Spatial memory shapes migration and its benefits: evidence from a large herbivore

From fine-scale foraging to broad-scale migration, animal movement is shaped by the distribution of resources. There is mounting evidence, however, that learning and memory also guide movement. Although migratory mammals commonly track resource waves, how resource tracking and memory guide long-distance migration has not been reconciled. We examined these hypotheses using movement data from four populations of migratory mule deer (n=91). Spatial memory had an extraordinary influence on migration, affecting movement 2–28 times more strongly than tracking spring green-up or autumn snow depth. Importantly, with only an ability to track resources, simulated deer were unable to recreate empirical migratory routes. In contrast, simulated deer with memory of empirical routes, used those routes and obtained higher foraging benefits. For migratory terrestrial mammals, spatial memory provides knowledge of where seasonal ranges and migratory routes exist, while resource tracking determines when to...

从精细尺度的觅食到广域尺度的迁徙，动物的移动模式由资源分布塑造。然而，越来越多的证据表明，学习与记忆同样引导着动物的移动。尽管迁徙性哺乳动物通常会追踪资源波（resource waves），但资源追踪与记忆如何共同引导长距离迁徙的机制尚未得到统一解释。我们利用来自四个迁徙性骡鹿（migratory mule deer）种群（n=91）的移动数据，对这些假设进行了验证。空间记忆（spatial memory）对迁徙具有显著影响，其对移动的作用强度是追踪春季返青（spring green-up）或秋季积雪深度的2至28倍。值得注意的是，仅具备资源追踪能力的模拟鹿无法重现实测迁徙路线（empirical migratory routes）。相比之下，拥有实测路线记忆的模拟鹿不仅能沿这些路线迁徙，还能获得更高的觅食收益。对于迁徙性陆生哺乳动物而言，空间记忆提供了关于季节性活动范围及迁徙路线位置的信息，而资源追踪则决定了何时……