The ecology of resting behaviour in terrestrial vertebrates, and potential effects of anthropization

Inactive behaviours are a major component of animals’ lives, generally representing important proportions of time budgets. The conditions in which they occur are thus likely to have key effects on individual fitness. Yet, relatively little research has focused on the determinants and ecological consequences of inactive behaviours, likely in part because of the inherent difficulties associated with observing inactive animals. In particular, the effects of anthropization as a disruptor of patterns of inactivity are largely unexplored. In this review, we propose to bring quiet wakefulness, sleep, and daily torpor together under the term of “resting”, to facilitate the study of inactivity in terrestrial vertebrates, in wild settings. We detail the shared physiological and environmental drivers of resting behaviours, as well as their ecological outcomes. We suggest that the diversity of resting behaviours enables animals to respond flexibly to constraints linked with metabolism, resource availability, predation risk, and thermoregulation. We detail how the location, timing, duration, and social context in which resting occurs shape a resting strategy that may be adjusted in response to variable environmental conditions. Finally, we explore how anthropization may affect the resting strategies of terrestrial vertebrates through direct disturbances, alterations of landscapes and communities, and the effects of climate change.