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Schaffer A, Widdig A, Holland R, Amici F. Evidence of object permanence, short-term spatial memory, causality, understanding of object properties and gravity across five different ungulate species. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13718. [PMID: 38877059 PMCID: PMC11178844 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64396-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
In their natural environment, animals face a variety of ecological and social challenges, which might be linked to the emergence of different cognitive skills. To assess inter-specific variation in cognitive skills, we used ungulates as a study model, testing a total of 26 captive individuals across 5 different species (i.e., dwarf goats, Capra aegagrus hircus, llamas, Lama glama, guanacos, Lama guanicoe, zebras, Equus grevyi, and rhinos, Diceros bicornis michaeli). Across species, we used the same well-established experimental procedures to test individuals' performance in naïve physics tasks, i.e. object permanence, short-term spatial memory, causality, understanding of object properties, and gravity. Our results revealed that study subjects showed object permanence, were able to remember the position of hidden food after up to 60 s, and inferred the position of hidden food from the sound produced or not produced when shaking containers. Moreover, they showed an understanding of basic object properties, being able to locate objects hidden behind occluders based on their size and inclination, and could reliably follow the trajectory of falling objects across different conditions. Finally, inter-specific differences were limited to the understanding of object properties, and suggest that domesticated species as goats might perform better than non-domesticated ones in tasks requiring these skills. These results provide new information on the cognitive skills of a still understudied taxon and confirm ungulates as a promising taxon for the comparative study of cognitive evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Schaffer
- Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Anja Widdig
- Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Federica Amici
- Research Group Human Biology and Primate Cognition, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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2
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Brønnvik H, Nourani E, Fiedler W, Flack A. Experience reduces route selection for conspecifics by the collectively migrating white stork. Curr Biol 2024; 34:2030-2037.e3. [PMID: 38636512 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Migration can be an energetically costly behavior with strong fitness consequences in terms of mortality and reproduction.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 Migrants should select migratory routes to minimize their costs, but both costs and benefits may change with experience.12,13,14 This raises the question of whether experience changes how individuals select their migratory routes. Here, we investigate the effect of age on route selection criteria in a collectively migrating soaring bird, the white stork (Ciconia ciconia). We perform step-selection analysis on a longitudinal dataset tracking 158 white storks over up to 9 years to quantify how they select their routes based on the social and atmospheric environments and to examine how this selection changes with age. We find clear ontogenetic shifts in route selection criteria. Juveniles choose routes that have good atmospheric conditions and high conspecific densities. Yet, as they gain experience, storks' selection on the availability of social information reduces-after their fifth migration, experienced birds also choose routes with low conspecific densities. Thus, our results suggest that as individuals age, they gradually replace information gleaned from other individuals with information gained from experience, allowing them to shift their migration timing and increasing the timescale at which they select their routes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hester Brønnvik
- Collective Migration Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany; Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Elham Nourani
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78468 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Fiedler
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Andrea Flack
- Collective Migration Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany; Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78468 Konstanz, Germany.
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3
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Robertson EP, La Sorte FA, Mays JD, Taillie PJ, Robinson OJ, Ansley RJ, O’Connell TJ, Davis CA, Loss SR. Decoupling of bird migration from the changing phenology of spring green-up. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2308433121. [PMID: 38437528 PMCID: PMC10963019 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2308433121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The green-up of vegetation in spring brings a pulse of food resources that many animals track during migration. However, green-up phenology is changing with climate change, posing an immense challenge for species that time their migrations to coincide with these resource pulses. We evaluated changes in green-up phenology from 2002 to 2021 in relation to the migrations of 150 Western-Hemisphere bird species using eBird citizen science data. We found that green-up phenology has changed within bird migration routes, and yet the migrations of most species align more closely with long-term averages of green-up than with current conditions. Changing green-up strongly influenced phenological mismatches, especially for longer-distance migrants. These results reveal that bird migration may have limited flexibility to adjust to changing vegetation phenology and emphasize the mounting challenge migratory animals face in following en route resources in a changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen P. Robertson
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK74078
- South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Norman, OK73019
| | - Frank A. La Sorte
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT06511
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT06511
| | - Jonathan D. Mays
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gainesville, FL32611
| | - Paul J. Taillie
- Department of Geography and Environment, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC27514
| | | | - Robert J. Ansley
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK74078
| | - Timothy J. O’Connell
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK74078
| | - Craig A. Davis
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK74078
| | - Scott R. Loss
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK74078
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4
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Newman BA, D’Angelo GJ. A Review of Cervidae Visual Ecology. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:420. [PMID: 38338063 PMCID: PMC10854973 DOI: 10.3390/ani14030420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
This review examines the visual systems of cervids in relation to their ability to meet their ecological needs and how their visual systems are specialized for particular tasks. Cervidae encompasses a diverse group of mammals that serve as important ecological drivers within their ecosystems. Despite evidence of highly specialized visual systems, a large portion of cervid research ignores or fails to consider the realities of cervid vision as it relates to their ecology. Failure to account for an animal's visual ecology during research can lead to unintentional biases and uninformed conclusions regarding the decision making and behaviors for a species or population. Our review addresses core behaviors and their interrelationship with cervid visual characteristics. Historically, the study of cervid visual characteristics has been restricted to specific areas of inquiry such as color vision and contains limited integration into broader ecological and behavioral research. The purpose of our review is to bridge these gaps by offering a comprehensive review of cervid visual ecology that emphasizes the interplay between the visual adaptations of cervids and their interactions with habitats and other species. Ultimately, a better understanding of cervid visual ecology allows researchers to gain deeper insights into their behavior and ecology, providing critical information for conservation and management efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blaise A. Newman
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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5
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Bakner NW, Ulrey EE, Collier BA, Chamberlain MJ. Prospecting during egg laying informs incubation recess movements of eastern wild turkeys. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:4. [PMID: 38229127 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00451-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Central place foragers must acquire resources and return to a central location after foraging bouts. During the egg laying (hereafter laying) period, females are constrained to a nest location, thus they must familiarize themselves with resources available within their incubation ranges after nest site selection. Use of prospecting behaviors by individuals to obtain knowledge and identify profitable (e.g., resource rich) locations on the landscape can impact demographic outcomes. As such, prospecting has been used to evaluate nest site quality both before and during the reproductive period for a variety of species. METHODS Using GPS data collected from female eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) across the southeastern United States, we evaluated if prospecting behaviors were occurring during laying and what landcover factors influenced prospecting. Specifically, we quantified areas prospected during the laying period using a cluster analysis and the return frequency (e.g., recess movements) to clustered laying patches (150-m diameter buffer around a clustered laying period location) during the incubation period. RESULTS The average proportion of recess movements to prospected locations was 56.9%. Nest fate was positively influenced (μ of posterior distribution with 95% credible 0.19, 0.06-0.37, probability of direction = 99.8%) by the number of patches (90-m diameter buffer around a clustered laying period location) a female visited during incubation recesses. Females selected for areas closer to the nest site, secondary roads, hardwood forest, mixed pine-hardwood forest, water, and shrub/scrub, whereas they avoided pine forest and open-treeless areas. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that having a diverse suite of clustered laying patches to support incubation recesses is impactful to nest fate. As such, local conditions within prospected locations during incubation may be key to successful reproductive output by wild turkeys. We suggest that prospecting could be important to other phenological periods. Furthermore, future research should evaluate how prospecting for brood-rearing locations may occur before or during the incubation period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas W Bakner
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
| | - Erin E Ulrey
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Bret A Collier
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Michael J Chamberlain
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
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6
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Fagan WF, McBride F, Koralov L. Reinforced diffusions as models of memory-mediated animal movement. J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20220700. [PMID: 36987616 PMCID: PMC10050924 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
How memory shapes animals' movement paths is a topic of growing interest in ecology, with connections to planning for conservation and climate change. Empirical studies suggest that memory has both temporal and spatial components, and can include both attractive and aversive elements. Here, we introduce reinforced diffusions (the continuous time counterpart of reinforced random walks) as a modelling framework for understanding the role that memory plays in determining animal movements. This framework includes reinforcement via functions of time before present and of distance away from a current location. Focusing on the interplay between memory and central place attraction (a component of home ranging behaviour), we explore patterns of space usage that result from the reinforced diffusion. Our efforts identify three qualitatively different behaviours: bounded wandering behaviour that does not collapse spatially, collapse to a very small area, and, most intriguingly, convergence to a cycle. Subsequent applications show how reinforced diffusion can create movement trajectories emulating the learning of movement routes by homing pigeons and consolidation of ant travel paths. The mathematically explicit manner with which assumptions about the structure of memory can be stated and subsequently explored provides linkages to biological concepts like an animal's 'immediate surroundings' and memory decay.
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Affiliation(s)
- William F. Fagan
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Frank McBride
- Graduate Program in Applied Mathematics and Scientific Computing, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Leonid Koralov
- Department of Mathematics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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7
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Decadal migration phenology of a long-lived Arctic icon keeps pace with climate change. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2121092119. [PMID: 36279424 PMCID: PMC9659343 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121092119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals migrate in response to seasonal environments, to reproduce, to benefit from resource pulses, or to avoid fluctuating hazards. Although climate change is predicted to modify migration, only a few studies to date have demonstrated phenological shifts in marine mammals. In the Arctic, marine mammals are considered among the most sensitive to ongoing climate change due to their narrow habitat preferences and long life spans. Longevity may prove an obstacle for species to evolutionarily respond. For species that exhibit high site fidelity and strong associations with migration routes, adjusting the timing of migration is one of the few recourses available to respond to a changing climate. Here, we demonstrate evidence of significant delays in the timing of narwhal autumn migrations with satellite tracking data spanning 21 y from the Canadian Arctic. Measures of migration phenology varied annually and were explained by sex and climate drivers associated with ice conditions, suggesting that narwhals are adopting strategic migration tactics. Male narwhals were found to lead the migration out of the summering areas, while females, potentially with dependent young, departed later. Narwhals are remaining longer in their summer areas at a rate of 10 d per decade, a similar rate to that observed for climate-driven sea ice loss across the region. The consequences of altered space use and timing have yet to be evaluated but will expose individuals to increasing natural changes and anthropogenic activities on the summering areas.
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8
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Oestreich WK, Aiu KM, Crowder LB, McKenna MF, Berdahl AM, Abrahms B. The influence of social cues on timing of animal migrations. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1617-1625. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01866-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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9
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Sandoval Lambert M, Sawyer H, Merkle JA. Responses to natural gas development differ by season for two migratory ungulates. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2652. [PMID: 35543078 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
While migrating, animals make directionally persistent movements and may only respond to human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC), such as climate and land-use change, once a threshold of HIREC is surpassed. In contrast, animals on other seasonal ranges (e.g., winter range) make more localized and tortuous movements while foraging and may have the flexibility to adjust the location of their range and the intensity of use within it to minimize interactions with HIREC. Because of these seasonal differences in movement, animals on seasonal ranges should avoid areas that contain any level of HIREC, however, during migration, animals should use areas that contain low levels of HIREC, avoiding it only once a threshold of HIREC has been surpassed. We tested this hypothesis using a decade of GPS collar data collected from migratory mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus; n = 56 migration, 143 winter) and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana; n = 70 migration, 89 winter) that winter on and migrate through a natural gas field in western Wyoming. Using surface disturbance caused by well pads and roads as an index of HIREC, we evaluated behavioral responses across three spatial scales during winter and migration seasons. During migration, both species tolerated low levels of disturbance. Once a disturbance threshold was surpassed, however, they avoided HIREC. For mule deer, thresholds were consistently ~3%, whereas thresholds for pronghorn ranged from 1% to 9.25% surface disturbance. In contrast to migration, both species generally avoided all levels of HIREC while on winter range. Our study suggests that animal responses to HIREC are mediated by season-specific movement patterns. Our results provide further evidence of ungulates avoiding human disturbance on winter range and reveal disturbance thresholds that trigger mule deer and pronghorn responses during migration: information that managers can use to maintain the ecological function of migration routes and winter ranges.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hall Sawyer
- Western Ecosystems Technology Inc., Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | - Jerod A Merkle
- Zoology and Physiology Department, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
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10
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Theng M, Milleret C, Bracis C, Cassey P, Delean S. Confronting spatial capture-recapture models with realistic animal movement simulations. Ecology 2022; 103:e3676. [PMID: 35253209 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models have emerged as a robust method to estimate the population density of mobile animals. However, model evaluation has generally been based on data simulated from simplified representations of animal space use. Here, we generated data from animal movement simulated from a mechanistic individual-based model, in which movement emerges from the individual's response to a changing environment (i.e., from the bottom-up), driven by key ecological processes (e.g., resource memory and territoriality). We drew individual detection data from simulated movement trajectories and fitted detection data sets to a basic, resource selection and transience SCR model, as well as their variants accounting for resource-driven heterogeneity in density and detectability. Across all SCR models, abundance estimates were robust to multiple, but low-degree violations of the specified movement processes (e.g., resource selection). SCR models also successfully captured the positive effect of resource quality on density. However, covariate models failed to capture the finer scale effect of resource quality on detectability and space use, which may be a consequence of the low temporal resolution of SCR data sets and/or model misspecification. We show that home-range size is challenging to infer from the scale parameter alone, compounded by reliance on conventional measures of "true" home-range size that are highly sensitive to sampling regime. Additionally, we found the transience model challenging to fit, probably due to data sparsity and violation of the assumption of normally distributed inter-occasion movement of activity centers, suggesting that further development of the model is required for general applicability. Our results showed that further integration of complex movement into SCR models may not be necessary for population estimates of abundance when the level of individual heterogeneity induced by the underlying movement process is low, but appears warranted in terms of accurately revealing finer scale patterns of ecological and movement processes. Further investigation into whether this holds true in populations with other types of realistic movement characteristics is merited. Our study provides a framework to generate realistic SCR data sets to develop and evaluate more complex movement processes in SCR models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meryl Theng
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Cyril Milleret
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Chloe Bracis
- TIMC / MAGE, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Phillip Cassey
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Steven Delean
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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11
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Fagan WF, Saborio C, Hoffman TD, Gurarie E, Cantrell RS, Cosner C. What’s in a resource gradient? Comparing alternative cues for foraging in dynamic environments via movement, perception, and memory. THEOR ECOL-NETH 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12080-022-00542-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
AbstractConsumers must track and acquire resources in complex landscapes. Much discussion has focused on the concept of a ‘resource gradient’ and the mechanisms by which consumers can take advantage of such gradients as they navigate their landscapes in search of resources. However, the concept of tracking resource gradients means different things in different contexts. Here, we take a synthetic approach and consider six different definitions of what it means to search for resources based on density or gradients in density. These include scenarios where consumers change their movement behavior based on the density of conspecifics, on the density of resources, and on spatial or temporal gradients in resources. We also consider scenarios involving non-local perception and a form of memory. Using a continuous space, continuous time model that allows consumers to switch between resource-tracking and random motion, we investigate the relative performance of these six different strategies. Consumers’ success in matching the spatiotemporal distributions of their resources differs starkly across the six scenarios. Movement strategies based on perception and response to temporal (rather than spatial) resource gradients afforded consumers with the best opportunities to match resource distributions. All scenarios would allow for optimization of resource-matching in terms of the underlying parameters, providing opportunities for evolutionary adaptation, and links back to classical studies of foraging ecology.
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12
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Robb BS, Merkle JA, Sawyer H, Beck JL, Kauffman MJ. Nowhere to run: semi‐permeable barriers affect pronghorn space use. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin S. Robb
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming Laramie WY 82071 USA
| | - Jerod A. Merkle
- Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming Laramie WY 82071 USA
| | - Hall Sawyer
- Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc. Laramie WY 82071 USA
| | - Jeffrey L. Beck
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management University of Wyoming Laramie WY 82071 USA
| | - Matthew J. Kauffman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming Laramie WY 82071 USA
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13
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Gicquel M, East ML, Hofer H, Cubaynes S, Benhaiem S. Climate change does not decouple interactions between a central‐place‐foraging predator and its migratory prey. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Gicquel
- Department of Ecological Dynamics Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Marion L. East
- Department of Ecological Dynamics Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
| | - Heribert Hofer
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
- Department of Veterinary Medicine Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Sarah Cubaynes
- CEFE Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE‐PSL University, IRD, University Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
| | - Sarah Benhaiem
- Department of Ecological Dynamics Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
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14
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Watkins B, de Guinea M, Poindexter SA, Ganzhorn JU, Donati G, Eppley TM. Routes matter: the effect of seasonality on bamboo lemur navigational strategies. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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15
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Gurarie E, Bracis C, Brilliantova A, Kojola I, Suutarinen J, Ovaskainen O, Potluri S, Fagan WF. Spatial Memory Drives Foraging Strategies of Wolves, but in Highly Individual Ways. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.768478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of wild animals to navigate and survive in complex and dynamic environments depends on their ability to store relevant information and place it in a spatial context. Despite the centrality of spatial memory, and given our increasing ability to observe animal movements in the wild, it is perhaps surprising how difficult it is to demonstrate spatial memory empirically. We present a cognitive analysis of movements of several wolves (Canis lupus) in Finland during a summer period of intensive hunting and den-centered pup-rearing. We tracked several wolves in the field by visiting nearly all GPS locations outside the den, allowing us to identify the species, location and timing of nearly all prey killed. We then developed a model that assigns a spatially explicit value based on memory of predation success and territorial marking. The framework allows for estimation of multiple cognitive parameters, including temporal and spatial scales of memory. For most wolves, fitted memory-based models outperformed null models by 20 to 50% at predicting locations where wolves chose to forage. However, there was a high amount of individual variability among wolves in strength and even direction of responses to experiences. Some wolves tended to return to locations with recent predation success—following a strategy of foraging site fidelity—while others appeared to prefer a site switching strategy. These differences are possibly explained by variability in pack sizes, numbers of pups, and features of the territories. Our analysis points toward concrete strategies for incorporating spatial memory in the study of animal movements while providing nuanced insights into the behavioral strategies of individual predators.
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16
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Berger DJ, German DW, John C, Hart R, Stephenson TR, Avgar T. Seeing Is Be-Leaving: Perception Informs Migratory Decisions in Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae). Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.742275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Seasonal migration is a behavioral response to predictable variation in environmental resources, risks, and conditions. In behaviorally plastic migrants, migration is a conditional strategy that depends, in part, on an individual’s informational state. The cognitive processes that underlie how facultative migrants understand and respond to their environment are not well understood. We compared perception of the present environment to memory and omniscience as competing cognitive mechanisms driving altitudinal migratory decisions in an endangered ungulate, the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae) using 1,298 animal years of data, encompassing 460 unique individuals. We built a suite of statistical models to partition variation in fall migratory status explained by cognitive predictors, while controlling for non-cognitive drivers. To approximate attribute memory, we included lagged attributes of the range an individual experienced in the previous year. We quantified perception by limiting an individual’s knowledge of migratory range to the area and attributes visible from its summer range, prior to migrating. Our results show that perception, in addition to the migratory propensity of an individual’s social group, and an individual’s migratory history are the best predictors of migration in our system. Our findings suggest that short-distance altitudinal migration is, in part, a response to an individual’s perception of conditions on alterative winter range. In long-distance partial migrants, exploration of migratory decision-making has been limited, but it is unlikely that migratory decisions would be based on sensory cues from a remote target range. Differing cognitive mechanisms underpinning short and long-distance migratory decisions will result in differing levels of behavioral plasticity in response to global climate change and anthropogenic disturbance, with important implications for management and conservation of migratory species.
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Valentini G, Pavlic TP, Walker SI, Pratt SC, Biro D, Sasaki T. Naïve individuals promote collective exploration in homing pigeons. eLife 2021; 10:e68653. [PMID: 34928230 PMCID: PMC8687659 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Group-living animals that rely on stable foraging or migratory routes can develop behavioural traditions to pass route information down to inexperienced individuals. Striking a balance between exploitation of social information and exploration for better alternatives is essential to prevent the spread of maladaptive traditions. We investigated this balance during cumulative route development in the homing pigeon Columba livia. We quantified information transfer within pairs of birds in a transmission-chain experiment and determined how birds with different levels of experience contributed to the exploration-exploitation trade-off. Newly introduced naïve individuals were initially more likely to initiate exploration than experienced birds, but the pair soon settled into a pattern of alternating leadership with both birds contributing equally. Experimental pairs showed an oscillating pattern of exploration over generations that might facilitate the discovery of more efficient routes. Our results introduce a new perspective on the roles of leadership and information pooling in the context of collective learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Valentini
- Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Tempe, United States
- Arizona State University, School of Life Sciences, Tempe, United States
| | - Theodore P Pavlic
- Arizona State University, School of Life Sciences, Tempe, United States
- Arizona State University, Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Tempe, United States
- Arizona State University, School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Tempe, United States
- Arizona State University, School of Sustainability, Athens, United States
- Arizona State University, School of Complex Adaptive Systems, Tempe, United States
- Arizona State University, ASU-SFI Center for Biosocial Complex Systems, Tempe, United States
| | - Sara Imari Walker
- Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Tempe, United States
- Arizona State University, School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Tempe, United States
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, United States
| | - Stephen C Pratt
- Arizona State University, Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Tempe, United States
| | - Dora Biro
- University of Oxford, Department of Zoology, Oxford, United States
- University of Rochester, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Rochester, United States
| | - Takao Sasaki
- University of Georgia, Odum School of Ecology, Athens, United States
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18
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de Vries R, Boesveldt S, de Vet E. Locating calories: Does the high-calorie bias in human spatial memory influence how we navigate the modern food environment? Food Qual Prefer 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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19
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Passoni G, Coulson T, Ranc N, Corradini A, Hewison AJM, Ciuti S, Gehr B, Heurich M, Brieger F, Sandfort R, Mysterud A, Balkenhol N, Cagnacci F. Roads constrain movement across behavioural processes in a partially migratory ungulate. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2021; 9:57. [PMID: 34774097 PMCID: PMC8590235 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-021-00292-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human disturbance alters animal movement globally and infrastructure, such as roads, can act as physical barriers that impact behaviour across multiple spatial scales. In ungulates, roads can particularly hamper key ecological processes such as dispersal and migration, which ensure functional connectivity among populations, and may be particularly important for population performance in highly human-dominated landscapes. The impact of roads on some aspects of ungulate behaviour has already been studied. However, potential differences in response to roads during migration, dispersal and home range movements have never been evaluated. Addressing these issues is particularly important to assess the resistance of European landscapes to the range of wildlife movement processes, and to evaluate how animals adjust to anthropogenic constraints. METHODS We analysed 95 GPS trajectories from 6 populations of European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) across the Alps and central Europe. We investigated how roe deer movements were affected by landscape characteristics, including roads, and we evaluated potential differences in road avoidance among resident, migratory and dispersing animals (hereafter, movement modes). First, using Net Squared Displacement and a spatio-temporal clustering algorithm, we classified individuals as residents, migrants or dispersers. We then identified the start and end dates of the migration and dispersal trajectories, and retained only the GPS locations that fell between those dates (i.e., during transience). Finally, we used the resulting trajectories to perform an integrated step selection analysis. RESULTS We found that roe deer moved through more forested areas during the day and visited less forested areas at night. They also minimised elevation gains and losses along their movement trajectories. Road crossings were strongly avoided at all times of day, but when they occurred, they were more likely to occur during longer steps and in more forested areas. Road avoidance did not vary among movement modes and, during dispersal and migration, it remained high and consistent with that expressed during home range movements. CONCLUSIONS Roads can represent a major constraint to movement across modes and populations, potentially limiting functional connectivity at multiple ecological scales. In particular, they can affect migrating individuals that track seasonal resources, and dispersing animals searching for novel ranges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gioele Passoni
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Zoology Research and Administration Building, 11a Mansfield Rd, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK.
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre (CRI), Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via Edmund Mach 1, 38010, San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy.
| | - Tim Coulson
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Zoology Research and Administration Building, 11a Mansfield Rd, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Nathan Ranc
- Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, 95064, USA
| | - Andrea Corradini
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre (CRI), Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via Edmund Mach 1, 38010, San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering (DICAM), University of Trento, via Mesiano 77, 38123, Trento, TN, Italy
- Stelvio National Park, Via De Simoni 42, 23032, Bormio, SO, Italy
| | - A J Mark Hewison
- INRAE, CEFS, Université de Toulouse, 31326, Castanet-Tolosan, France
- LTSER ZA Pyrénées Garonne, 31320, Auzeville Tolosane, France
| | - Simone Ciuti
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, University College Dublin, Belfield, D4, Ireland
| | - Benedikt Gehr
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marco Heurich
- Department of Visitor Management and National Park Monitoring, Bavarian Forest National Park, Freyunger Straße 2, 94481, Grafenau, Germany
- Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Straße 4, 79106, Freiburg, Germany
- Institute for Forest and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Science, 2480, Koppang, Norway
| | - Falko Brieger
- Wildlife Institute, Forest Research Institute Baden-Wuerttemberg, Wonnhaldestraße 4, 79100, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Robin Sandfort
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Gregor-Mendel Straße 33, 1180, Vienna, Austria
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1066, 0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - Niko Balkenhol
- Wildlife Sciences, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 3, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre (CRI), Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via Edmund Mach 1, 38010, San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy
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20
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Thompson PR, Derocher AE, Edwards MA, Lewis MA. Detecting seasonal episodic‐like spatio‐temporal memory patterns using animal movement modelling. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter R. Thompson
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
| | - Andrew E. Derocher
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
| | - Mark A. Edwards
- Mammalogy Department Royal Alberta Museum Edmonton AB Canada
- Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
| | - Mark A. Lewis
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
- Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
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21
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Kauffman MJ, Aikens EO, Esmaeili S, Kaczensky P, Middleton A, Monteith KL, Morrison TA, Mueller T, Sawyer H, Goheen JR. Causes, Consequences, and Conservation of Ungulate Migration. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND SYSTEMATICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-012021-011516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Our understanding of ungulate migration is advancing rapidly due to innovations in modern animal tracking. Herein, we review and synthesize nearly seven decades of work on migration and other long-distance movements of wild ungulates. Although it has long been appreciated that ungulates migrate to enhance access to forage, recent contributions demonstrate that their movements are fine tuned to dynamic landscapes where forage, snow, and drought change seasonally. Researchers are beginning to understand how ungulates navigate migrations, with the emerging view that animals blend gradient tracking with spatial memory, some of which is socially learned. Although migration often promotes abundant populations—with broad effects on ecosystems—many migrations around the world have been lost or are currently threatened by habitat fragmentation, climate change, and barriers to movement. Fortunately, new efforts that use empirical tracking data to map migrations in detail are facilitating effective conservation measures to maintain ungulate migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Kauffman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA
| | - Ellen O. Aikens
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Saeideh Esmaeili
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA
- Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA
| | - Petra Kaczensky
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences (INN), NO-2480 Koppang, Norway
- University of Veterinary Sciences Vienna, Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, A-1160 Vienna, Austria
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Arthur Middleton
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California 94709, USA
| | - Kevin L. Monteith
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82072, USA
| | - Thomas A. Morrison
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health, and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Mueller
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Hall Sawyer
- Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc., Laramie, Wyoming 82072, USA
| | - Jacob R. Goheen
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA
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22
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Cameron MD, Eisaguirre JM, Breed GA, Joly K, Kielland K. Mechanistic movement models identify continuously updated autumn migration cues in Arctic caribou. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2021; 9:54. [PMID: 34724991 PMCID: PMC8559358 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-021-00288-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Migrations in temperate systems typically have two migratory phases, spring and autumn, and many migratory ungulates track the pulse of spring vegetation growth during a synchronized spring migration. In contrast, autumn migrations are generally less synchronous and the cues driving them remain understudied. Our goal was to identify the cues that migrants use in deciding when to initiate migration and how this is updated while en route. METHODS We analyzed autumn migrations of Arctic barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus) as a series of persistent and directional movements and assessed the influence of a suite of environmental factors. We fitted a dynamic-parameter movement model at the individual-level and estimated annual population-level parameters for weather covariates on 389 individual-seasons across 9 years. RESULTS Our results revealed strong, consistent effects of decreasing temperature and increasing snow depth on migratory movements, indicating that caribou continuously update their migratory decision based on dynamic environmental conditions. This suggests that individuals pace migration along gradients of these environmental variables. Whereas temperature and snow appeared to be the most consistent cues for migration, we also found interannual variability in the effect of wind, NDVI, and barometric pressure. The dispersed distribution of individuals in autumn resulted in diverse environmental conditions experienced by individual caribou and thus pronounced variability in migratory patterns. CONCLUSIONS By analyzing autumn migration as a continuous process across the entire migration period, we found that caribou migration was largely related to temperature and snow conditions experienced throughout the journey. This mechanism of pacing autumn migration based on indicators of the approaching winter is analogous to the more widely researched mechanism of spring migration, when many migrants pace migration with a resource wave. Such a similarity in mechanisms highlights the different environmental stimuli to which migrants have adapted their movements throughout their annual cycle. These insights have implications for how long-distance migratory patterns may change as the Arctic climate continues to warm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D. Cameron
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2090 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775 USA
- Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Arctic Inventory and Monitoring Network, National Park Service, 4175 Geist Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709 USA
| | - Joseph M. Eisaguirre
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2140 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775 USA
- Present Address: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals Management, 1011 E. Tudor Rd., Anchorage, AK 99503 USA
| | - Greg A. Breed
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2090 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775 USA
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2140 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775 USA
| | - Kyle Joly
- Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Arctic Inventory and Monitoring Network, National Park Service, 4175 Geist Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709 USA
| | - Knut Kielland
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2090 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775 USA
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2140 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775 USA
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23
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Bracis C, Wirsing AJ. Prey Foraging Behavior After Predator Introduction Is Driven by Resource Knowledge and Exploratory Tendency. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.698370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Predator reintroductions are often used as a means of restoring the ecosystem services that these species can provide. The ecosystem consequences of predator reintroduction depend on how prey species respond. Yet, to date, we lack a general framework for predicting these responses. To address this knowledge gap, we modeled the impacts of predator reintroduction on foragers as a function of predator characteristics (habitat domain; i.e., area threatened) and prey characteristics (knowledge of alternative habitat and exploratory tendency). Foraging prey had the capacity to both remember and return to good habitat and to remember and avoid predators. In general, we found that forager search time increased and consumption decreased after predator introduction. However, predator habitat domain played a key role in determining how much prey habitat use changed following reintroduction, and the forager's knowledge of alternative habitats and exploratory inclinations affected what types of habitat shifts occurred. Namely, habitat shifts and consumption sacrifices by prey were extreme in some cases, particularly when they were pushed far from their starting locations by broad-domain predators, whereas informed foragers spent less time searching and displayed smaller reductions to consumption than their naïve counterparts following predator exposure. More exploratory foragers exhibited larger habitat shifts, thereby sacrificing consumption but reducing encounters by relocating to refugia, whereas less exploratory foragers managed risk in place and consequently suffered increased encounters while consuming more resources. By implication, reintroductions of predators with broad habitat domains are especially likely to impose foraging and movements costs on prey, but forager spatial memory state can mitigate these effects, as informed foragers can better access alternate habitat and avoid predators with smaller reductions in consumption.
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24
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Gurarie E, Potluri S, Cosner GC, Cantrell RS, Fagan WF. Memories of Migrations Past: Sociality and Cognition in Dynamic, Seasonal Environments. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.742920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Seasonal migrations are a widespread and broadly successful strategy for animals to exploit periodic and localized resources over large spatial scales. It remains an open and largely case-specific question whether long-distance migrations are resilient to environmental disruptions. High levels of mobility suggest an ability to shift ranges that can confer resilience. On the other hand, a conservative, hard-wired commitment to a risky behavior can be costly if conditions change. Mechanisms that contribute to migration include identification and responsiveness to resources, sociality, and cognitive processes such as spatial memory and learning. Our goal was to explore the extent to which these factors interact not only to maintain a migratory behavior but also to provide resilience against environmental changes. We develop a diffusion-advection model of animal movement in which an endogenous migratory behavior is modified by recent experiences via a memory process, and animals have a social swarming-like behavior over a range of spatial scales. We found that this relatively simple framework was able to adapt to a stable, seasonal resource dynamic under a broad range of parameter values. Furthermore, the model was able to acquire an adaptive migration behavior with time. However, the resilience of the process depended on all the parameters under consideration, with many complex trade-offs. For example, the spatial scale of sociality needed to be large enough to capture changes in the resource, but not so large that the acquired collective information was overly diluted. A long-term reference memory was important for hedging against a highly stochastic process, but a higher weighting of more recent memory was needed for adapting to directional changes in resource phenology. Our model provides a general and versatile framework for exploring the interaction of memory, movement, social and resource dynamics, even as environmental conditions globally are undergoing rapid change.
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25
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Togunov RR, Derocher AE, Lunn NJ, Auger‐Méthé M. Characterising menotactic behaviours in movement data using hidden Markov models. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ron R. Togunov
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries The University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
- Department of Zoology The University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Andrew E. Derocher
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
| | - Nicholas J. Lunn
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
- Wildlife Research Division, Science and Technology Branch Environment and Climate Change Canada Edmonton AB Canada
| | - Marie Auger‐Méthé
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries The University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
- Department of Statistics University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
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26
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Falcón-Cortés A, Boyer D, Merrill E, Frair JL, Morales JM. Hierarchical, Memory-Based Movement Models for Translocated Elk (Cervus canadensis). Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.702925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of spatial memory is well-documented in many animal species and has been shown to be critical for the emergence of spatial learning. Adaptive behaviors based on learning can emerge thanks to an interdependence between the acquisition of information over time and movement decisions. The study of how spatio-ecological knowledge is constructed throughout the life of an individual has not been carried out in a quantitative and comprehensive way, hindered by the lack of knowledge of the information an animal already has of its environment at the time monitoring begins. Identifying how animals use memory to make beneficial decisions is fundamental to developing a general theory of animal movement and space use. Here we propose several mobility models based on memory and perform hierarchical Bayesian inference on 11-month trajectories of 21 elk after they were released in a completely new environment. Almost all the observed animals exhibited preferential returns to previously visited patches, such that memory and random exploration phases occurred. Memory decay was mild or negligible over the study period. The fact that individual elk rapidly become used to a relatively small number of patches was consistent with the hypothesis that they seek places with predictable resources and reduced mortality risks such as predation.
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de Guinea M, Estrada A, Nekaris KAI, Van Belle S. Cognitive maps in the wild: revealing the use of metric information in black howler monkey route navigation. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:271801. [PMID: 34384101 PMCID: PMC8380465 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
When navigating, wild animals rely on internal representations of the external world – called ‘cognitive maps’ – to take movement decisions. Generally, flexible navigation is hypothesized to be supported by sophisticated spatial skills (i.e. Euclidean cognitive maps); however, constrained movements along habitual routes are the most commonly reported navigation strategy. Even though incorporating metric information (i.e. distances and angles between locations) in route-based cognitive maps would likely enhance an animal's navigation efficiency, there has been no evidence of this strategy reported for non-human animals to date. Here, we examined the properties of the cognitive map used by a wild population of primates by testing a series of cognitive hypotheses against spatially explicit movement simulations. We collected 3104 h of ranging and behavioural data on five groups of black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) at Palenque National Park, Mexico, from September 2016 through August 2017. We simulated correlated random walks mimicking the ranging behaviour of the study subjects and tested for differences between observed and simulated movement patterns. Our results indicated that black howler monkeys engaged in constrained movement patterns characterized by a high path recursion tendency, which limited their capacity to travel in straight lines and approach feeding trees from multiple directions. In addition, we found that the structure of observed route networks was more complex and efficient than simulated route networks, suggesting that black howler monkeys incorporate metric information into their cognitive map. Our findings not only expand the use of metric information during route navigation to non-human animals, but also highlight the importance of considering efficient route-based navigation as a cognitively demanding mechanism. Highlighted Article: Black howler monkeys rely on route-based cognitive maps, which constrain their movement decisions, but likely incorporate metric information to navigate more efficiently along frequently used routes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel de Guinea
- School of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK.,Movement Ecology Lab, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Alejandro Estrada
- Institute of Biology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, CP 04510 Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Sarie Van Belle
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Rheault H, Anderson CR, Bonar M, Marrotte RR, Ross TR, Wittemyer G, Northrup JM. Some Memories Never Fade: Inferring Multi-Scale Memory Effects on Habitat Selection of a Migratory Ungulate Using Step-Selection Functions. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.702818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how animals use information about their environment to make movement decisions underpins our ability to explain drivers of and predict animal movement. Memory is the cognitive process that allows species to store information about experienced landscapes, however, remains an understudied topic in movement ecology. By studying how species select for familiar locations, visited recently and in the past, we can gain insight to how they store and use local information in multiple memory types. In this study, we analyzed the movements of a migratory mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) population in the Piceance Basin of Colorado, United States to investigate the influence of spatial experience over different time scales on seasonal range habitat selection. We inferred the influence of short and long-term memory from the contribution to habitat selection of previous space use within the same season and during the prior year, respectively. We fit step-selection functions to GPS collar data from 32 female deer and tested the predictive ability of covariates representing current environmental conditions and both metrics of previous space use on habitat selection, inferring the latter as the influence of memory within and between seasons (summer vs. winter). Across individuals, models incorporating covariates representing both recent and past experience and environmental covariates performed best. In the top model, locations that had been previously visited within the same season and locations from previous seasons were more strongly selected relative to environmental covariates, which we interpret as evidence for the strong influence of both short- and long-term memory in driving seasonal range habitat selection. Further, the influence of previous space uses was stronger in the summer relative to winter, which is when deer in this population demonstrated strongest philopatry to their range. Our results suggest that mule deer update their seasonal range cognitive map in real time and retain long-term information about seasonal ranges, which supports the existing theory that memory is a mechanism leading to emergent space-use patterns such as site fidelity. Lastly, these findings provide novel insight into how species store and use information over different time scales.
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Lewis MA, Fagan WF, Auger-Méthé M, Frair J, Fryxell JM, Gros C, Gurarie E, Healy SD, Merkle JA. Learning and Animal Movement. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.681704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Integrating diverse concepts from animal behavior, movement ecology, and machine learning, we develop an overview of the ecology of learning and animal movement. Learning-based movement is clearly relevant to ecological problems, but the subject is rooted firmly in psychology, including a distinct terminology. We contrast this psychological origin of learning with the task-oriented perspective on learning that has emerged from the field of machine learning. We review conceptual frameworks that characterize the role of learning in movement, discuss emerging trends, and summarize recent developments in the analysis of movement data. We also discuss the relative advantages of different modeling approaches for exploring the learning-movement interface. We explore in depth how individual and social modalities of learning can matter to the ecology of animal movement, and highlight how diverse kinds of field studies, ranging from translocation efforts to manipulative experiments, can provide critical insight into the learning process in animal movement.
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Zubiria Perez A, Bone C, Stenhouse G. Simulating multi-scale movement decision-making and learning in a large carnivore using agent-based modelling. Ecol Modell 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2021.109568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Roshier DA, Signer J, Carter A. Visitation of artificial watering points by the red fox ( Vulpes vulpes) in semiarid Australia. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:9815-9826. [PMID: 34306664 PMCID: PMC8293723 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) now occupies most of the Australian continent outside the tropics, including arid and semiarid ecosystems. Information on the water requirements of foxes is scant, but free water is not thought to be required if adequate moisture-containing food is available. The frequency and duration of visits by foxes fitted with GPS collars to known artificial watering points in semiarid Australia were recorded for 22 individual foxes across four austral seasons between October 2015 and November 2017, providing >93,000 location fixes. We modeled home range and the distance traveled by range-resident foxes beyond their home range to reach known water sources. We used recurse analysis to determine the frequency of visitation and step-selection functions to model the speed and directionality of movement inside and outside the home range. Our study demonstrates that some foxes in this semiarid environment utilize free-standing water. The findings suggest that artificial watering points can be used as a focal point for conducting strategic fox control in arid and semiarid environments. Additionally, strategies that restrict access to water by foxes may reduce their duration of occupancy and/or long-term abundance in parts of the landscape, thus providing benefits for conservation and agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Roshier
- Australian Wildlife ConservancySubiaco EastWAAustralia
- School of Animal and Veterinary ScienceUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideSAAustralia
| | - Johannes Signer
- Wildlife SciencesFaculty of Forest Science and Forest EcologyUniversity of GoettingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Andrew Carter
- Australian Wildlife ConservancySubiaco EastWAAustralia
- Institute for Land, Water and SocietyCharles Sturt UniversityAlburyNSWAustralia
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Janmaat KRL, de Guinea M, Collet J, Byrne RW, Robira B, van Loon E, Jang H, Biro D, Ramos-Fernández G, Ross C, Presotto A, Allritz M, Alavi S, Van Belle S. Using natural travel paths to infer and compare primate cognition in the wild. iScience 2021; 24:102343. [PMID: 33997670 PMCID: PMC8101046 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Within comparative psychology, the evolution of animal cognition is typically studied either by comparing indirect measures of cognitive abilities (e.g., relative brain size) across many species or by conducting batteries of decision-making experiments among (typically) a few captive species. Here, we propose a third, complementary approach: inferring and comparing cognitive abilities through observational field records of natural information gradients and the associated variation in decision-making outcomes, using the ranging behavior of wild animals. To demonstrate the feasibility of our proposal, we present the results of a global survey assessing the availability of long-term ranging data sets from wild primates and the willingness of primatologists to share such data. We explore three ways in which such ranging data, with or without the associated behavioral and ecological data often collected by primatologists, might be used to infer and compare spatial cognition. Finally, we suggest how ecological complexity may be best incorporated into comparative analyses. Comparing animal ranging decisions in natural habitats has untapped potential How decisions vary with natural information gradients reveals wild animal cognition Ranging data on at least 164 populations of 105 wild primate species are available We present three thought analyses to compare cognition and explain its evolution
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Affiliation(s)
- Karline R L Janmaat
- Evolutionary and Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.,ARTIS Amsterdam Royal zoo, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Miguel de Guinea
- Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Julien Collet
- Oxford Navigation Group, Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
| | - Richard W Byrne
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrew, UK.,Scottish Primate Research Group, Scotland, UK
| | - Benjamin Robira
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,Eco-anthropologie, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Emiel van Loon
- Theoretical and Computational Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Haneul Jang
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dora Biro
- Oxford Navigation Group, Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, USA
| | - Gabriel Ramos-Fernández
- Department of Mathematical Modelling of Social Systems, Institute for Research on Applied Mathematics and Systems, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.,Center for Complexity Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Cody Ross
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Andrea Presotto
- Department of Geography and Geosciences, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MA, USA
| | - Matthias Allritz
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK
| | - Shauhin Alavi
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Konstanz, Germany.,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Sarie Van Belle
- Department of Anthropology, University of Austin at Texas, Austin, TX, USA
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34
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Rodgers PA, Sawyer H, Mong TW, Stephens S, Kauffman MJ. Sex‐specific migratory behaviors in a temperate ungulate. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick A. Rodgers
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming Laramie Wyoming82071USA
| | - Hall Sawyer
- Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc. 1610 Reynolds Street Laramie Wyoming82072USA
| | - Tony W. Mong
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department Cody Regional Office 2820 State Highway 120 Cody Wyoming82414USA
| | - Sam Stephens
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department Cheyenne Wyoming82009USA
| | - Matthew J. Kauffman
- U.S. Geological Survey Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming Laramie Wyoming82071USA
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35
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de Guinea M, Estrada A, Janmaat KR, Nekaris KAI, Van Belle S. Disentangling the importance of social and ecological information in goal-directed movements in a wild primate. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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36
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Xu W, Barker K, Shawler A, Van Scoyoc A, Smith JA, Mueller T, Sawyer H, Andreozzi C, Bidder OR, Karandikar H, Mumme S, Templin E, Middleton AD. The plasticity of ungulate migration in a changing world. Ecology 2021; 102:e03293. [PMID: 33554353 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Migratory ungulates are thought to be declining globally because their dependence on large landscapes renders them highly vulnerable to environmental change. Yet recent studies reveal that many ungulate species can adjust their migration propensity in response to changing environmental conditions to potentially improve population persistence. In addition to the question of whether to migrate, decisions of where and when to migrate appear equally fundamental to individual migration tactics, but these three dimensions of plasticity have rarely been explored together. Here, we expand the concept of migratory plasticity beyond individual switches in migration propensity to also include spatial and temporal adjustments to migration patterns. We develop a novel typological framework that delineates every potential change type within the three dimensions, then use this framework to guide a literature review. We discuss broad patterns in migratory plasticity, potential drivers of migration change, and research gaps in the current understanding of this trait. Our result reveals 127 migration change events in direct response to natural and human-induced environmental changes across 27 ungulate species. Species that appeared in multiple studies showed multiple types of change, with some exhibiting the full spectrum of migratory plasticity. This result highlights that multidimensional migratory plasticity is pervasive in ungulates, even as the manifestation of plasticity varies case by case. However, studies thus far have rarely been able to determine the fitness outcomes of different types of migration change, likely due to the scarcity of long-term individual-based demographic monitoring as well as measurements encompassing a full behavioral continuum and environmental gradient for any given species. Recognizing and documenting the full spectrum of migratory plasticity marks the first step for the field of migration ecology to employ quantitative methods, such as reaction norms, to predict migration change along environmental gradients. Closer monitoring for changes in migratory propensity, routes, and timing may improve the efficacy of conservation strategies and management actions in a rapidly changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Xu
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA
| | - Kristin Barker
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA
| | - Avery Shawler
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA
| | - Amy Van Scoyoc
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA
| | - Justine A Smith
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, 95616, USA
| | - Thomas Mueller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, Frankfurt (Main), 60438, Germany.,Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt, 60325, Germany
| | - Hall Sawyer
- Western Ecosystems Technology, 1610 Reynolds Street, Laramie, Wyoming, 82072, USA
| | - Chelsea Andreozzi
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA
| | - Owen R Bidder
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA
| | - Harshad Karandikar
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA
| | - Steffen Mumme
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA.,Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", University of Rome La Sapienza, Viale dell'Università 32, Rome, 00185, Italy.,Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige (TN), 38010, Italy
| | - Elizabeth Templin
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA
| | - Arthur D Middleton
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA
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37
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Cameron MD, Joly K, Breed GA, Mulder CPH, Kielland K. Pronounced Fidelity and Selection for Average Conditions of Calving Area Suggestive of Spatial Memory in a Highly Migratory Ungulate. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.564567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A distinguishing characteristic of many migratory animals is their annual return to distinct calving (birthing) areas in the spring, yet the navigational mechanisms employed during migration that result in this pattern are poorly understood. Effective conservation of these species requires reliable delineation of such areas, quantifying the factors that influence their selection, and understanding the underlying mechanisms resulting in use of calving areas. We used barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti) as a study species and identified calving sites of the Western Arctic Herd in Alaska using GPS collar data from 2010–2017. We assessed variability in calving areas by comparing spatial delineations across all combinations of years. To understand calving area selection at a landscape scale, we performed a resource selection analysis comparing calving sites to available locations across the herd’s range and incorporated time-varying, remotely sensed metrics of vegetation quality and quantity. We found that whereas calving areas varied from year to year, this annual variation was centered on an area of recurring attraction consistent with previous studies covering the last six decades. Calving sites were characterized by high-quality forage at the average time of calving, but not peak calving that year, and by a narrow range of distinct physiographic factors. Each year, calving sites were located on areas of above-average conditions based on our predictive model. Our findings indicate that the pattern of spring migration for pregnant females was to migrate to areas that consistently provide high-quality forage when averaged across years, and then upon arriving at this calving ground, refine selection using their perception of annually varying conditions that are driven by environmental stochasticity. We suggest that the well-documented and widespread pattern of fidelity to calving grounds by caribou is supportive of a navigational mechanism based on spatial memory at a broad scale to optimize foraging and energy acquisition at a critical life-history stage. The extent to which migrants depend on memory to reach their spring destinations has implications for the adaptability of populations to changing climate and human impacts.
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38
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Lin HY, Fagan WF, Jabin PE. Memory-driven movement model for periodic migrations. J Theor Biol 2020; 508:110486. [PMID: 32941915 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2020.110486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We propose a model for memory-based movement of an individual. The dynamics are modeled by a stochastic differential equation, coupled with an eikonal equation, whose potential depends on the individual's memory and perception. Under a simple periodic environment, we discover that both long and short-term memory with appropriate time scales are essential for producing expected periodic migrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsin-Yi Lin
- Center for Scientific Computation and Mathematical Modeling (CSCAMM) and Department of Mathematics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States.
| | - William F Fagan
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States.
| | - Pierre-Emmanuel Jabin
- Center for Scientific Computation and Mathematical Modeling (CSCAMM) and Department of Mathematics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States.
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39
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Teitelbaum CS, Altizer S, Hall RJ. Movement rules determine nomadic species' responses to resource supplementation and degradation. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2644-2656. [PMID: 32783225 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In environments that vary unpredictably, many animals are nomadic, moving in an irregular pattern that differs from year to year. Exploring the mechanisms of nomadic movement is needed to understand how animals survive in highly variable environments, and to predict behavioural and population responses to environmental change. We developed a network model to identify plausible mechanisms of nomadic animal movement by comparing the performance of multiple movement rules along a continuum from nomadism to residency. Using simulations and analytical results, we explored how different types of habitat modifications (that augment or decrease resource availability) might affect the abundance and movement rates of animals following each of these rules. Movement rules for which departure from patches depended on resource availability and/or competition performed almost equally well and better than residency or uninformed movement under most conditions, even though animals using each rule moved at substantially different rates. Habitat modifications that stabilized resources, either by resource supplementation or degradation, eroded the benefits of informed nomadic movements, particularly for movements based on resource availability alone. These results suggest that simple movement rules can explain nomadic animal movements and determine species' responses to environmental change. In particular, landscape stabilization and supplementation might be useful strategies for promoting populations of resident animals, but would be less beneficial for managing highly mobile species, many of which are threatened by habitat disruption and changes in climate.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sonia Altizer
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Richard J Hall
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.,Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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40
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Fagan WF, Gurarie E. Spatial Ecology: Herbivores and Green Waves — To Surf or Hang Loose? Curr Biol 2020; 30:R991-R993. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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41
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Kok EMA, Hogan JA, Piersma T. Experimental tests of a seasonally changing visual preference for habitat in a long‐distance migratory shorebird. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Eva M. A. Kok
- Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University Den Burg The Netherlands
- Conservation Ecology Group Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Jerry A. Hogan
- Department of Psychology University of Toronto Toronto ON Canada
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University Den Burg The Netherlands
- Conservation Ecology Group Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
- Rudi Drent Chair in Global Flyway Ecology Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
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42
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Szesciorka AR, Ballance LT, Širović A, Rice A, Ohman MD, Hildebrand JA, Franks PJS. Timing is everything: Drivers of interannual variability in blue whale migration. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7710. [PMID: 32382054 PMCID: PMC7206123 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64855-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Blue whales need to time their migration from their breeding grounds to their feeding grounds to avoid missing peak prey abundances, but the cues they use for this are unknown. We examine migration timing (inferred from the local onset and cessation of blue whale calls recorded on seafloor-mounted hydrophones), environmental conditions (e.g., sea surface temperature anomalies and chlorophyll a), and prey (spring krill biomass from annual net tow surveys) during a 10 year period (2008-2017) in waters of the Southern California Region where blue whales feed in the summer. Colder sea surface temperature anomalies the previous season were correlated with greater krill biomass the following year, and earlier arrival by blue whales. Our results demonstrate a plastic response of blue whales to interannual variability and the importance of krill as a driving force behind migration timing. A decadal-scale increase in temperature due to climate change has led to blue whales extending their overall time in Southern California. By the end of our 10-year study, whales were arriving at the feeding grounds more than one month earlier, while their departure date did not change. Conservation strategies will need to account for increased anthropogenic threats resulting from longer times at the feeding grounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela R Szesciorka
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, US.
| | - Lisa T Ballance
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, US.,Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries Service, 8901 La Jolla Shores Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037, US.,Oregon State University, Marine Mammal Institute, 2030 SE Marine Science Dr., Newport, Oregon, 97365, US
| | - Ana Širović
- Texas A&M University at Galveston, 200 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston, TX, 77554, US
| | - Ally Rice
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, US
| | - Mark D Ohman
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, US
| | - John A Hildebrand
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, US
| | - Peter J S Franks
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, US
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43
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Bauer S, McNamara JM, Barta Z. Environmental variability, reliability of information and the timing of migration. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200622. [PMID: 32370679 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The timing of migration and migratory steps is highly relevant for fitness. Because environmental conditions vary between years, the optimal time for migration varies accordingly. Therefore, migratory animals could clearly benefit from acquiring information as to when it is the best time to migrate in a specific year. Thus, environmental predictability and variability are fundamental characteristics of migration systems but their relationship and consequence for migratory progression has remained unexplored. We develop a simple dynamic model to identify the optimal migration behaviour in environments that differ in predictability, variability and the number of intermediate stop-over sites. Our results indicate that higher predictability along migration routes enables organisms to better time migration when phenology deviates from its long-term average and thus, increases fitness. Information is particularly valuable in highly variable environments and in the final migration-step, i.e. before the destination. Furthermore, we show that a general strategy for obtaining information in relatively uninformative but variable environments is using intermediate stop-over sites that enable migrants to better predict conditions ahead. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between animal movement and environmental predictability-an important, yet underappreciated factor that strongly influences migratory progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke Bauer
- Department of Bird Migration, Swiss Ornithological Institute, 6204 Sempach, Switzerland
| | - John M McNamara
- School of Mathematics, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK
| | - Zoltan Barta
- MTA-DE Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem ter 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
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44
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Weeber J, Hempson GP, February EC. Large herbivore conservation in a changing world: Surface water provision and adaptability allow wildebeest to persist after collapse of long-range movements. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:2841-2853. [PMID: 32069369 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Large herbivores, particularly wide-ranging species, are extensively impacted by land use transformation and other anthropogenic barriers to movement. The adaptability of a species is, therefore, crucial to determining whether populations can persist in ever smaller subsets of their historical home ranges. Access to water, by drinking or from forage moisture, is an essential requirement, and surface water provision is thus a long-established, although controversial, conservation practice. In the arid Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP), South Africa, surface water provision in the 1930s facilitated the establishment of a sedentary wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) population in a region historically accessed only in the wet season, via now collapsed long-distance movements. Here, we investigate the behaviour and diet of this wildebeest population, and how these relate to water in the landscape, to better understand the process of transitioning from a mobile to sedentary population. Data from 26 monthly surveys reveal that wildebeest distributions are shaped by water availability and salinity, shade, forage, season and possibly predator detectability. Areas with saline or no water are used predominantly in the wet season when forage moisture is high. Wet season movements beyond the study area mean the timing of wildebeest grazing in these regions matches historical timing. Grass utilization field data suggest that the KTP grazer population experiences forage deficits during the dry season, when ~80% of grass tufts are grazed and C:N and crude protein levels decline. Nonetheless, dung isotope data show that wildebeest meet their crude protein intake requirements during the dry season, likely by consuming unprecedentedly high levels of browse (>33%). While restoring the full historical range and movements of most large herbivore populations is not possible, these findings highlight that understanding the behavioural and dietary adaptability of a species can augment 'next best' efforts to conserve viable populations while home ranges contract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Weeber
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Gareth P Hempson
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), Ndlovu Node, Phalaborwa Gate, South Africa
| | - Edmund C February
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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45
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LaBarge LR, Allan AT, Berman CM, Margulis SW, Hill RA. Reactive and pre-emptive spatial cohesion in a social primate. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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46
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Lidgard DC, Bowen WD, Iverson SJ. Sex-differences in fine-scale home-range use in an upper-trophic level marine predator. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2020; 8:11. [PMID: 32082578 PMCID: PMC7020581 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-020-0196-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The distribution of prey in the ocean is spatially and temporally patchy. How predators respond to this prey patchiness may have consequences on their foraging success, and thus physical condition. The recent ability to record fine-scale movements of marine animals combined with novel home-range analyses that incorporate the dimension of time should permit a better understanding of how individuals utilise different regions of space and the consequences on their foraging success. METHODS Over a six-year study, we used T-LoCoH (Time-Local Convex Hull) home-range software to model archival GPS (Global Positioning System) data from 81 grey seals to investigate the fine-scale spatio-temporal use of space and the distribution of apparent foraging effort. Regions of home-ranges were classified according to the frequency of return visits (site fidelity) and duration of visits (intensity of use). Generalized linear mixed -effects models were used to test hypotheses on seasonal changes in foraging distribution and behaviour and the role of space-use and state on determining foraging success. RESULTS Male grey seals had larger home-ranges and core areas than females, and both sexes showed a contraction in home-range and core area in fall leading up to the breeding season compared with summer. Heavier individuals had smaller core areas than lighter ones, suggesting access to higher quality habitat might be limited to those individuals with greater foraging experience and competitive ability. The size of the home-range or core area was not an important predictor of the rate of mass gain. A fine-scale spatio-temporal analysis of habitat use within the home-range provided evidence of intra-annual site fidelity at presumed foraging locations, suggesting predictably in prey distribution. Neither sex nor season were useful predictors for classifying behaviour. Rather, individual identity explained much of the variation in fine-scale behaviour. CONCLUSIONS Understanding how upper-trophic level marine predators use space provides opportunities to explore the consequences of variation in foraging tactics and their success on fitness. Having knowledge of the drivers that shape this intraspecific variation can contribute toward predicting how these predators may respond to both natural and man-made environmental forcing.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. C. Lidgard
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, B3H 4J1, Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada
- Population Ecology Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4A2 Canada
| | - W. D. Bowen
- Population Ecology Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4A2 Canada
| | - S. J. Iverson
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, B3H 4J1, Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada
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Gurarie E, Hebblewhite M, Joly K, Kelly AP, Adamczewski J, Davidson SC, Davison T, Gunn A, Suitor MJ, Fagan WF, Boelman N. Tactical departures and strategic arrivals: Divergent effects of climate and weather on caribou spring migrations. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Eliezer Gurarie
- Department of Biology University of Maryland College Park Maryland 20742 USA
- Wildlife Biology Program Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation University of Montana Missoula Montana 59812 USA
| | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Wildlife Biology Program Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation University of Montana Missoula Montana 59812 USA
| | - Kyle Joly
- National Park Service Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve Arctic Inventory and Monitoring Network Fairbanks Alaska 99709 USA
| | - Allicia P. Kelly
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources Government of the Northwest Territories Fort Smith Northwest Territories Canada
| | - Jan Adamczewski
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources Government of the Northwest Territories Yellowknife Northwest Territories Canada
| | - Sarah C. Davidson
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Am Obstberg 1 Radolfzell 78315 Germany
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio 43210 USA
| | - Tracy Davison
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources Government of the Northwest Territories Inuvik Northwest Territories Canada
| | - Anne Gunn
- Circumarctic Rangifer Monitoring and Assessment Network (CARMA) Salt Spring Island British Columbia V8K 1V1 Canada
| | - Michael J. Suitor
- Fish and Wildlife Branch Environment Yukon, Yukon Government Dawson City Yukon Canada
| | - William F. Fagan
- Department of Biology University of Maryland College Park Maryland 20742 USA
| | - Natalie Boelman
- Lamont‐Doherty Earth Observatory Columbia University Palisades New York 10964 USA
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48
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Environmental Predictability as a Cause and Consequence of Animal Movement. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 35:163-174. [PMID: 31699411 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The impacts of environmental predictability on the ecology and evolution of animal movement have been the subject of vigorous speculation for several decades. Recently, the swell of new biologging technologies has further stimulated their investigation. This advancing research frontier, however, still lacks conceptual unification and has so far focused little on converse effects. Populations of moving animals have ubiquitous effects on processes such as nutrient cycling and seed dispersal and may therefore shape patterns of environmental predictability. Here, we synthesise the main strands of the literature on the feedbacks between environmental predictability and animal movement and discuss how they may react to anthropogenic disruption, leading to unexpected threats for wildlife and the environment.
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49
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Jakopak RP, LaSharr TN, Dwinnell SPH, Fralick GL, Monteith KL. Rapid acquisition of memory in a complex landscape by a mule deer. Ecology 2019; 100:e02854. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rhiannon P. Jakopak
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Wyoming 804 E. Fremont Street Laramie Wyoming 82072 USA
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming 1000 E. University Avenue Laramie Wyoming 82071 USA
| | - Tayler N. LaSharr
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming 1000 E. University Avenue Laramie Wyoming 82071 USA
| | - Samantha P. H. Dwinnell
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Wyoming 804 E. Fremont Street Laramie Wyoming 82072 USA
| | - Gary L. Fralick
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department P.O. Box 1022 Thayne Wyoming 83127 USA
| | - Kevin L. Monteith
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Wyoming 804 E. Fremont Street Laramie Wyoming 82072 USA
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming 1000 E. University Avenue Laramie Wyoming 82071 USA
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50
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Environmental Differences between Migratory and Resident Ungulates—Predicting Movement Strategies in Rocky Mountain Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) with Remotely Sensed Plant Phenology, Snow, and Land Cover. REMOTE SENSING 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/rs11171980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Migration is a valuable life history strategy for many species because it enables individuals to exploit spatially and temporally variable resources. Globally, the prevalence of species’ migratory behavior is decreasing as individuals forgo migration to remain resident year-round, an effect hypothesized to result from anthropogenic changes to landscape dynamics. Efforts to conserve and restore migrations require an understanding of the ecological characteristics driving the behavioral tradeoff between migration and residence. We identified migratory and resident behaviors of 42 mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) based on GPS locations and correlated their locations to remotely sensed indicators of forage quality, land cover, snow cover, and human land use. The model classified mule deer seasonal migratory and resident niches with an overall accuracy of 97.8% and cross-validated accuracy of 81.2%. The distance to development was the most important variable in discriminating in which environments these behaviors occur, with resident niche space most often closer to developed areas than migratory niches. Additionally, snow cover in December was important for discriminating summer migratory niches. This approach demonstrates the utility of niche analysis based on remotely sensed environmental datasets and provides empirical evidence of human land use impacts on large-scale wildlife migrations.
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