Long-distance communication can enable collective migration in a dynamic seascape.
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 thro...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65827-2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38937635 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11211507/ |
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ftpubmed:38937635 2024-09-15T17:57:18+00:00 Long-distance communication can enable collective migration in a dynamic seascape. Dodson, Stephanie Oestreich, William K Savoca, Matthew S Hazen, Elliott L Bograd, Steven J Ryan, John P Fiechter, Jerome Abrahms, Briana 2024-06-27 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65827-2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38937635 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11211507/ eng eng Nature Publishing Group https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65827-2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38937635 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11211507/ © 2024. The Author(s). Sci Rep ISSN:2045-2322 Volume:14 Issue:1 Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) Collective behavior Individual-based model Krill Migration Pelagic Resource tracking Social information Journal Article 2024 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65827-2 2024-06-30T16:01:00Z 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. Article in Journal/Newspaper Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale PubMed Central (PMC) Scientific Reports 14 1 |
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PubMed Central (PMC) |
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ftpubmed |
language |
English |
topic |
Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) Collective behavior Individual-based model Krill Migration Pelagic Resource tracking Social information |
spellingShingle |
Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) Collective behavior Individual-based model Krill Migration Pelagic Resource tracking Social information Dodson, Stephanie Oestreich, William K Savoca, Matthew S Hazen, Elliott L Bograd, Steven J Ryan, John P Fiechter, Jerome Abrahms, Briana Long-distance communication can enable collective migration in a dynamic seascape. |
topic_facet |
Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) Collective behavior Individual-based model Krill Migration Pelagic Resource tracking Social information |
description |
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. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Dodson, Stephanie Oestreich, William K Savoca, Matthew S Hazen, Elliott L Bograd, Steven J Ryan, John P Fiechter, Jerome Abrahms, Briana |
author_facet |
Dodson, Stephanie Oestreich, William K Savoca, Matthew S Hazen, Elliott L Bograd, Steven J Ryan, John P Fiechter, Jerome Abrahms, Briana |
author_sort |
Dodson, Stephanie |
title |
Long-distance communication can enable collective migration in a dynamic seascape. |
title_short |
Long-distance communication can enable collective migration in a dynamic seascape. |
title_full |
Long-distance communication can enable collective migration in a dynamic seascape. |
title_fullStr |
Long-distance communication can enable collective migration in a dynamic seascape. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Long-distance communication can enable collective migration in a dynamic seascape. |
title_sort |
long-distance communication can enable collective migration in a dynamic seascape. |
publisher |
Nature Publishing Group |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65827-2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38937635 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11211507/ |
genre |
Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale |
genre_facet |
Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale |
op_source |
Sci Rep ISSN:2045-2322 Volume:14 Issue:1 |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65827-2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38937635 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11211507/ |
op_rights |
© 2024. The Author(s). |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65827-2 |
container_title |
Scientific Reports |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
1 |
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1810433459585286144 |