Spatial Memory Drives Foraging Strategies of Wolves, but in Highly Individual Ways
The ability of wild animals to navigate and survive in complex and dynamic environments depends on their ability to store relevant information and place it in a spatial context. Despite the centrality of spatial memory, and given our increasing ability to observe animal movements in the wild, it is...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:b1ce45672b7142e7b7f8ad32b4a52793 2023-05-15T15:50:58+02:00 Spatial Memory Drives Foraging Strategies of Wolves, but in Highly Individual Ways Eliezer Gurarie Chloe Bracis Angelina Brilliantova Ilpo Kojola Johanna Suutarinen Otso Ovaskainen Sriya Potluri William F. Fagan 2022-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.768478 https://doaj.org/article/b1ce45672b7142e7b7f8ad32b4a52793 EN eng Frontiers Media S.A. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.768478/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-701X 2296-701X doi:10.3389/fevo.2022.768478 https://doaj.org/article/b1ce45672b7142e7b7f8ad32b4a52793 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Vol 10 (2022) discrete choice modeling wolf movement predation boundary patrolling central place foraging Evolution QH359-425 Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.768478 2022-12-31T15:49:31Z The ability of wild animals to navigate and survive in complex and dynamic environments depends on their ability to store relevant information and place it in a spatial context. Despite the centrality of spatial memory, and given our increasing ability to observe animal movements in the wild, it is perhaps surprising how difficult it is to demonstrate spatial memory empirically. We present a cognitive analysis of movements of several wolves (Canis lupus) in Finland during a summer period of intensive hunting and den-centered pup-rearing. We tracked several wolves in the field by visiting nearly all GPS locations outside the den, allowing us to identify the species, location and timing of nearly all prey killed. We then developed a model that assigns a spatially explicit value based on memory of predation success and territorial marking. The framework allows for estimation of multiple cognitive parameters, including temporal and spatial scales of memory. For most wolves, fitted memory-based models outperformed null models by 20 to 50% at predicting locations where wolves chose to forage. However, there was a high amount of individual variability among wolves in strength and even direction of responses to experiences. Some wolves tended to return to locations with recent predation success—following a strategy of foraging site fidelity—while others appeared to prefer a site switching strategy. These differences are possibly explained by variability in pack sizes, numbers of pups, and features of the territories. Our analysis points toward concrete strategies for incorporating spatial memory in the study of animal movements while providing nuanced insights into the behavioral strategies of individual predators. Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 10 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
discrete choice modeling wolf movement predation boundary patrolling central place foraging Evolution QH359-425 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
discrete choice modeling wolf movement predation boundary patrolling central place foraging Evolution QH359-425 Ecology QH540-549.5 Eliezer Gurarie Chloe Bracis Angelina Brilliantova Ilpo Kojola Johanna Suutarinen Otso Ovaskainen Sriya Potluri William F. Fagan Spatial Memory Drives Foraging Strategies of Wolves, but in Highly Individual Ways |
topic_facet |
discrete choice modeling wolf movement predation boundary patrolling central place foraging Evolution QH359-425 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
The ability of wild animals to navigate and survive in complex and dynamic environments depends on their ability to store relevant information and place it in a spatial context. Despite the centrality of spatial memory, and given our increasing ability to observe animal movements in the wild, it is perhaps surprising how difficult it is to demonstrate spatial memory empirically. We present a cognitive analysis of movements of several wolves (Canis lupus) in Finland during a summer period of intensive hunting and den-centered pup-rearing. We tracked several wolves in the field by visiting nearly all GPS locations outside the den, allowing us to identify the species, location and timing of nearly all prey killed. We then developed a model that assigns a spatially explicit value based on memory of predation success and territorial marking. The framework allows for estimation of multiple cognitive parameters, including temporal and spatial scales of memory. For most wolves, fitted memory-based models outperformed null models by 20 to 50% at predicting locations where wolves chose to forage. However, there was a high amount of individual variability among wolves in strength and even direction of responses to experiences. Some wolves tended to return to locations with recent predation success—following a strategy of foraging site fidelity—while others appeared to prefer a site switching strategy. These differences are possibly explained by variability in pack sizes, numbers of pups, and features of the territories. Our analysis points toward concrete strategies for incorporating spatial memory in the study of animal movements while providing nuanced insights into the behavioral strategies of individual predators. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Eliezer Gurarie Chloe Bracis Angelina Brilliantova Ilpo Kojola Johanna Suutarinen Otso Ovaskainen Sriya Potluri William F. Fagan |
author_facet |
Eliezer Gurarie Chloe Bracis Angelina Brilliantova Ilpo Kojola Johanna Suutarinen Otso Ovaskainen Sriya Potluri William F. Fagan |
author_sort |
Eliezer Gurarie |
title |
Spatial Memory Drives Foraging Strategies of Wolves, but in Highly Individual Ways |
title_short |
Spatial Memory Drives Foraging Strategies of Wolves, but in Highly Individual Ways |
title_full |
Spatial Memory Drives Foraging Strategies of Wolves, but in Highly Individual Ways |
title_fullStr |
Spatial Memory Drives Foraging Strategies of Wolves, but in Highly Individual Ways |
title_full_unstemmed |
Spatial Memory Drives Foraging Strategies of Wolves, but in Highly Individual Ways |
title_sort |
spatial memory drives foraging strategies of wolves, but in highly individual ways |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.768478 https://doaj.org/article/b1ce45672b7142e7b7f8ad32b4a52793 |
genre |
Canis lupus |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus |
op_source |
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Vol 10 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.768478/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-701X 2296-701X doi:10.3389/fevo.2022.768478 https://doaj.org/article/b1ce45672b7142e7b7f8ad32b4a52793 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.768478 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
container_volume |
10 |
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1766386005966848000 |