I am broadly interested in movement ecology, community ecology, and social-ecoloical dynamics in working landscapes where humans  and wildlife share space. I am particularly drawn to arid and semi-arid rangelands, from Asian Highland, American West, to African savanna, systems that support wide-ranging wildlife as well as extensively herded livestocks.  In general, my work can be summarized by two words - mobilities and boundries.

Wildlife-livestock relationships in pastoral rangeland

Around the world, the presence of livestock has raised concerns over their effects on cooccuring wildlife and ecosystem sustainability. Among scholars and practioners, however, there are claims and counter-claims over this narrative, especially in extensive rangelands where wildlife and livestock have coexisted for millenium. My current work aims to provide empirical evidence rooted in social and cultural contexts to holistically understand the extend and consequences of wildlife-livestock interactions.
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Eastern Tibetan plateau.
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Maasai Mara, Kenya
Relevant publications:
(forthcoming...)​

Animal movement in a changing world

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A framework of migratory plasticity in ungulates.
Movement is a fundamental way through which individual animals respond to and interact with their external environments. Understanding whether, when, where, and how animals move does not only enrich our knowledge on ecology of the target species, but also shed light on mechanisms of how various ecological processes connect across scales. These information are vital for biodiversity conservation and management in a changing world.
Relevant publications:
(see Publications page for complete citations & links)
  • Kauffman, M. J., Cagnacci, F., Chamaille-Jammes, S., ..., Xu, W., Zuther, S. (2021). Mapping out a future for ungulate migraitons. Science.​
  • Xu, W., et al (2021). Migratory Plasticity of Ungulate in a Changing World. Ecology. ​​
  • Sawyer, H., LeBeau, C. W., McDonald, T. L., Xu, W., & Middleton, A. D. (2019). All routes are not created equal: An ungulate's choice of migration route can influence its survival. Journal of Applied Ecology. 
  • Xu, W.,et al (2017). Coupling African Elephant Movement and Habitat Modeling for Landscape Availability-suitability-connectivity in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Pachyderm,
Linear infrastructure, particularly fences, as ecological and social boundries
 Fences might be one of the most prevalent, yet least understood, linear infrastructure on earth. Ecologically, fencing can alter animals physiology, movement patterns, habitat use, and ecosystem processes. Often embedded in socio-ecological systems such as rangelands, fences also play a fundamental role in land practices, economic relationships, and social relationships in societies. My research contribute theoretically and empirically to the bourgeoning field of fence ecology.
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Pornghorn crossing fences in snow. © Joe Riis
Relevant publications:
(see Publications page for complete citations & links)​​
  • Xu, W., Huntsinger, L. (2022). Minding the boundary: social-ecological contexts for fence ecology and management. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
  • Xu, W., et al. (2021). Barrier Behavior Analysis (BaBA) reveals extensive effects of fencing on wide-ranging animals. Journal of Applied Ecology. ​
  • McInturff, A., Xu, W., et al. (2020). Toward a fence ecology: Frameworks and approaches for assessing the global ecological effects of fences. BioScience. 
  • Xu, W., et al (2019). Railway Underpass Location Affects Migration Distance in Tibetan Antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii). PLoS ONE​
Learn more:​

The "so-what" question: linking ecology and conservation

From the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to the Yangtze River of China, human activities are gradually encroaching wildlife habitats and altering animal behaviors. Utilizing my technical expertise in GIS and remote sensing, I collaborate with researchers and managers around the world to investigate how wildlife distribution respond to lethal and non-lethal human activities, such as urban development, prescribed burning, sand mining, and agriculture.
Relevant publications:
(see Publications page for complete citations & links)
  • Han, Y., Xu, W., et al (2023). Ecological impacts of unsustainable sand mining: urgent lessons learned from a critically endangered freshwater cetacean. Proceedings of the Royal Society B.  
  • ​​Giglioti, L., Xu, W., et al. (2022). Wildlife migrations highlight importance of working lands in the Greater Yellowtone Ecosystem.
  • Barker, K.J., Xu, W., et al (2021). Can lost migrations be restored? Evaluating re-establishment of long-distance movements. Conservation Letters.
  • Parker-Shames, P., Xu, W., Rich, L., Brashares, J.S. (2020). Coexisting with cannabis: wildlife response to marijuana cultivation. California Fish and Wildlife.
  • Xu, W., et al. (in review) Den-site selection of Florida panthers in a fire prone landscape.​

(The three photos above are from the internet)