Following the recent Journal of Animal EcologySpecial Feature on biologging, Associate Editor, Steph Januchowski-Hartley takes a look at how research in this and similar methods are affecting the field of applied ecology today.

Advances in technology have allowed for small electronic loggers and transmitters to be developed not only for biomedical monitoring for humans (think of the tech we can use for monitoring hearts, blood sugar) but also for monitoring the broader animal kingdom and our environments. In ecology, researchers use diverse electronic logging technologies to locate, track, and monitor species, and to evaluate species’ movements, physiology, and behaviour.

In a recent Journal of Animal EcologySpecial Feature, researchers from around the world showcase novel developments in biologging – the ‘use of miniaturized animal-attached tags for logging and/or relaying data about an animal’s movements, behaviour, physiology or environment’. These studies collectively advance our understanding…