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Although signal characteristics and sensory systems are predicted to co-evolve according to environmental constraints, this hypothesis has not been tested for acoustic signalling across a wide range of species, or any mammal sensory modality. Here we use phylogenetic comparative techniques to show that mammal vocal characteristics and hearing sensitivity have co-evolved to utilise higher frequencies in forest environments – opposite to the general prediction that lower frequencies should be favoured in acoustically cluttered habitats. We also reveal an evolutionary trade-off between high frequency hearing sensitivity and the production of calls with high frequency acoustic energy that suggests forest mammals further optimise vocal communication according to their high frequency hearing sensitivity. Our results provide clear evidence of adaptive signal and sensory system coevolution. They also emphasize how constraints imposed by the signalling environment can jointly shape vocal signal structure and auditory systems, potentially driving acoustic diversity and reproductive isolation. Sensory drive theory predicts that vocal signalling coevolves with auditory sensitivity, but empirical evidence is limited. Here, Charlton et al. show that vocal characteristics and hearing have coevolved in forest mammals, due to constraints imposed by the local signalling environment.

Andean bears ( Tremarctos ornatus ) forage extensively on bromeliads ( Puya spp.) across their range, although their selectivity for bromeliads is less understood. We report on foraging activity by Andean bears on two species of bromeliad, Puya leptostachya and Puya membranacea , in high elevation puna grasslands (3499–3806 m.a.s.l) within and near Manu National Park (MNP) in SE Peru. We established two ridgeline transects (inside and outside MNP) with perpendicular transects running downslope. We recorded whether bromeliad plants were foraged by Andean bears on four separate sampling occasions that included wet and dry seasons from July 2017 to August 2018. We observed foraging by Andean bears at 6.8% of the available individual plants spread across 16.7% of the available patches. We utilized Resource Selection Functions to evaluate the environmental factors influencing the selection of bromeliad patches by Andean bears for foraging. Andean bears showed selection for Puya leptostachya over Puya membranacea , preferring to forage during the dry season at higher density patches of younger vegetative-stage bromeliads, possibly due to the increased bioavailability of nutrients in the basal meristematic plant tissue the bears prefer to eat. Andean bears selected bromeliad patches growing on east-facing, steep, high-altitude slopes, in a band near the cloud forest edge, which likely reflected a combination of optimal growing conditions for the bromeliads and habitat selection by the bears. Observations of foraging on grassland bromeliads occurred almost exclusively within the boundaries of MNP, which may in part reflect bears avoiding cattle impacts outside of the park. Andean bears showed active behavioral selection for bromeliads within the puna grasslands, and we recommend that grassland buffers around the cloud forest should be considered as primary habitat in conservation management plans.

Supplemental food from anthropogenic sources is a source of conflict with humans for many wildlife species. Food-seeking behaviours by black bears Ursus americanus and brown bears Ursus arctos can lead to property damage, human injury and mortality of the offending bears. Such conflicts are a well-known conservation management issue wherever people live in bear habitats. In contrast, the use of anthropogenic foods by the polar bear Ursus maritimus is less common historically but is a growing conservation and management issue across the Arctic. Here we present six case studies that illustrate how negative food-related interactions between humans and polar bears can become either chronic or ephemeral and unpredictable. Our examination suggests that attractants are an increasing problem, exacerbated by climate change-driven sea-ice losses that cause increased use of terrestrial habitats by bears. Growing human populations and increased human visitation increase the likelihood of human–polar bear conflict. Efforts to reduce food conditioning in polar bears include attractant management, proactive planning and adequate resources for northern communities to reduce conflicts and improve human safety. Permanent removal of unsecured sources of nutrition, to reduce food conditioning, should begin immediately at the local level as this will help to reduce polar bear mortality.

Documenting the different social and behavioural contexts that vocalisations are produced in remains an important step towards understanding the functional relevance of specific call types in a given species' vocal repertoire. In this study we investigated whether seasonal differences and the presence or absence of male and female conspecifics influence the production of male giant panda vocal signals. To this end, captive male giant pandas were observed during and outside of the breeding season in three social contexts: only male conspecific neighbours, only female conspecific neighbours, and a context with no neighbours. We found that males were more likely to bleat, chirp, honk and moan during the breeding season, and showed a tendency to growl more outside of the reproductive period. The contextual analysis revealed that bleats were more likely to be produced by males when opposite-sexed conspecifics are in close attendance during the breeding season. Conversely, males were more likely to chirp when neighboured by males than females or no neighbours. In addition, males were more likely to honk in the absence of neighbouring conspecifics during the breeding season, raising the possibility that these calls function to signal location and gain the attention of potential mates. Moans were produced more often when male giant pandas had male than female neighbours during the breeding season, which may reflect mild aggression towards these same-sexed rivals, whereas the production of barks and growls did not vary according to season or the sex of conspecific neighbours. Our findings underscore the importance of male giant panda bleats for coordinating reproduction and promoting contact with potential mating partners in this non-gregarious species, and yield fresh insights into the function of male honks that warrant further investigation. They also provide a basis for comparison with free-ranging giant panda vocal behaviour that could potentially inform conservation efforts.

As a solutions‐oriented discipline, our attention is often placed on the substance of conservation challenges. Ideally, conservation science is relevant for policy and practice, contributing relevant data to fill key knowledge gaps. Thus, the data value is not only determined by methodological rigor, but also by its usefulness. In this perspective, we contend that trust in the purpose and process of data collection is integral to evidence‐based conservation and threatened by parachute science. We describe the substance, process, and relationships involved in the establishment of a community‐based reporting network for evaluating conflict responses and interventions to wildlife damage. We demonstrate how reflection on the process of science can provide the foundation for meaningful collaboration. We illustrate how, as a multinational team, supporting local researchers to establish a community‐based program, trust and demonstration of a long‐term commitment are essential to avoid the pitfalls of parachute science. We describe the substance, process, and relationships involved in the establishment of a community‐based reporting network for evaluating conflict responses and interventions to wildlife damage. We illustrate how, as a multinational team supporting local researchers to establish a community‐based program, trust and demonstration of a long‐term commitment are essential to avoid the pitfalls of parachute science.

Sociality is an important factor in both the mechanism and function of kin recognition, yet it is little explored in solitary species. While there may be future opportunities for nepotistic functions of kin discrimination among solitary species, the ability to discriminate kin from nonkin may still have important roles in social regulation. The solitary giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca offers a good model system to explore kin discrimination in a solitary mammal. As kin discrimination in many other mammals is olfactorily mediated, we investigated whether giant pandas are able to discriminate odor cues from daughters even after months and years of separation. Our results indicate that giant pandas are capable of discriminating between kin and nonkin using odor cues available in urine and body odor. Daughters preferentially investigated the odors of unrelated adult female pandas over the odors of their mothers, and mothers spent more time investigating the odors of unrelated age- matched female pandas over those from their daughters. Because these studies were conducted months or years after the mother-daughter period of dependency ended, it is still unclear what mechanism is used for recognition. Long-term olfactory memories and phenotype matching should both be considered, and further studies are required for such determination.

Andean bears (Tremarctos ornatus) forage extensively on bromeliads (Puya spp.) across their range, although their selectivity for bromeliads is less understood. We report on foraging activity by Andean bears on two species of bromeliad, Puya leptostachya and Puya membranacea, in high elevation puna grasslands (3499-3806 m.a.s.l) within and near Manu National Park (MNP) in SE Peru. We established two ridgeline transects (inside and outside MNP) with perpendicular transects running downslope. We recorded whether bromeliad plants were foraged by Andean bears on four separate sampling occasions that included wet and dry seasons from July 2017 to August 2018. We observed foraging by Andean bears at 6.8% of the available individual plants spread across 16.7% of the available patches. We utilized Resource Selection Functions to evaluate the environmental factors influencing the selection of bromeliad patches by Andean bears for foraging. Andean bears showed selection for Puya leptostachya over Puya membranacea, preferring to forage during the dry season at higher density patches of younger vegetative-stage bromeliads, possibly due to the increased bioavailability of nutrients in the basal meristematic plant tissue the bears prefer to eat. Andean bears selected bromeliad patches growing on east-facing, steep, high-altitude slopes, in a band near the cloud forest edge, which likely reflected a combination of optimal growing conditions for the bromeliads and habitat selection by the bears. Observations of foraging on grassland bromeliads occurred almost exclusively within the boundaries of MNP, which may in part reflect bears avoiding cattle impacts outside of the park. Andean bears showed active behavioral selection for bromeliads within the puna grasslands, and we recommend that grassland buffers around the cloud forest should be considered as primary habitat in conservation management plans.

The role of behavioral ecology in improving wildlife conservation and management has been the subject of much recent debate. We sought to answer 2 foundational questions about the current use of behavioral knowledge in conservation: To what extent is behavioral knowledge used in wildlife conservation and management, and how does the use of animal behavior differ among conservation fields in both frequency and types of use? We searched the literature for intersections between key fields of animal behavior and conservation and created a systematic heat map (i.e., graphical representation of data where values are represented as colors) to visualize relative efforts. Some behaviors, such as dispersal and foraging, were commonly considered (mean [SE] of 1147.38 [353.11] and 439.44 [108.85] papers per cell, respectively). In contrast, other behaviors, such as learning, social, and antipredatory behaviors were rarely considered (mean [SE] of 33.88 [7.62], 44.81 [10.65], and 22.69 [6.37] papers per cell, respectively). In many cases, awareness of the importance of behavior did not translate into applicable management tools. Our results challenge previous suggestions that there is little association between the fields of behavioral ecology and conservation and reveals tremendous variation in the use of different behaviors in conservation. We recommend that researchers focus on examining underutilized intersections of behavior and conservation themes for which preliminary work shows a potential for improving conservation and management, translating behavioral theory into applicable and testable predictions, and creating systematic reviews to summarize the behavioral evidence within the behavior-conservation intersections for which many studies exist. El papel de la ecología conductual en el mejoramiento de la conservación y el manejo de la fauna ha sido sujeto recientemente a muchas discusiones. Buscamos responder dos preguntas fundamentales acerca del uso actual del conocimiento conductual en la conservación: ¿Hasta qué punto se utiliza el conocimiento conductual en la conservación y manejo de la fauna y cómo difiere el uso del comportamiento animal, tanto en frecuencia como en tipos de uso, entre las áreas de conservación? En la literatura buscamos intersecciones entre áreas clave de la conservación y el comportamiento animal y creamos un mapa sistemático de calor (es decir, una representación gráfica de los datos en la que los valores se representan con colores) para visualizar los esfuerzos relativos. Algunos comportamientos, como la dispersión y el forrajeo, se consideraron como comunes (media [SE] de 114.38 [353.11] y 439.44 [108.85] artículos por celda, respectivamente). En contraste, otros comportamientos como el aprendizaje y las conductas sociales y anti-depredadores se consideraron como raras (media [SE] de 33.88 [7.62], 44.81 [10.65] y 22.69 [6.37] artículos por celda, respectivamente). En muchos casos, la detección de la importancia del comportamiento no se tradujo en una herramienta aplicable de manejo. Nuestros resultados presentan un reto a las sugerencias previas de que existe poca asociación entre las áreas de la ecología conductual y la conservación y revelan una variación tremenda en el uso de diferentes comportamientos dentro de la conservación. Recomendamos que los investigadores se enfoquen en examinar intersecciones sub-utilizadas de temas de comportamiento y conservación para los que el trabajo preliminar muestre un potencial para mejorar la conservación y el manejo; traduzcan la teoría conductual a predicciones aplicables y evaluables; y creen revisiones sistemáticas para resumir la evidencia conductual dentro las intersecciones de comportamiento-conservación para las que existen muchos estudios.

Long‐term data on populations, threats, and habitat‐use changes are fundamentally important for conservation policy and management decisions affecting species, but these data are often in short supply. Here, we analyze survey data from 57,087 plots collected in approximately three‐fourths of the giant panda's (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) distributional range during China's national surveys conducted in 1999–2003 and 2011–2014. Pandas associated preferentially with several ecological factors and avoided areas impacted by human activities, such as roads, livestock, mining, and tourism. Promise is shown by dramatic declines in logging rates, but is counterbalanced with recently emerging threats. Pandas have increasingly utilized secondary forest as these forests recovered under protective measures. Pandas have undergone a distributional shift to higher elevations, despite the elevational stability of their bamboo food source, perhaps in response to a similar upward shift in the distribution of livestock. Our findings showcase robust on‐the‐ground data from one of the largest‐scale survey efforts worldwide for an endangered species and highlight how science and policy have contributed to this remarkable success story, and help frame future management strategies.