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Energy Expenditure of a Female Tiger in a Human‐Altered Habitat: Insights From Tri‐Axial Accelerometry

Zehidul Hussain, Anjali Thapliyal, Luca Borger Orcid Logo, Parag Nigam, Bilal Habib Orcid Logo

Ecology and Evolution, Volume: 16, Issue: 1, Start page: e72898

Swansea University Author: Luca Borger Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1002/ece3.72898

Abstract

Energy expenditure is central to animal ecology and shapes how individuals balance foraging, movement, thermoregulation and risk avoidance. Large carnivores, like tigers (Panthera tigris), face high energetic demands for territorial defence, hunting, competition and reproduction. These challenges fu...

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Published in: Ecology and Evolution
ISSN: 2045-7758 2045-7758
Published: Wiley 2026
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71223
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These challenges further intensify in human&#x2010;modified landscapes, where habitat fragmentation, prey depletion and human disturbance alter movement and behaviour. To quantify these dynamics at a fine scale, we used high&#x2010;resolution tri&#x2010;axial accelerometry to examine the energetic and behavioural patterns of a sub&#x2010;adult female tiger in the human&#x2010;dominated Brahmapuri Forest Division of the Eastern Vidarbha Landscape. The individual was fitted with a GPS collar equipped with an 8 Hz accelerometer, and Vectorial Dynamic Body Acceleration (VeDBA) was calculated as a proxy for energy expenditure. Behavioural states were classified using the Daily Diary Multi&#x2010;Trace (DDMT) software, which implements a Boolean decision&#x2010;tree framework, and validated using camera traps, field observations, and GPS&#x2010;based cluster analyses. 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spelling 2026-01-09T13:00:37.9188057 v2 71223 2026-01-09 Energy Expenditure of a Female Tiger in a Human‐Altered Habitat: Insights From Tri‐Axial Accelerometry 8416d0ffc3cccdad6e6d67a455e7c4a2 0000-0001-8763-5997 Luca Borger Luca Borger true false 2026-01-09 BGPS Energy expenditure is central to animal ecology and shapes how individuals balance foraging, movement, thermoregulation and risk avoidance. Large carnivores, like tigers (Panthera tigris), face high energetic demands for territorial defence, hunting, competition and reproduction. These challenges further intensify in human‐modified landscapes, where habitat fragmentation, prey depletion and human disturbance alter movement and behaviour. To quantify these dynamics at a fine scale, we used high‐resolution tri‐axial accelerometry to examine the energetic and behavioural patterns of a sub‐adult female tiger in the human‐dominated Brahmapuri Forest Division of the Eastern Vidarbha Landscape. The individual was fitted with a GPS collar equipped with an 8 Hz accelerometer, and Vectorial Dynamic Body Acceleration (VeDBA) was calculated as a proxy for energy expenditure. Behavioural states were classified using the Daily Diary Multi‐Trace (DDMT) software, which implements a Boolean decision‐tree framework, and validated using camera traps, field observations, and GPS‐based cluster analyses. We further modelled diel and seasonal variation in energy expenditure across life stages (pre‐ and post‐dispersal) using generalised additive models. Four behavioural states were identified: resting, walking, travelling and hunting. Resting dominated the activity budget (~65%), while travelling peaked in the evening (~58%). Energy expenditure (VeDBA) was higher during the post‐dispersal phase (p < 0.001), reflecting increased movement likely associated with territory establishment and defence. Seasonal patterns varied by life stage: during pre‐dispersal, winter and summer exhibited bimodal elevated energy expenditure at dawn and dusk, whereas monsoon showed a unimodal activity peaking in the evening, likely influenced by dense vegetation cover and localised resource distribution. Similar bimodal patterns persisted during the post‐dispersal phase, with dawn energy expenditure lower during the monsoon, while dusk activity was similar across seasons. Our findings highlight the behavioural flexibility of a female tiger navigating a human‐altered landscape and demonstrate the utility of accelerometry for quantifying fine‐scale energetics. Journal Article Ecology and Evolution 16 1 e72898 Wiley 2045-7758 2045-7758 acceleration, activity, behaviour, coexistence, energetics, human-dominated landscape 5 1 2026 2026-01-05 10.1002/ece3.72898 COLLEGE NANME Biosciences Geography and Physics School COLLEGE CODE BGPS Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee Funding was provided by the Maharashtra Forest Department, Government of Maharashtra. 2026-01-09T13:00:37.9188057 2026-01-09T12:53:44.6739468 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences Zehidul Hussain 1 Anjali Thapliyal 2 Luca Borger 0000-0001-8763-5997 3 Parag Nigam 4 Bilal Habib 0000-0003-0040-6214 5 71223__35943__17c2b7e3b65f4b1c91c71704ca37fdcf.pdf ece3.72898.pdf 2026-01-09T12:53:44.6703057 Output 2979104 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2026 The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by British Ecological Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Energy Expenditure of a Female Tiger in a Human‐Altered Habitat: Insights From Tri‐Axial Accelerometry
spellingShingle Energy Expenditure of a Female Tiger in a Human‐Altered Habitat: Insights From Tri‐Axial Accelerometry
Luca Borger
title_short Energy Expenditure of a Female Tiger in a Human‐Altered Habitat: Insights From Tri‐Axial Accelerometry
title_full Energy Expenditure of a Female Tiger in a Human‐Altered Habitat: Insights From Tri‐Axial Accelerometry
title_fullStr Energy Expenditure of a Female Tiger in a Human‐Altered Habitat: Insights From Tri‐Axial Accelerometry
title_full_unstemmed Energy Expenditure of a Female Tiger in a Human‐Altered Habitat: Insights From Tri‐Axial Accelerometry
title_sort Energy Expenditure of a Female Tiger in a Human‐Altered Habitat: Insights From Tri‐Axial Accelerometry
author_id_str_mv 8416d0ffc3cccdad6e6d67a455e7c4a2
author_id_fullname_str_mv 8416d0ffc3cccdad6e6d67a455e7c4a2_***_Luca Borger
author Luca Borger
author2 Zehidul Hussain
Anjali Thapliyal
Luca Borger
Parag Nigam
Bilal Habib
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container_title Ecology and Evolution
container_volume 16
container_issue 1
container_start_page e72898
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 2045-7758
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doi_str_mv 10.1002/ece3.72898
publisher Wiley
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
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hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences
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description Energy expenditure is central to animal ecology and shapes how individuals balance foraging, movement, thermoregulation and risk avoidance. Large carnivores, like tigers (Panthera tigris), face high energetic demands for territorial defence, hunting, competition and reproduction. These challenges further intensify in human‐modified landscapes, where habitat fragmentation, prey depletion and human disturbance alter movement and behaviour. To quantify these dynamics at a fine scale, we used high‐resolution tri‐axial accelerometry to examine the energetic and behavioural patterns of a sub‐adult female tiger in the human‐dominated Brahmapuri Forest Division of the Eastern Vidarbha Landscape. The individual was fitted with a GPS collar equipped with an 8 Hz accelerometer, and Vectorial Dynamic Body Acceleration (VeDBA) was calculated as a proxy for energy expenditure. Behavioural states were classified using the Daily Diary Multi‐Trace (DDMT) software, which implements a Boolean decision‐tree framework, and validated using camera traps, field observations, and GPS‐based cluster analyses. We further modelled diel and seasonal variation in energy expenditure across life stages (pre‐ and post‐dispersal) using generalised additive models. Four behavioural states were identified: resting, walking, travelling and hunting. Resting dominated the activity budget (~65%), while travelling peaked in the evening (~58%). Energy expenditure (VeDBA) was higher during the post‐dispersal phase (p < 0.001), reflecting increased movement likely associated with territory establishment and defence. Seasonal patterns varied by life stage: during pre‐dispersal, winter and summer exhibited bimodal elevated energy expenditure at dawn and dusk, whereas monsoon showed a unimodal activity peaking in the evening, likely influenced by dense vegetation cover and localised resource distribution. Similar bimodal patterns persisted during the post‐dispersal phase, with dawn energy expenditure lower during the monsoon, while dusk activity was similar across seasons. Our findings highlight the behavioural flexibility of a female tiger navigating a human‐altered landscape and demonstrate the utility of accelerometry for quantifying fine‐scale energetics.
published_date 2026-01-05T05:34:45Z
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