advance movement ecology" was just published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution.

This review highlights how 3D tracking data is advancing movement ecology using the unique perspective provided by marine megafauna. Reviewing early approaches to 3D tracking of marine megafauna and the discoveries these technologies have enabled, the paper identifies some key challenges that must be overcome for 3D tracking to be more widely adopted. It then outlines a roadmap for using 3D tracking data to address priority questions in ecology that remain unresolved. Although our review focussed on marine megafauna, the opportunities and knowledge gaps we identify are also relevant to terrestrial movement ecology, where the value of 3D approaches has long been recognised.

A key finding from our review is that to realise the full potential of 3D tracking, continued collaboration across disciplines, bringing together expertise from diverse scientific fields and backgrounds, is essential. The review also highlights the need to better translate 3D insights into conservation and management, ensuring that protection measures adequately account for entire 3D environments that marine megafauna occupy.

This paper is an outcome of a lively and vibrant meeting of the MegaMove Steering Committee and Operational Team members with attending guests: Prof Luca Giuggioli, Dr Karen Evans, Prof Anthony J. Richardson, and Dr Arina Favilla. This meeting followed a MegaMove's committees-only workshop that took place at the ANU Kioloa campus in 2023, and was supported by ANU's Centre for Biodiversity Analyses.

Congratulations to Ben, Ana and all co-authors! The review is open access, and can be found here.