GPS Trackers Aid Research
Scientists GPS Track Animal Movement
Understanding where, how, why, and when an animal moves at a particular time to a particular place is something that has intrigued scientists for centuries. To the modern day scientist who works in the lab analyzing and collecting data to a great mind such as Aristotle who simply observed the behavior of animals, movement is the key to better understanding the animals who share our planet as well as ourselves. Wiggling, jumping, swimming, and more.
crawling, and running are all forms of movement that determine whether an organism will be successful gathering food, escaping a predator, or reproducing. GPS tracking systems provide today’s cutting-edge scientists a new and advanced way to monitor that movement with tracking system technology.
Large animals, small animals, vegetation, and even microbes all engage in some form of movement that plays an essential role to life. Ran Nathan, a famous middle eastern ecologist, has recently begun combining numerous sciences such as ecology and physics in his research to find out why organisms move. “I believe learning how an organism is successful in moving and adapting to changing environmental conditions to acquire food or reproduce will help us better understand their social-behavioral cognitive patterns, and that knowledge could lead us to answers in our own lives”, stated Nathan. Today’s scientists have a distinct advantage over researchers in the past with the advancement of tracking system technology. Now scientists can place a compact real time GPS tracking system on small or large organism that will provide qualitative data regarding position and movement.
GPS Tracking System And Movement Studies Include:
- Mapping the spread of viruses and diseases
- Tracking invasive weeds and other vegetation
- Monitoring crop-destroying insects
- Following potentially dangerous animals such as cougars in cities
- Tracking the movement of killer bees and other pests
GPS tracking and studying the movement of organisms can have a direct impact on humans. For example, a biologist at a reputable ivy league school spent years studying enormous swarms of locusts, trying to understand why they moved to certain areas. The movement of large groups of locusts can cause damage to crops, spread of disease, and damage to local ecosystems. Locusts wreck havoc on crops in Africa, Asia, and parts of the Middle East, and any information that can help scientists learn about the movement patterns of the crop-killers would be an enormous scientific breakthrough. Damage caused from locusts can be in the billions of dollars, making our understanding of organism movement a financially responsible one. A GPS tracking system may not be tiny enough to be attached to an organism as small as a locust, but the tracking system technology is improving significantly and is sure to continue helping scientists.
Tracking system science combined with natural and physical sciences is resulting in the creation of more understanding and knowledge.
Source: McClatchy
Matthew is a freelance writer who is passionate about technology, music, photography, and decentralized finance.
