A new approach to geostatistical synthesis of historical records reveals capuchin spatial responses to climate and demographic change

Abstract

Recent proliferation of GPS technology has transformed animal movement research. Yet, time‐series data from this recent technology rarely span beyond a decade, constraining longitudinal research. Long‐term field sites hold valuable historic animal location records, including hand‐drawn maps and semantic descriptions. Here, we introduce a generalised workflow for converting such records into reliable location data to estimate home ranges, using 30 years of sleep‐site data from 11 white‐faced capuchin (Cebus imitator) groups in Costa Rica. Our findings illustrate that historic sleep locations can reliably recover home range size and geometry. We showcase the opportunity our approach presents to resolve open questions that can only be addressed with very long‐term data, examining how home ranges are affected by climate cycles and demographic change. We urge researchers to translate historical records into usable movement data before this knowledge is lost; it is essential to understanding how animals are responding to our changing world.