1
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Liao CC, Magrath RD, Manser MB, Farine DR. The relative contribution of acoustic signals versus movement cues in group coordination and collective decision-making. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230184. [PMID: 38768199 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
To benefit from group living, individuals need to maintain cohesion and coordinate their activities. Effective communication thus becomes critical, facilitating rapid coordination of behaviours and reducing consensus costs when group members have differing needs and information. In many bird and mammal species, collective decisions rely on acoustic signals in some contexts but on movement cues in others. Yet, to date, there is no clear conceptual framework that predicts when decisions should evolve to be based on acoustic signals versus movement cues. Here, we first review how acoustic signals and movement cues are used for coordinating activities. We then outline how information masking, discrimination ability (Weber's Law) and encoding limitations, as well as trade-offs between these, can identify which types of collective behaviours likely rely on acoustic signals or movement cues. Specifically, our framework proposes that behaviours involving the timing of events or expression of specific actions should rely more on acoustic signals, whereas decisions involving complex choices with multiple options (e.g. direction and destination) should generally use movement cues because sounds are more vulnerable to information masking and Weber's Law effects. We then discuss potential future avenues of enquiry, including multimodal communication and collective decision-making by mixed-species animal groups. This article is part of the theme issue 'The power of sound: unravelling how acoustic communication shapes group dynamic'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Chieh Liao
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University , Canberra, ACT , 2600, Australia
| | - Robert D Magrath
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University , Canberra, ACT , 2600, Australia
| | - Marta B Manser
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich , Zürich , 8057, Switzerland
| | - Damien R Farine
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University , Canberra, ACT , 2600, Australia
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich , Zürich , 8057, Switzerland
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior , Radolfzell , 78315, Germany
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2
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Oestreich WK, Oliver RY, Chapman MS, Go M, McKenna MF. Listening to animal behavior to understand changing ecosystems. Trends Ecol Evol 2024:S0169-5347(24)00145-9. [PMID: 38972787 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Interpreting sound gives powerful insight into the health of ecosystems. Beyond detecting the presence of wildlife, bioacoustic signals can reveal their behavior. However, behavioral bioacoustic information is underused because identifying the function and context of animals' sounds remains challenging. A growing acoustic toolbox is allowing researchers to begin decoding bioacoustic signals by linking individual and population-level sensing. Yet, studies integrating acoustic tools for behavioral insight across levels of biological organization remain scarce. We aim to catalyze the emerging field of behavioral bioacoustics by synthesizing recent successes and rising analytical, logistical, and ethical challenges. Because behavior typically represents animals' first response to environmental change, we posit that behavioral bioacoustics will provide theoretical and applied insights into animals' adaptations to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ruth Y Oliver
- Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Melissa S Chapman
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Madeline Go
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, USA
| | - Megan F McKenna
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
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3
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Kao AB, Banerjee SC, Francisco FA, Berdahl AM. Timing decisions as the next frontier for collective intelligence. Trends Ecol Evol 2024:S0169-5347(24)00141-1. [PMID: 38964933 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
The past decade has witnessed a growing interest in collective decision making, particularly the idea that groups can make more accurate decisions compared with individuals. However, nearly all research to date has focused on spatial decisions (e.g., food patches). Here, we highlight the equally important, but severely understudied, realm of temporal collective decision making (i.e., decisions about when to perform an action). We illustrate differences between temporal and spatial decisions, including the irreversibility of time, cost asymmetries, the speed-accuracy tradeoff, and game theoretic dynamics. Given these fundamental differences, temporal collective decision making likely requires different mechanisms to generate collective intelligence. Research focused on temporal decisions should lead to an expanded understanding of the adaptiveness and constraints of living in groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert B Kao
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA.
| | | | - Fritz A Francisco
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA.
| | - Andrew M Berdahl
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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4
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Dodson S, Oestreich WK, Savoca MS, Hazen EL, Bograd SJ, Ryan JP, Fiechter J, Abrahms B. Long-distance communication can enable collective migration in a dynamic seascape. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14857. [PMID: 38937635 PMCID: PMC11211507 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65827-2] [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: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Social information is predicted to enhance the quality of animals' migratory decisions in dynamic ecosystems, but the relative benefits of social information in the long-range movements of marine megafauna are unknown. In particular, whether and how migrants use nonlocal information gained through social communication at the large spatial scale of oceanic ecosystems remains unclear. Here we test hypotheses about the cues underlying timing of blue whales' breeding migration in the Northeast Pacific via individual-based models parameterized by empirical behavioral data. Comparing emergent patterns from individual-based models to individual and population-level empirical metrics of migration timing, we find that individual whales likely rely on both personal and social sources of information about forage availability in deciding when to depart from their vast and dynamic foraging habitat and initiate breeding migration. Empirical patterns of migratory phenology can only be reproduced by models in which individuals use long-distance social information about conspecifics' behavioral state, which is known to be encoded in the patterning of their widely propagating songs. Further, social communication improves pre-migration seasonal foraging performance by over 60% relative to asocial movement mechanisms. Our results suggest that long-range communication enhances the perceptual ranges of migrating whales beyond that of any individual, resulting in increased foraging performance and more collective migration timing. These findings indicate the value of nonlocal social information in an oceanic migrant and suggest the importance of long-distance acoustic communication in the collective migration of wide-ranging marine megafauna.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Dodson
- Department of Mathematics, Colby College, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA.
| | | | - Matthew S Savoca
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, USA
| | - Elliott L Hazen
- Environmental Research Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Monterey, CA, 93940, USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Steven J Bograd
- Environmental Research Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Monterey, CA, 93940, USA
| | - John P Ryan
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, 95039, USA
| | - Jerome Fiechter
- Department of Ocean Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Briana Abrahms
- Department of Biology, Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
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5
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Mozzi G, Nyqvist D, Ashraf MU, Comoglio C, Domenici P, Schumann S, Manes C. The interplay of group size and flow velocity modulates fish exploratory behaviour. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13186. [PMID: 38851769 PMCID: PMC11162439 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63975-z] [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: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Social facilitation is a well-known phenomenon where the presence of organisms belonging to the same species enhances an individual organism's performance in a specific task. As far as fishes are concerned, most studies on social facilitation have been conducted in standing-water conditions. However, for riverine species, fish are most commonly located in moving waters, and the effects of hydrodynamics on social facilitation remain largely unknown. To bridge this knowledge gap, we designed and performed flume experiments where the behaviour of wild juvenile Italian riffle dace (Telestes muticellus) in varying group sizes and at different mean flow velocities, was studied. An artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning algorithm was developed and employed to track fish positions in time and subsequently assess their exploration, swimming activity, and space use. Results indicate that energy-saving strategies dictated space use in flowing waters regardless of group size. Instead, exploration and swimming activity increased by increasing group size, but the magnitude of this enhancement (which quantifies social facilitation) was modulated by flow velocity. These results have implications for how future research efforts should be designed to understand the social dynamics of riverine fish populations, which can no longer ignore the contribution of hydrodynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloria Mozzi
- Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy.
| | - Daniel Nyqvist
- Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Muhammad Usama Ashraf
- Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Claudio Comoglio
- Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Paolo Domenici
- IBF-CNR Pisa, Institute of Biophysics, Pisa, Italy
- Institute for the study of anthropic impact and sustainability in the marine environment, IAS-CNR Oristano, Oristano, Italy
| | | | - Costantino Manes
- Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
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Pot MT, Visser ME, Helm B, von Rönn JAC, van der Jeugd HP. Revisiting Perdeck's massive avian migration experiments debunks alternative social interpretations. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20240217. [PMID: 38955225 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2024.0217] [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: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Whether avian migrants can adapt to their changing world depends on the relative importance of genetic and environmental variation for the timing and direction of migration. In the classic series of field experiments on avian migration, A. C. Perdeck discovered that translocated juveniles failed to reach goal areas, whereas translocated adults performed 'true-goal navigation'. His translocations of > 14 000 common starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) suggested that genetic mechanisms guide juveniles into a population-specific direction, i.e. 'vector navigation'. However, alternative explanations involving social learning after release in juveniles could not be excluded. By adding historical data from translocation sites, data that was unavailable in Perdeck's days, and by integrated analyses including the original data, we could not explain juvenile migrations from possible social information upon release. Despite their highly social behaviour, our findings are consistent with the idea that juvenile starlings follow inherited information and independently reach their winter quarters. Similar to more solitarily migrating songbirds, starlings would require genetic change to adjust the migration route in response to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morrison T Pot
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Vogeltrekstation - Dutch Centre for Avian Migration and Demography, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Barbara Helm
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | | | - Henk P van der Jeugd
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Vogeltrekstation - Dutch Centre for Avian Migration and Demography, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
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7
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García-Vernet R, Rita D, Bérubé M, Elgueta-Serra J, Pascual Guasch M, Víkingsson G, Ruiz-Sagalés M, Borrell A, Aguilar A. Order within chaos: potential migratory strategies and individual associations in fin whales feeding off Iceland. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:36. [PMID: 38725038 PMCID: PMC11080271 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00474-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The life cycle of most baleen whales involves annual migrations from low-latitude breeding grounds to high latitude feeding grounds. In most species, these migrations are traditionally considered to be carried out according to information acquired through vertical social learning during the first months of life and made individually. However, some recent studies have suggested a more complex scenario, particularly for the species of the Balaenoptera genus. METHODS Here, we studied the variation of δ15N and δ13C values along the growth axis of the baleen plate from 24 fin whales feeding off western Iceland to delve into their pattern of movements and to identify potential associations between individuals. The segment of baleen plate analyzed informed about at least two complete migratory cycles. We performed cluster analyses through two different methodologies and, whenever possible, we genotyped 20 microsatellite loci to determine potential existence of kinship. RESULTS Results of the of δ15N and δ13C values agree with a dispersion strategy in the winter breeding grounds. However, and despite the overall large variability, several pairs or groups of individuals with no kinship showed highly similar isotopic patterns for two consecutive years for both δ15N and δ13C values. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that, notably, some whales without kinship share the same migratory regime and destinations. We hypothesize that this could reflect either: (i) the sharing of particularly beneficial migratory regimes, and/or (ii) long-term association between individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel García-Vernet
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Diego Rita
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Martine Bérubé
- Marine Evolution and Conservation, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen, 9747 AG, The Netherlands
- Center for Coastal Studies, 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown, MA, 02657, USA
| | - Julia Elgueta-Serra
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Marina Pascual Guasch
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Gísli Víkingsson
- Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, PO Box 1390, Fornubúðum 5, 220, Hafnarfjörður, Iceland
| | - Marc Ruiz-Sagalés
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Asunción Borrell
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Alex Aguilar
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain.
- Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona (RACAB), La Rambla 115, Barcelona, 08001, Spain.
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8
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Duque Londono C, Cones SF, Deng J, Wu J, Yuk H, Guza DE, Mooney TA, Zhao X. Bioadhesive interface for marine sensors on diverse soft fragile species. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2958. [PMID: 38627374 PMCID: PMC11021473 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46833-4] [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: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Marine animals equipped with sensors provide vital information for understanding their ecophysiology and collect oceanographic data on climate change and for resource management. Existing methods for attaching sensors to marine animals mostly rely on invasive physical anchors, suction cups, and rigid glues. These methods can suffer from limitations, particularly for adhering to soft fragile marine species such as squid and jellyfish, including slow complex operations, unreliable fixation, tissue trauma, and behavior changes of the animals. However, soft fragile marine species constitute a significant portion of ocean biomass (>38.3 teragrams of carbon) and global commercial fisheries. Here we introduce a soft hydrogel-based bioadhesive interface for marine sensors that can provide rapid (time <22 s), robust (interfacial toughness >160 J m-2), and non-invasive adhesion on various marine animals. Reliable and rapid adhesion enables large-scale, multi-animal sensor deployments to study biomechanics, collective behaviors, interspecific interactions, and concurrent multi-species activity. These findings provide a promising method to expand a burgeoning research field of marine bio-sensing from large marine mammals and fishes to small, soft, and fragile marine animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo Duque Londono
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Seth F Cones
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science & Engineering, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Jue Deng
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Academy for Engineering and Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Jingjing Wu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Hyunwoo Yuk
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- SanaHeal Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David E Guza
- Applied Engineering Solutions LLC, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - T Aran Mooney
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA.
| | - Xuanhe Zhao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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9
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Comte L, Bertrand R, Diamond S, Lancaster LT, Pinsky ML, Scheffers BR, Baecher JA, Bandara RMWJ, Chen IC, Lawlor JA, Moore NA, Oliveira BF, Murienne J, Rolland J, Rubenstein MA, Sunday J, Thompson LM, Villalobos F, Weiskopf SR, Lenoir J. Bringing traits back into the equation: A roadmap to understand species redistribution. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17271. [PMID: 38613240 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Ecological and evolutionary theories have proposed that species traits should be important in mediating species responses to contemporary climate change; yet, empirical evidence has so far provided mixed evidence for the role of behavioral, life history, or ecological characteristics in facilitating or hindering species range shifts. As such, the utility of trait-based approaches to predict species redistribution under climate change has been called into question. We develop the perspective, supported by evidence, that trait variation, if used carefully can have high potential utility, but that past analyses have in many cases failed to identify an explanatory value for traits by not fully embracing the complexity of species range shifts. First, we discuss the relevant theory linking species traits to range shift processes at the leading (expansion) and trailing (contraction) edges of species distributions and highlight the need to clarify the mechanistic basis of trait-based approaches. Second, we provide a brief overview of range shift-trait studies and identify new opportunities for trait integration that consider range-specific processes and intraspecific variability. Third, we explore the circumstances under which environmental and biotic context dependencies are likely to affect our ability to identify the contribution of species traits to range shift processes. Finally, we propose that revealing the role of traits in shaping species redistribution may likely require accounting for methodological variation arising from the range shift estimation process as well as addressing existing functional, geographical, and phylogenetic biases. We provide a series of considerations for more effectively integrating traits as well as extrinsic and methodological factors into species redistribution research. Together, these analytical approaches promise stronger mechanistic and predictive understanding that can help society mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change on biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lise Comte
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA
- Conservation Science Partners, Inc., Truckee, California, USA
| | - Romain Bertrand
- Centre de Recherche sur la Biodiversité et l'Environnement (CRBE UMR5300), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Sarah Diamond
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Malin L Pinsky
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Brett R Scheffers
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - J Alex Baecher
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - R M W J Bandara
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - I-Ching Chen
- Department of Life Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Jake A Lawlor
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nikki A Moore
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Brunno F Oliveira
- Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversité (FRB), Centre de Synthèse et d'Analyse sur la Biodiversité (CESAB), Montpellier, France
| | - Jerome Murienne
- Centre de Recherche sur la Biodiversité et l'Environnement (CRBE UMR5300), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Jonathan Rolland
- Centre de Recherche sur la Biodiversité et l'Environnement (CRBE UMR5300), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Madeleine A Rubenstein
- U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Adaptation Science Center, Reston, Virginia, USA
| | - Jennifer Sunday
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Laura M Thompson
- U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Adaptation Science Center, Reston, Virginia, USA
- School of Natural Resources, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Fabricio Villalobos
- Red de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología A.C. - INECOL, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Sarah R Weiskopf
- U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Adaptation Science Center, Reston, Virginia, USA
| | - Jonathan Lenoir
- UMR CNRS 7058, Ecologie et Dynamique Des Systèmes Anthropisés (EDYSAN), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
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10
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Johnston ST, Painter KJ. Avoidance, confusion or solitude? Modelling how noise pollution affects whale migration. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:17. [PMID: 38374001 PMCID: PMC10875784 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00458-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Many baleen whales are renowned for their acoustic communication. Under pristine conditions, this communication can plausibly occur across hundreds of kilometres. Frequent vocalisations may allow a dispersed migrating group to maintain contact, and therefore benefit from improved navigation via the "wisdom of the crowd". Human activities have considerably inflated ocean noise levels. Here we develop a data-driven mathematical model to investigate how ambient noise levels may inhibit whale migration. Mathematical models allow us to simultaneously simulate collective whale migration behaviour, auditory cue detection, and noise propagation. Rising ambient noise levels are hypothesised to influence navigation through three mechanisms: (i) diminished communication space; (ii) reduced ability to hear external sound cues and; (iii) triggering noise avoidance behaviour. Comparing pristine and current soundscapes, we observe navigation impairment that ranges from mild (increased journey time) to extreme (failed navigation). Notably, the three mechanisms induce qualitatively different impacts on migration behaviour. We demonstrate the model's potential predictive power, exploring the extent to which migration may be altered under future shipping and construction scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart T Johnston
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
| | - Kevin J Painter
- Dipartimento Interateneo di Scienze, Progetto e Politiche del Territorio (DIST), Politecnico di Torino, 39, 10125, Turin, Italy
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11
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Rosenbaum SW, May SA, Shedd KR, Cunningham CJ, Peterson RL, Elliot BW, McPhee MV. Reliability of trans-generational genetic mark-recapture (tGMR) for enumerating Pacific salmon. Evol Appl 2024; 17:e13647. [PMID: 38333554 PMCID: PMC10848877 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
As Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) decline across much of their range, it is imperative to further develop minimally invasive tools to quantify population abundance. One such advancement, trans-generational genetic mark-recapture (tGMR), uses parentage analysis to estimate the size of wild populations. Our study examined the precision and accuracy of tGMR through a comparison to a traditional mark-recapture estimate for Chilkat River Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) in Southeast Alaska. We examined how adult sampling location and timing impact tGMR by comparing estimates derived using samples collected in the lower river mainstem to those using samples obtained in upriver spawning tributaries. Results indicated that tGMR estimates using a representative sample of mainstem adults were most concordant with, and 3% more precise than, the traditional mark-recapture estimate for this stock. Importantly, the timing and location of adult sampling were found to impact abundance estimates, depending on what proportion of the population dies or moves to unsampled areas between downriver and upriver sampling events. Additionally, we identified potential sources of bias in tGMR arising from violations of key assumptions using a novel individual-based modeling framework, parameterized with empirical values from the Chilkat River. Simulations demonstrated that increased reproductive success and sampling selectivity of older, larger individuals, introduced negative bias into tGMR estimates. Our individual-based model offers a customizable and accessible method to identify and quantify these biases in tGMR applications (https://github.com/swrosenbaum/tGMR_simulations). We underscore the critical role of system-specific sampling design considerations in ensuring the precision and accuracy of tGMR projects. This study validates tGMR as a potentially useful tool for improved population enumeration in semelparous species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel W. Rosenbaum
- College of Fisheries and Ocean SciencesUniversity of Alaska FairbanksJuneauAlaskaUSA
| | - Samuel A. May
- College of Fisheries and Ocean SciencesUniversity of Alaska FairbanksJuneauAlaskaUSA
| | | | - Curry J. Cunningham
- College of Fisheries and Ocean SciencesUniversity of Alaska FairbanksJuneauAlaskaUSA
| | | | | | - Megan V. McPhee
- College of Fisheries and Ocean SciencesUniversity of Alaska FairbanksJuneauAlaskaUSA
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12
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Fricker BA, Ho D, Seifert AW, Kelly AM. Biased brain and behavioral responses towards kin in males of a communally breeding species. Sci Rep 2023; 13:17040. [PMID: 37813903 PMCID: PMC10562393 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44257-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
In complex social environments, individuals may interact with not only novel and familiar conspecifics but also kin and non-kin. The ability to distinguish between conspecific identities is crucial for most animals, yet how the brain processes conspecific type and how animals may alter behavior accordingly is not well known. We examined whether the communally breeding spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) responds differently to conspecifics that vary in novelty and kinship. In a group interaction test, we found that males can distinguish novel kin from novel non-kin, and preferentially spend time with novel kin over familiar kin and novel non-kin. To determine whether kinship and novelty status are differentially represented in the brain, we conducted immediate early gene tests, which revealed the dorsal, but not ventral, lateral septum differentially processes kinship. Neither region differentially processes social novelty. Further, males did not exhibit differences in prosocial behavior toward novel and familiar conspecifics but exhibited more prosocial behavior with novel kin than novel non-kin. These results suggest that communally breeding species may have evolved specialized neural circuitry to facilitate a bias to be more affiliative with kin, regardless of whether they are novel or familiar, potentially to promote prosocial behaviors, thereby facilitating group cohesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon A Fricker
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Deborah Ho
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Ashley W Seifert
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, 101 Morgan Building, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA
| | - Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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13
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Hodgson TM, Johnston ST, Ottobre M, Painter KJ. Intent matters: how flow and forms of information impact collective navigation. J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20230356. [PMID: 37817582 PMCID: PMC10565391 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2023.0356] [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: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The phenomenon of collective navigation has received considerable interest in recent years. A common line of thinking, backed by theoretical studies, is that collective navigation can improve navigation efficiency through the 'many-wrongs' principle, whereby individual error is reduced by comparing the headings of neighbours. When navigation takes place in a flowing environment, each individual's trajectory is influenced by drift. Consequently, a potential discrepancy emerges between an individual's intended heading and its actual heading. In this study, we develop a theoretical model to explore whether collective navigation benefits are altered according to the form of heading information transmitted between neighbours. Navigation based on each individual's intended heading is found to confer robust advantages across a wide spectrum of flows, via both a marked improvement in migration times and a capacity for a group to overcome flows unnavigable by solitary individuals. Navigation based on individual's actual headings is far less effective, only offering an improvement under highly favourable currents. For many currents, sharing actual heading information can even lead to journey times that exceed those of individual navigators.
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Affiliation(s)
- T. M. Hodgson
- Maxwell Institute for Mathematical Sciences and Mathematics Department, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK
| | - S. T. Johnston
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - M. Ottobre
- Maxwell Institute for Mathematical Sciences and Mathematics Department, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - K. J. Painter
- DIST, Politecnico di Torino, Viale Pier Andrea Mattioli 39, 10125 Torino, Italy
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14
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Hawkins RD, Berdahl AM, Pentland A'S, Tenenbaum JB, Goodman ND, Krafft PM. Flexible social inference facilitates targeted social learning when rewards are not observable. Nat Hum Behav 2023; 7:1767-1776. [PMID: 37591983 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01682-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Groups coordinate more effectively when individuals are able to learn from others' successes. But acquiring such knowledge is not always easy, especially in real-world environments where success is hidden from public view. We suggest that social inference capacities may help bridge this gap, allowing individuals to update their beliefs about others' underlying knowledge and success from observable trajectories of behaviour. We compared our social inference model against simpler heuristics in three studies of human behaviour in a collective-sensing task. Experiment 1 demonstrated that average performance improved as a function of group size at a rate greater than predicted by heuristic models. Experiment 2 introduced artificial agents to evaluate how individuals selectively rely on social information. Experiment 3 generalized these findings to a more complex reward landscape. Taken together, our findings provide insight into the relationship between individual social cognition and the flexibility of collective behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D Hawkins
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
| | - Andrew M Berdahl
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | - Noah D Goodman
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - P M Krafft
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Creative Computing Institute, University of Arts London, London, UK
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15
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Russo NJ, Davies AB, Blakey RV, Ordway EM, Smith TB. Feedback loops between 3D vegetation structure and ecological functions of animals. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:1597-1613. [PMID: 37419868 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14272] [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: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystems function in a series of feedback loops that can change or maintain vegetation structure. Vegetation structure influences the ecological niche space available to animals, shaping many aspects of behaviour and reproduction. In turn, animals perform ecological functions that shape vegetation structure. However, most studies concerning three-dimensional vegetation structure and animal ecology consider only a single direction of this relationship. Here, we review these separate lines of research and integrate them into a unified concept that describes a feedback mechanism. We also show how remote sensing and animal tracking technologies are now available at the global scale to describe feedback loops and their consequences for ecosystem functioning. An improved understanding of how animals interact with vegetation structure in feedback loops is needed to conserve ecosystems that face major disruptions in response to climate and land-use change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Russo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Andrew B Davies
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rachel V Blakey
- La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Biological Sciences Department, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California, USA
| | - Elsa M Ordway
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Thomas B Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
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16
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Kao AB, Hund AK, Santos FP, Young JG, Bhat D, Garland J, Oomen RA, McCreery HF. Opposing Responses to Scarcity Emerge from Functionally Unique Sociality Drivers. Am Nat 2023; 202:302-321. [PMID: 37606948 DOI: 10.1086/725426] [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] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
AbstractFrom biofilms to whale pods, organisms across taxa live in groups, thereby accruing numerous diverse benefits of sociality. All social organisms, however, pay the inherent cost of increased resource competition. One expects that when resources become scarce, this cost will increase, causing group sizes to decrease. Indeed, this occurs in some species, but there are also species for which group sizes remain stable or even increase under scarcity. What accounts for these opposing responses? We present a conceptual framework, literature review, and theoretical model demonstrating that differing responses to sudden resource shifts can be explained by which sociality benefit exerts the strongest selection pressure on a particular species. We categorize resource-related benefits of sociality into six functionally distinct classes and model their effect on the survival of individuals foraging in groups under different resource conditions. We find that whether, and to what degree, the optimal group size (or correlates thereof) increases, decreases, or remains constant when resource abundance declines depends strongly on the dominant sociality mechanism. Existing data, although limited, support our model predictions. Overall, we show that across a wide diversity of taxa, differences in how group size shifts in response to resource declines can be driven by differences in the primary benefits of sociality.
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17
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McLaren JD, Schmaljohann H, Blasius B. Gauge-and-compass migration: inherited magnetic headings and signposts can adapt to changing geomagnetic landscapes. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:37. [PMID: 37408064 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00406-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND For many migratory species, inexperienced (naïve) individuals reach remote non-breeding areas independently using one or more inherited compass headings and, potentially, magnetic signposts to gauge where to switch between compass headings. Inherited magnetic-based migration has not yet been assessed as a population-level process, particularly across strong geomagnetic gradients or where long-term geomagnetic shifts (hereafter, secular variation) could create mismatches with magnetic headings. Therefore, it remains unclear whether inherited magnetic headings and signposts could potentially adapt to secular variation under natural selection. METHODS To address these unknowns, we modelled migratory orientation programs using an evolutionary algorithm incorporating global geomagnetic data (1900-2023). Modelled population mixing incorporated both natal dispersal and trans-generational inheritance of magnetic headings and signposts, including intrinsic (stochastic) variability in inheritance. Using the model, we assessed robustness of trans-hemispheric migration of a migratory songbird whose Nearctic breeding grounds have undergone rapid secular variation (mean 34° clockwise drift in declination, 1900-2023), and which travels across strong geomagnetic gradients via Europe to Africa. RESULTS Model-evolved magnetic-signposted migration was overall successful throughout the 124-year period, with 60-90% mean successful arrival across a broad range in plausible precision in compass headings and gauging signposts. Signposted migration reduced trans-Atlantic flight distances and was up to twice as successful compared with non-signposted migration. Magnetic headings shifted plastically in response to the secular variation (mean 16°-17° among orientation programs), whereas signpost latitudes were more constrained (3°-5° mean shifts). This plasticity required intrinsic variability in inheritance (model-evolved σ ≈ 2.6° standard error), preventing clockwise secular drift from causing unsustainable open-ocean flights. CONCLUSIONS Our study supports the potential long-term viability of inherited magnetic migratory headings and signposts, and illustrates more generally how inherited migratory orientation programs can both mediate and constrain evolution of routes, in response to global environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D McLaren
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.
| | - Heiko Schmaljohann
- Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences (IBU), Carl Von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany
- Institute of Avian Research, 26386, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Bernd Blasius
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany
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18
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Papadopoulou M, Fürtbauer I, O'Bryan LR, Garnier S, Georgopoulou DG, Bracken AM, Christensen C, King AJ. Dynamics of collective motion across time and species. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220068. [PMID: 36802781 PMCID: PMC9939269 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Most studies of collective animal behaviour rely on short-term observations, and comparisons of collective behaviour across different species and contexts are rare. We therefore have a limited understanding of intra- and interspecific variation in collective behaviour over time, which is crucial if we are to understand the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape collective behaviour. Here, we study the collective motion of four species: shoals of stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus), flocks of homing pigeons (Columba livia), a herd of goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) and a troop of chacma baboons (Papio ursinus). First, we describe how local patterns (inter-neighbour distances and positions), and group patterns (group shape, speed and polarization) during collective motion differ across each system. Based on these, we place data from each species within a 'swarm space', affording comparisons and generating predictions about the collective motion across species and contexts. We encourage researchers to add their own data to update the 'swarm space' for future comparative work. Second, we investigate intraspecific variation in collective motion over time and provide guidance for researchers on when observations made over different time scales can result in confident inferences regarding species collective motion. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Collective behaviour through time'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Papadopoulou
- Biosciences, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, SA2 8PP Swansea, UK
| | - Ines Fürtbauer
- Biosciences, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, SA2 8PP Swansea, UK
| | - Lisa R. O'Bryan
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Simon Garnier
- Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Dimitra G. Georgopoulou
- Biosciences, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, SA2 8PP Swansea, UK
- Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology & Aquaculture, HCMR, 71500 Hersonissos, Crete, Greece
| | - Anna M. Bracken
- Biosciences, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, SA2 8PP Swansea, UK
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Charlotte Christensen
- Biosciences, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, SA2 8PP Swansea, UK
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Andrew J. King
- Biosciences, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, SA2 8PP Swansea, UK
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19
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Buchinger TJ, Hondorp DW, Krueger CC. Spatiotemporal segregation by migratory phenotype indicates potential for assortative mating in lake sturgeon. Oecologia 2023; 201:953-964. [PMID: 36995424 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05280-y] [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: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Migratory diversity can promote population differentiation if sympatric phenotypes become temporally, spatially, or behaviorally segregated during breeding. In this study, the potential for spatiotemporal segregation was tested among three migratory phenotypes of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) that spawn in the St. Clair River of North America's Laurentian Great Lakes but differ in how often they migrate into the river and in which direction they move after spawning. Acoustic telemetry over 9 years monitored use of two major spawning sites by lake sturgeon that moved north to overwinter in Lake Huron or south to overwinter in Lake St. Clair. Lake St. Clair migrants were further distinguished by whether they migrated into the St. Clair River each year (annual migrants) or intermittently (intermittent migrants). Social network analyses indicated lake sturgeon generally co-occurred with individuals of the same migratory phenotype more often than with different migratory phenotypes. A direct test for differences in space use revealed one site was almost exclusively visited by Lake St. Clair migrants whereas the other site was visited by Lake Huron migrants, intermittent Lake St. Clair migrants, and, to a lesser extent, annual Lake St. Clair migrants. Analysis of arrival and departure dates indicated opportunity for co-occurrence at the site visited by all phenotypes but showed Lake Huron migrants arrived approximately 2 weeks before Lake St. Clair migrants. Taken together, our results indicated partial spatiotemporal segregation of migratory phenotypes that may generate assortative mating and promote population differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler J Buchinger
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
- Great Lakes Science Center, U. S. Geological Survey, 1451 Green Rd., Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA.
| | - Darryl W Hondorp
- Great Lakes Science Center, U. S. Geological Survey, 1451 Green Rd., Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA
| | - Charles C Krueger
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
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20
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Oro D, Alsedà L, Hastings A, Genovart M, Sardanyés J. Social copying drives a tipping point for nonlinear population collapse. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2214055120. [PMID: 36877850 PMCID: PMC10089190 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2214055120] [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: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Sudden changes in populations are ubiquitous in ecological systems, especially under perturbations. The agents of global change may increase the frequency and severity of anthropogenic perturbations, but complex populations' responses hamper our understanding of their dynamics and resilience. Furthermore, the long-term environmental and demographic data required to study those sudden changes are rare. Fitting dynamical models with an artificial intelligence algorithm to population fluctuations over 40 y in a social bird reveals that feedback in dispersal after a cumulative perturbation drives a population collapse. The collapse is well described by a nonlinear function mimicking social copying, whereby dispersal made by a few individuals induces others to leave the patch in a behavioral cascade for decision-making to disperse. Once a threshold for deterioration of the quality of the patch is crossed, there is a tipping point for a social response of runaway dispersal corresponding to social copying feedback. Finally, dispersal decreases at low population densities, which is likely due to the unwillingness of the more philopatric individuals to disperse. In providing the evidence of copying for the emergence of feedback in dispersal in a social organism, our results suggest a broader impact of self-organized collective dispersal in complex population dynamics. This has implications for the theoretical study of population and metapopulation nonlinear dynamics, including population extinction, and managing of endangered and harvested populations of social animals subjected to behavioral feedback loops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Oro
- Theoretical and Computational Ecology Laboratory, Centre d’Estudis Avançats de Blanes, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas,17300Girona, Spain
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA95616
| | - Lluís Alsedà
- Departament de Matemàtiques, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona,08193Bellaterra, Spain
- Centre de Recerca Matemàtica,08193Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Alan Hastings
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA95616
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM87501
| | - Meritxell Genovart
- Theoretical and Computational Ecology Laboratory, Centre d’Estudis Avançats de Blanes, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas,17300Girona, Spain
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21
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Galesic M, Barkoczi D, Berdahl AM, Biro D, Carbone G, Giannoccaro I, Goldstone RL, Gonzalez C, Kandler A, Kao AB, Kendal R, Kline M, Lee E, Massari GF, Mesoudi A, Olsson H, Pescetelli N, Sloman SJ, Smaldino PE, Stein DL. Beyond collective intelligence: Collective adaptation. J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20220736. [PMID: 36946092 PMCID: PMC10031425 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
We develop a conceptual framework for studying collective adaptation in complex socio-cognitive systems, driven by dynamic interactions of social integration strategies, social environments and problem structures. Going beyond searching for 'intelligent' collectives, we integrate research from different disciplines and outline modelling approaches that can be used to begin answering questions such as why collectives sometimes fail to reach seemingly obvious solutions, how they change their strategies and network structures in response to different problems and how we can anticipate and perhaps change future harmful societal trajectories. We discuss the importance of considering path dependence, lack of optimization and collective myopia to understand the sometimes counterintuitive outcomes of collective adaptation. We call for a transdisciplinary, quantitative and societally useful social science that can help us to understand our rapidly changing and ever more complex societies, avoid collective disasters and reach the full potential of our ability to organize in adaptive collectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirta Galesic
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
- Complexity Science Hub Vienna, 1080 Vienna, Austria
- Vermont Complex Systems Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, VM 05405, USA
| | | | - Andrew M. Berdahl
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Dora Biro
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Giuseppe Carbone
- Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management, Politecnico di Bari, Bari 70125, Italy
| | - Ilaria Giannoccaro
- Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management, Politecnico di Bari, Bari 70125, Italy
| | - Robert L. Goldstone
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Cleotilde Gonzalez
- Department of Social and Decision Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Anne Kandler
- Department of Mathematics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Albert B. Kao
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Rachel Kendal
- Centre for Coevolution of Biology and Culture, Durham University, Anthropology Department, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Michelle Kline
- Centre for Culture and Evolution, Division of Psychology, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK
| | - Eun Lee
- Department of Scientific Computing, Pukyong National University, 45 Yongso-ro, Nam-gu, Busan, 48513, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Alex Mesoudi
- Department of Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | | | | | - Sabina J. Sloman
- Department of Social and Decision Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Paul E. Smaldino
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
- Department of Cognitive and Information Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Daniel L. Stein
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
- Department of Physics and Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, NY 10012, USA
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22
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Timing rather than movement decisions explains age-related differences in wind support for a migratory bird. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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23
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Spontaneous vortex formation by microswimmers with retarded attractions. Nat Commun 2023; 14:56. [PMID: 36599830 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35427-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Collective states of inanimate particles self-assemble through physical interactions and thermal motion. Despite some phenomenological resemblance, including signatures of criticality, the autonomous dynamics that binds motile agents into flocks, herds, or swarms allows for much richer behavior. Low-dimensional models have hinted at the crucial role played in this respect by perceived information, decision-making, and feedback, implying that the corresponding interactions are inevitably retarded. Here we present experiments on spherical Brownian microswimmers with delayed self-propulsion toward a spatially fixed target. We observe a spontaneous symmetry breaking to a transiently chiral dynamical state and concomitant critical behavior that do not rely on many-particle cooperativity. By comparison with the stochastic delay differential equation of motion of a single swimmer, we pinpoint the delay-induced effective synchronization of the swimmers with their own past as the key mechanism. Increasing numbers of swimmers self-organize into layers with pro- and retrograde orbital motion, synchronized and stabilized by steric, phoretic, and hydrodynamic interactions. Our results demonstrate how even most simple retarded interactions can foster emergent complex adaptive behavior in small active-particle ensembles.
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24
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As the Goose Flies: Migration Routes and Timing Influence Patterns of Genetic Diversity in a Circumpolar Migratory Herbivore. DIVERSITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/d14121067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
Abstract
Migration schedules and the timing of other annual events (e.g., pair formation and molt) can affect the distribution of genetic diversity as much as where these events occur. The greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) is a circumpolar goose species, exhibiting temporal and spatial variation of events among populations during the annual cycle. Previous range-wide genetic assessments of the nuclear genome based on eight microsatellite loci suggest a single, largely panmictic population despite up to five subspecies currently recognized based on phenotypic differences. We used double digest restriction-site associated DNA (ddRAD-seq) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data to re-evaluate estimates of spatial genomic structure and to characterize how past and present processes have shaped the patterns of genetic diversity and connectivity across the Arctic and subarctic. We uncovered previously undetected inter-population differentiation with genetic clusters corresponding to sampling locales associated with current management groups. We further observed subtle genetic clustering within each management unit that can be at least partially explained by the timing and directionality of migration events along with other behaviors during the annual cycle. The Tule Goose (A. a. elgasi) and Greenland subspecies (A. a. flavirostris) showed the highest level of divergence among all sampling locales investigated. The recovery of previously undetected broad and fine-scale spatial structure suggests that the strong cultural transmission of migratory behavior restricts gene flow across portions of the species’ range. Our data further highlight the importance of re-evaluating previous assessments conducted based on a small number of highly variable genetic markers in phenotypically diverse species.
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25
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Kuruvilla M, Dell A, Olson AR, Knouft J, Grady JM, Forbes J, Berdahl AM. The effect of temperature on fish swimming and schooling is context dependent. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Kuruvilla
- Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management Program, Univ. of Washington Seattle WA USA
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Univ. of Washington Seattle WA USA
| | - Anthony Dell
- National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, One Confluence Way East Alton IL USA
- Dept of Biology, Saint Louis Univ. St. Louis MO USA
- Dept of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis MO USA
| | - Ashley R. Olson
- School of Science, Psychology and Sport, Federation Univ. Australia Churchill VIC Australia
| | - Jason Knouft
- Dept of Biology, Saint Louis Univ. St. Louis MO USA
| | - John M. Grady
- National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, One Confluence Way East Alton IL USA
| | - Jacob Forbes
- National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, One Confluence Way East Alton IL USA
- Dept of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois Univ. Edwardsville Edwardsville IL USA
| | - Andrew M. Berdahl
- Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management Program, Univ. of Washington Seattle WA USA
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Univ. of Washington Seattle WA USA
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26
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Karagüzel TA, Turgut AE, Eiben AE, Ferrante E. Collective gradient perception with a flying robot swarm. SWARM INTELLIGENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11721-022-00220-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIn this paper, we study the problem of collective and emergent sensing with a flying robot swarm in which social interactions among individuals lead to following the gradient of a scalar field in the environment without the need of any gradient sensing capability. We proposed two methods—desired distance modulation and speed modulation—with and without alignment control. In the former, individuals modulate their desired distance to their neighbors and in the latter, they modulate their speed depending on the social interactions with their neighbors and measurements from the environment. Methods are systematically tested using two metrics with different scalar field models, swarm sizes and swarm densities. Experiments are conducted using: (1) a kinematic simulator, (2) a physics-based simulator, and (3) real nano-drone swarm. Results show that using the proposed methods, a swarm—composed of individuals lacking gradient sensing ability—is able to follow the gradient in a scalar field successfully. Results show that when individuals modulate their desired distances, alignment control is not needed but it still increases the performance. However, when individuals modulate their speed, alignment control is needed for collective motion. Real nano-drone experiments reveal that the proposed methods are applicable in real-life scenarios.
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27
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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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28
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Sasaki T, Masuda N, Mann RP, Biro D. Empirical test of the many-wrongs hypothesis reveals weighted averaging of individual routes in pigeon flocks. iScience 2022; 25:105076. [PMID: 36147962 PMCID: PMC9485075 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The 'many-wrongs hypothesis' predicts that groups improve their decision-making performance by aggregating members' diverse opinions. Although this has been considered one of the major benefits of collective movement and migration, whether and how multiple inputs are in fact aggregated for superior directional accuracy has not been empirically verified in non-human animals. Here we showed that larger homing pigeon flocks had significantly more efficient (i.e. shorter) homing routes than smaller flocks, consistent with previous findings and with the predictions of the many-wrongs hypothesis. However, detailed analysis showed that flock routes were not simply averages of individual routes, but instead that pigeons that more faithfully recapitulated their routes during individual flights had a proportionally greater influence on their flocks' routes. We discuss the implications of our results for possible mechanisms of collective learning as well as for the definition of leadership in animals solving navigational tasks collectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takao Sasaki
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Corresponding author
| | - Naoki Masuda
- Department of Mathematics, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
- Computational and Data-Enabled Science and Engineer Program, University of Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
| | - Richard P. Mann
- Department of Statistics, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Dora Biro
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
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29
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McLaren JD, Schmaljohann H, Blasius B. Predicting performance of naïve migratory animals, from many wrongs to self-correction. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1058. [PMID: 36195660 PMCID: PMC9532420 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03995-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Migratory orientation of many animals is inheritable, enabling inexperienced (naïve) individuals to migrate independently using a geomagnetic or celestial compass. It remains unresolved how naïve migrants reliably reach remote destinations, sometimes correcting for orientation error or displacement. To assess naïve migratory performance (successful arrival), we simulate and assess proposed compass courses for diverse airborne migratory populations, accounting for spherical-geometry effects, compass precision, cue transfers (e.g., sun to star compass), and geomagnetic variability. We formulate how time-compensated sun-compass headings partially self-correct, according to how inner-clocks are updated. For the longest-distance migrations simulated, time-compensated sun-compass courses are most robust to error, and most closely resemble known routes. For shorter-distance nocturnal migrations, geomagnetic or star-compass courses are most robust, due to not requiring nightly cue-transfers. Our predictive study provides a basis for assessment of compass-based naïve migration and mechanisms of self-correction, and supports twilight sun-compass orientation being key to many long-distance inaugural migrations. A model is developed for assessing compass-based naïve animal migration, revealing effects of spherical geometry on migratory performance, and related mechanisms of self-correction.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D McLaren
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.
| | - Heiko Schmaljohann
- Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences (IBU), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.,Institute of Avian Research, 26386, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Bernd Blasius
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany
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30
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Aplin L. Culture in birds. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R1136-R1140. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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31
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Cooke SJ, Bergman JN, Twardek WM, Piczak ML, Casselberry GA, Lutek K, Dahlmo LS, Birnie-Gauvin K, Griffin LP, Brownscombe JW, Raby GD, Standen EM, Horodysky AZ, Johnsen S, Danylchuk AJ, Furey NB, Gallagher AJ, Lédée EJI, Midwood JD, Gutowsky LFG, Jacoby DMP, Matley JK, Lennox RJ. The movement ecology of fishes. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2022; 101:756-779. [PMID: 35788929 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Movement of fishes in the aquatic realm is fundamental to their ecology and survival. Movement can be driven by a variety of biological, physiological and environmental factors occurring across all spatial and temporal scales. The intrinsic capacity of movement to impact fish individually (e.g., foraging) with potential knock-on effects throughout the ecosystem (e.g., food web dynamics) has garnered considerable interest in the field of movement ecology. The advancement of technology in recent decades, in combination with ever-growing threats to freshwater and marine systems, has further spurred empirical research and theoretical considerations. Given the rapid expansion within the field of movement ecology and its significant role in informing management and conservation efforts, a contemporary and multidisciplinary review about the various components influencing movement is outstanding. Using an established conceptual framework for movement ecology as a guide (i.e., Nathan et al., 2008: 19052), we synthesized the environmental and individual factors that affect the movement of fishes. Specifically, internal (e.g., energy acquisition, endocrinology, and homeostasis) and external (biotic and abiotic) environmental elements are discussed, as well as the different processes that influence individual-level (or population) decisions, such as navigation cues, motion capacity, propagation characteristics and group behaviours. In addition to environmental drivers and individual movement factors, we also explored how associated strategies help survival by optimizing physiological and other biological states. Next, we identified how movement ecology is increasingly being incorporated into management and conservation by highlighting the inherent benefits that spatio-temporal fish behaviour imbues into policy, regulatory, and remediation planning. Finally, we considered the future of movement ecology by evaluating ongoing technological innovations and both the challenges and opportunities that these advancements create for scientists and managers. As aquatic ecosystems continue to face alarming climate (and other human-driven) issues that impact animal movements, the comprehensive and multidisciplinary assessment of movement ecology will be instrumental in developing plans to guide research and promote sustainability measures for aquatic resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jordanna N Bergman
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - William M Twardek
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Morgan L Piczak
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Grace A Casselberry
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Keegan Lutek
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lotte S Dahlmo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Laboratory for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kim Birnie-Gauvin
- Section for Freshwater Fisheries and Ecology, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Lucas P Griffin
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jacob W Brownscombe
- Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Graham D Raby
- Biology Department, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emily M Standen
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrij Z Horodysky
- Department of Marine and Environmental Science, Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia, USA
| | - Sönke Johnsen
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, North Caroline, USA
| | - Andy J Danylchuk
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nathan B Furey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, USA
| | | | - Elodie J I Lédée
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jon D Midwood
- Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lee F G Gutowsky
- Environmental & Life Sciences Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - David M P Jacoby
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Jordan K Matley
- Program in Aquatic Resources, St Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Robert J Lennox
- Laboratory for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
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32
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Franks NR, Podesta JA, Jarvis EC, Worley A, Sendova-Franks AB. Robotic communication with ants. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:276181. [PMID: 35942527 PMCID: PMC9440752 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
We used a robotic gantry to test the hypothesis that tandem running in the ant Temnothorax albipennis can be successful in the absence of trail laying by the leader. Pheromone glands were placed on a pin attached to a gantry. This set-up substituted for the leader of a tandem run. Neither the pin nor the glands touched the substrate and thus the ant following the robot was tracking a plume of airborne pheromones. The robot led individual workers from their current nest to a potential new one. The robotic gantry was programmed to allow for human intervention along its path to permit the following ant to stop and survey its surroundings and then catch up with its mechanical leader. The gantry then automatically tracked the precise route taken by each ant from the new nest back to the old one. Ants led by the robot were significantly more successful at finding their way home than those we carried to the new nest that had no opportunity to learn landmarks. The robot was programmed to take either a straight or a sinusoidal path to the new nest. However, we found no significant difference in the abilities of ants that had been led on such direct or sinuous paths to find their way home. Here, the robot laid no trail but our findings suggest that, under such circumstances, the following ant may lay a trail to substitute for the missing one. Highlighted Article: During tandem running, a leading ant teaches a follower the route to a resource. Key features of real tandem runs were successfully reproduced using a gantry as a robotic leader.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nigel R Franks
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Jacob A Podesta
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.,Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Edward C Jarvis
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Alan Worley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Ana B Sendova-Franks
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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33
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Bidari S, El Hady A, Davidson JD, Kilpatrick ZP. Stochastic dynamics of social patch foraging decisions. PHYSICAL REVIEW RESEARCH 2022; 4:033128. [PMID: 36090768 PMCID: PMC9461581 DOI: 10.1103/physrevresearch.4.033128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Animals typically forage in groups. Social foraging can help animals avoid predation and decrease their uncertainty about the richness of food resources. Despite this, theoretical mechanistic models of patch foraging have overwhelmingly focused on the behavior of single foragers. In this study, we develop a mechanistic model that accounts for the behavior of individuals foraging together and departing food patches following an evidence accumulation process. Each individual's belief about patch quality is represented by a stochastically accumulating variable, which is coupled to another's belief to represent the transfer of information. We consider a cohesive group, and model information sharing by considering both intermittent pulsatile coupling (only communicate decision to leave) and continuous diffusive coupling (communicate throughout the deliberation process). Groups employing pulsatile coupling can obtain higher foraging efficiency, which depends more strongly on the coupling parameter compared to those using diffusive coupling. Conversely, groups using diffusive coupling are more robust to changes and heterogeneities in belief weighting and departure criteria. Efficiency is measured by a reward rate function that balances the amount of energy accumulated against the time spent in a patch, computed by solving an ordered first passage time problem for the patch departures of each individual. Using synthetic departure time data, we can distinguish between the two modes of communication and identify the model parameters. Our model establishes a social patch foraging framework to identify deliberative decision strategies and forms of social communication, and to allow model fitting to field data from foraging animal groups.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ahmed El Hady
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Konstanz D-78457, Germany
- Cluster for Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Konstanz D-78457, Germany
| | - Jacob D. Davidson
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Konstanz D-78457, Germany
| | - Zachary P. Kilpatrick
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
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34
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First tagging data on large Atlantic bluefin tuna returning to Nordic waters suggest repeated behaviour and skipped spawning. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11772. [PMID: 35817810 PMCID: PMC9273605 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15819-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus; ABFT) is one of the most iconic fish species in the world. Recently, after being very rare for more than half a century, large bluefin tunas have returned to Nordic waters in late summer and autumn, marking the return of the largest predatory fish in Nordic waters. By tagging 18 bluefin tunas with electronic tags (pop-up satellite archival tags), we show that bluefin tuna observed in Nordic waters undertake different migration routes, with individuals migrating into the western Atlantic Ocean, while others stay exclusively in the eastern Atlantic and enter the Mediterranean Sea to spawn. We additionally present evidence of possible skipped spawning inferred from behavioural analyses. In Nordic waters, ABFT are primarily using the upper water column, likely reflecting feeding activity. The results support the hypothesis that ABFT migrating to Nordic waters return to the same general feeding area within the region on an annual basis. These observations may have important implications for management because (1) tunas that come into Nordic waters might represent only a few year classes (as evidenced by a narrow size range), and thus may be particularly vulnerable to area-specific exploitation, and (2) challenge the assumption of consecutive spawning in adult Atlantic bluefin tuna, as used in current stock assessment models. Without careful management and limited exploitation of this part of the ABFT population, the species’ return to Nordic waters could be short-lived.
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35
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Polyakov AY, Quinn TP, Myers KW, Berdahl AM. Group size affects predation risk and foraging success in Pacific salmon at sea. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm7548. [PMID: 35767621 PMCID: PMC9242597 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm7548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Grouping is ubiquitous across animal taxa and environments. Safety in numbers is perhaps the most cited reason for grouping, yet this fundamental tenet of ecological theory has rarely been tested in wild populations. We analyzed a multidecadal dataset of Pacific salmon at sea and found that individuals in larger groups had lower predation risk; within groups of fish, size outliers (relatively small and large fish) had increased predation risk. For some species, grouping decreased foraging success, whereas for other species, grouping increased foraging success, indicating that safety competition trade-offs differed among species. These results indicate that survival and growth depend on group size; understanding the relationship between group size distributions and population size may be critical to unraveling ecology and population dynamics for marine fishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Y. Polyakov
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Thomas P. Quinn
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Katherine W. Myers
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Andrew M. Berdahl
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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36
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Horsevad N, Kwa HL, Bouffanais R. Beyond Bio-Inspired Robotics: How Multi-Robot Systems Can Support Research on Collective Animal Behavior. Front Robot AI 2022; 9:865414. [PMID: 35795475 PMCID: PMC9252458 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2022.865414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In the study of collective animal behavior, researchers usually rely on gathering empirical data from animals in the wild. While the data gathered can be highly accurate, researchers have limited control over both the test environment and the agents under study. Further aggravating the data gathering problem is the fact that empirical studies of animal groups typically involve a large number of conspecifics. In these groups, collective dynamics may occur over long periods of time interspersed with excessively rapid events such as collective evasive maneuvers following a predator’s attack. All these factors stress the steep challenges faced by biologists seeking to uncover the fundamental mechanisms and functions of social organization in a given taxon. Here, we argue that beyond commonly used simulations, experiments with multi-robot systems offer a powerful toolkit to deepen our understanding of various forms of swarming and other social animal organizations. Indeed, the advances in multi-robot systems and swarm robotics over the past decade pave the way for the development of a new hybrid form of scientific investigation of social organization in biology. We believe that by fostering such interdisciplinary research, a feedback loop can be created where agent behaviors designed and tested in robotico can assist in identifying hypotheses worth being validated through the observation of animal collectives in nature. In turn, these observations can be used as a novel source of inspiration for even more innovative behaviors in engineered systems, thereby perpetuating the feedback loop.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hian Lee Kwa
- Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore, Singapore
- Thales Solutions Asia, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Roland Bouffanais
- University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- *Correspondence: Roland Bouffanais,
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37
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Fernández Velasco P. Group navigation and procedural metacognition. PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/09515089.2022.2062316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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38
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Levin M. Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere: An Experimentally-Grounded Framework for Understanding Diverse Bodies and Minds. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:768201. [PMID: 35401131 PMCID: PMC8988303 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.768201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic biology and bioengineering provide the opportunity to create novel embodied cognitive systems (otherwise known as minds) in a very wide variety of chimeric architectures combining evolved and designed material and software. These advances are disrupting familiar concepts in the philosophy of mind, and require new ways of thinking about and comparing truly diverse intelligences, whose composition and origin are not like any of the available natural model species. In this Perspective, I introduce TAME-Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere-a framework for understanding and manipulating cognition in unconventional substrates. TAME formalizes a non-binary (continuous), empirically-based approach to strongly embodied agency. TAME provides a natural way to think about animal sentience as an instance of collective intelligence of cell groups, arising from dynamics that manifest in similar ways in numerous other substrates. When applied to regenerating/developmental systems, TAME suggests a perspective on morphogenesis as an example of basal cognition. The deep symmetry between problem-solving in anatomical, physiological, transcriptional, and 3D (traditional behavioral) spaces drives specific hypotheses by which cognitive capacities can increase during evolution. An important medium exploited by evolution for joining active subunits into greater agents is developmental bioelectricity, implemented by pre-neural use of ion channels and gap junctions to scale up cell-level feedback loops into anatomical homeostasis. This architecture of multi-scale competency of biological systems has important implications for plasticity of bodies and minds, greatly potentiating evolvability. Considering classical and recent data from the perspectives of computational science, evolutionary biology, and basal cognition, reveals a rich research program with many implications for cognitive science, evolutionary biology, regenerative medicine, and artificial intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
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39
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Burford BP, Williams RR, Demetras NJ, Carey N, Goldbogen J, Gilly WF, Harding J, Denny MW. The limits of convergence in the collective behavior of competing marine taxa. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8747. [PMID: 35356556 PMCID: PMC8939367 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Collective behaviors in biological systems such as coordinated movements have important ecological and evolutionary consequences. While many studies examine within‐species variation in collective behavior, explicit comparisons between functionally similar species from different taxonomic groups are rare. Therefore, a fundamental question remains: how do collective behaviors compare between taxa with morphological and physiological convergence, and how might this relate to functional ecology and niche partitioning? We examined the collective motion of two ecologically similar species from unrelated clades that have competed for pelagic predatory niches for over 500 million years—California market squid, Doryteuthis opalescens (Mollusca) and Pacific sardine, Sardinops sagax (Chordata). We (1) found similarities in how groups of individuals from each species collectively aligned, measured by angular deviation, the difference between individual orientation and average group heading. We also (2) show that conspecific attraction, which we approximated using nearest neighbor distance, was greater in sardine than squid. Finally, we (3) found that individuals of each species explicitly matched the orientation of groupmates, but that these matching responses were less rapid in squid than sardine. Based on these results, we hypothesize that information sharing is a comparably important function of social grouping for both taxa. On the other hand, some capabilities, including hydrodynamically conferred energy savings and defense against predators, could stem from taxon‐specific biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin P. Burford
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Pacific Grove California USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, affiliated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz California USA
| | | | - Nicholas J. Demetras
- Institute of Marine Sciences, affiliated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz California USA
| | - Nicholas Carey
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Pacific Grove California USA
- Marine Scotland Science Aberdeen UK
| | - Jeremy Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Pacific Grove California USA
| | - William F. Gilly
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Pacific Grove California USA
| | - Jeffrey Harding
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center Santa Cruz California USA
| | - Mark W. Denny
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Pacific Grove California USA
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40
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Wild S, Chimento M, McMahon K, Farine DR, Sheldon BC, Aplin LM. Complex foraging behaviours in wild birds emerge from social learning and recombination of components. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200307. [PMID: 34894740 PMCID: PMC8666913 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent well-documented cases of cultural evolution towards increasing efficiency in non-human animals have led some authors to propose that other animals are also capable of cumulative cultural evolution, where traits become more refined and/or complex over time. Yet few comparative examples exist of traits increasing in complexity, and experimental tests remain scarce. In a previous study, we introduced a foraging innovation into replicate subpopulations of great tits, the 'sliding-door puzzle'. Here, we track diffusion of a second 'dial puzzle', before introducing a two-step puzzle that combines both actions. We mapped social networks across two generations to ask if individuals could: (1) recombine socially-learned traits and (2) socially transmit a two-step trait. Our results show birds could recombine skills into more complex foraging behaviours, and naïve birds across both generations could learn the two-step trait. However, closer interrogation revealed that acquisition was not achieved entirely through social learning-rather, birds socially learned components before reconstructing full solutions asocially. As a consequence, singular cultural traditions failed to emerge, although subpopulations of birds shared preferences for a subset of behavioural variants. Our results show that while tits can socially learn complex foraging behaviours, these may need to be scaffolded by rewarding each component. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The emergence of collective knowledge and cumulative culture in animals, humans and machines'.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Wild
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315, Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - M. Chimento
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315, Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - K. McMahon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3SZ Oxford, UK
| | - D. R. Farine
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Universitätstrasse 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - B. C. Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3SZ Oxford, UK
| | - L. M. Aplin
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315, Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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41
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Abrahms B, Teitelbaum CS, Mueller T, Converse SJ. Ontogenetic shifts from social to experiential learning drive avian migration timing. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7326. [PMID: 34916500 PMCID: PMC8677782 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27626-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Migrating animals may benefit from social or experiential learning, yet whether and how these learning processes interact or change over time to produce observed migration patterns remains unexplored. Using 16 years of satellite-tracking data from 105 reintroduced whooping cranes, we reveal an interplay between social and experiential learning in migration timing. Both processes dramatically improved individuals' abilities to dynamically adjust their timing to track environmental conditions along the migration path. However, results revealed an ontogenetic shift in the dominant learning process, whereby subadult birds relied on social information, while mature birds primarily relied on experiential information. These results indicate that the adjustment of migration phenology in response to the environment is a learned skill that depends on both social context and individual age. Assessing how animals successfully learn to time migrations as environmental conditions change is critical for understanding intraspecific differences in migration patterns and for anticipating responses to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana Abrahms
- Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | | | - Thomas Mueller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe-University Frankfurt and Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Sarah J Converse
- U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences & School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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42
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Group size and modularity interact to shape the spread of infection and information through animal societies. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021; 75:163. [PMID: 34866760 PMCID: PMC8626757 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03102-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Social interactions between animals can provide many benefits, including the ability to gain useful environmental information through social learning. However, these social contacts can also facilitate the transmission of infectious diseases through a population. Animals engaging in social interactions therefore face a trade-off between the potential informational benefits and the risk of acquiring disease. Theoretical models have suggested that modular social networks, associated with the formation of groups or sub-groups, can slow spread of infection by trapping it within particular groups. However, these social structures will not necessarily impact the spread of information in the same way if its transmission follows a “complex contagion”, e.g. through individuals disproportionally copying the majority (conformist learning). Here we use simulation models to demonstrate that modular networks can promote the spread of information relative to the spread of infection, but only when the network is fragmented and group sizes are small. We show that the difference in transmission between information and disease is maximised for more well-connected social networks when the likelihood of transmission is intermediate. Our results have important implications for understanding the selective pressures operating on the social structure of animal societies, revealing that highly fragmented networks such as those formed in fission–fusion social groups and multilevel societies can be effective in modulating the infection-information trade-off for individuals within them.
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Killen SS, Cortese D, Cotgrove L, Jolles JW, Munson A, Ioannou CC. The Potential for Physiological Performance Curves to Shape Environmental Effects on Social Behavior. Front Physiol 2021; 12:754719. [PMID: 34858209 PMCID: PMC8632012 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.754719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
As individual animals are exposed to varying environmental conditions, phenotypic plasticity will occur in a vast array of physiological traits. For example, shifts in factors such as temperature and oxygen availability can affect the energy demand, cardiovascular system, and neuromuscular function of animals that in turn impact individual behavior. Here, we argue that nonlinear changes in the physiological traits and performance of animals across environmental gradients—known as physiological performance curves—may have wide-ranging effects on the behavior of individual social group members and the functioning of animal social groups as a whole. Previous work has demonstrated how variation between individuals can have profound implications for socially living animals, as well as how environmental conditions affect social behavior. However, the importance of variation between individuals in how they respond to changing environmental conditions has so far been largely overlooked in the context of animal social behavior. First, we consider the broad effects that individual variation in performance curves may have on the behavior of socially living animals, including: (1) changes in the rank order of performance capacity among group mates across environments; (2) environment-dependent changes in the amount of among- and within-individual variation, and (3) differences among group members in terms of the environmental optima, the critical environmental limits, and the peak capacity and breadth of performance. We then consider the ecological implications of these effects for a range of socially mediated phenomena, including within-group conflict, within- and among group assortment, collective movement, social foraging, predator-prey interactions and disease and parasite transfer. We end by outlining the type of empirical work required to test the implications for physiological performance curves in social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun S Killen
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Daphne Cortese
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy Cotgrove
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Jolle W Jolles
- Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Campus de Bellaterra (UAB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amelia Munson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Christos C Ioannou
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
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Patrick SC, Assink JD, Basille M, Clusella-Trullas S, Clay TA, den Ouden OFC, Joo R, Zeyl JN, Benhamou S, Christensen-Dalsgaard J, Evers LG, Fayet AL, Köppl C, Malkemper EP, Martín López LM, Padget O, Phillips RA, Prior MK, Smets PSM, van Loon EE. Infrasound as a Cue for Seabird Navigation. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.740027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Seabirds are amongst the most mobile of all animal species and spend large amounts of their lives at sea. They cross vast areas of ocean that appear superficially featureless, and our understanding of the mechanisms that they use for navigation remains incomplete, especially in terms of available cues. In particular, several large-scale navigational tasks, such as homing across thousands of kilometers to breeding sites, are not fully explained by visual, olfactory or magnetic stimuli. Low-frequency inaudible sound, i.e., infrasound, is ubiquitous in the marine environment. The spatio-temporal consistency of some components of the infrasonic wavefield, and the sensitivity of certain bird species to infrasonic stimuli, suggests that infrasound may provide additional cues for seabirds to navigate, but this remains untested. Here, we propose a framework to explore the importance of infrasound for navigation. We present key concepts regarding the physics of infrasound and review the physiological mechanisms through which infrasound may be detected and used. Next, we propose three hypotheses detailing how seabirds could use information provided by different infrasound sources for navigation as an acoustic beacon, landmark, or gradient. Finally, we reflect on strengths and limitations of our proposed hypotheses, and discuss several directions for future work. In particular, we suggest that hypotheses may be best tested by combining conceptual models of navigation with empirical data on seabird movements and in-situ infrasound measurements.
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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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Abstract
Collective migration occurs throughout the animal kingdom, and demands both the interpretation of navigational cues and the perception of other individuals within the group. Navigational cues orient individuals towards a destination, while it has been demonstrated that communication between individuals enhances navigation through a reduction in orientation error. We develop a mathematical model of collective navigation that synthesizes navigational cues and perception of other individuals. Crucially, this approach incorporates uncertainty inherent to cue interpretation and perception in the decision making process, which can arise due to noisy environments. We demonstrate that collective navigation is more efficient than individual navigation, provided a threshold number of other individuals are perceptible. This benefit is even more pronounced in low navigation information environments. In navigation ‘blindspots’, where no information is available, navigation is enhanced through a relay that connects individuals in information-poor regions to individuals in information-rich regions. As an expository case study, we apply our framework to minke whale migration in the northeast Atlantic Ocean, and quantify the decrease in navigation ability due to anthropogenic noise pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- S T Johnston
- Systems Biology Laboratory, School of Mathematics and Statistics, and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - K J Painter
- Dipartimento Interateneo di Scienze, Progetto e Politiche del Territorio (DIST) Politecnico di Torino, Viale Pier Andrea Mattioli, Torino 39 10125, Italy
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48
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Drerup
- Department of Zoology Marine Behavioural Ecology Group University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
- The Cephalopod Citizen Science Project Poole UK
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49
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Williams HJ, Safi K. Certainty and integration of options in animal movement. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:990-999. [PMID: 34303526 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Physical energy defines the energy landscape and determines the species-specific cost of movement, thus influencing movement decisions. In unpredictable and dynamic environments, observing the locomotion of others increases individual certainty in the distribution of physical energy to increase movement efficiency. Beyond the physical energy landscape, social sampling increases certainty in all ecological landscapes that influence animal movement (including fear and resource landscapes), and individuals use energy to express each of these. We call for the development of an 'optimal movement theory' (OMT) that integrates the multidimensional reality of movement decisions by combining ecological landscapes according to a single expectation of energy cost-benefit, where social sampling provides up-to-date information under uncertain conditions. This mechanistic framework has implications for predicting individual movement patterns and for investigating the emergence of aggregations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J Williams
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany; University of Konstanz, Department of Biology, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Kamran Safi
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany; University of Konstanz, Department of Biology, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
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50
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Attwell JR, Ioannou CC, Reid CR, Herbert-Read JE. Fish Avoid Visually Noisy Environments Where Prey Targeting Is Reduced. Am Nat 2021; 198:421-432. [PMID: 34403312 DOI: 10.1086/715434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe environment contains different forms of ecological noise that can reduce the ability of animals to detect information. Here, we ask whether animals adapt their behavior to either exploit or avoid areas of their environment with increased dynamic visual noise. Three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) were immersed in environments with a simulated form of naturally occurring visual noise-moving light bands that form on underwater substrates caused by the refraction of light through surface waves. We tested whether this form of visual noise affected fish's habitat selection, movements, and prey-targeting behavior. Fish avoided areas of the environment with increased visual noise and achieved this by increasing their activity as a function of the locally perceived noise level. Fish were less likely to respond to virtual prey in environments with increased visual noise, highlighting a potential impact that visual noise has on their perceptual abilities. Fish did not increase or decrease their refuge use in environments with increased visual noise, providing no evidence that visual noise increased either exploratory or risk-aversive behavior. Our results indicate that animals can use simple behavioral strategies to avoid visually noisy environments, thereby mitigating the impacts that these environments appear to have on their perceptual abilities.
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