3.3 Summary of case-studies
These case-studies have exemplified the diversity and complementarity of modelling approaches for predicting the population consequences of human disturbance. Our fox case study demonstrated that IBMs are particularly well suited for assessing human impacts on species with extensive ecological knowledge available thus enabling detailed simulations of individual behaviour and interactions. Our European mink study highlighted the potential for energetics modelling to overcome data limitation issues that are common for species of conservation concern. Although particularly suited to data limited species, energetics approaches are also useful for other species exposed to indirect stressors (Johnson et al. 2024). Despite the breadth of existing research, a notable gap exists in the red fox literature regarding the integration of energetics with disturbance modelling. Given the growing body of empirical research on red fox energetics, there is an exciting opportunity to link disturbances to population dynamics through changes in individual energetics and vital rates. Doing so could quantify the energetic costs of disturbances (e.g., by measuring the energetic demands imposed by habitat fragmentation or reduced prey availability) or predict long-term population consequences by linking individual energy budgets to reproduction and survival rates.