A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
Spatial Memory Drives Foraging Strategies of Wolves, but in Highly Individual Ways (2022)

Gurarie, E., Bracis, C., Brilliantova, A., Kojola, I., Suutarinen, J., Ovaskainen, O., Potluri, S., & Fagan, W. F. (2022). Spatial Memory Drives Foraging Strategies of Wolves, but in Highly Individual Ways. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10, Article 768478. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.768478

JYU-tekijät tai -toimittajat

Ovaskainen, Otso

Julkaisun tiedot

Julkaisun kaikki tekijät tai toimittajat: Gurarie, Eliezer; Bracis, Chloe; Brilliantova, Angelina; Kojola, Ilpo; Suutarinen, Johanna; Ovaskainen, Otso; Potluri, Sriya; Fagan, William F.

Lehti tai sarja: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

eISSN: 2296-701X

Julkaisuvuosi: 2022

Ilmestymispäivä: 14.03.2022

Volyymi: 10

Artikkelinumero: 768478

Kustantaja: Frontiers Media SA

Julkaisumaa: Sveitsi

Julkaisun kieli: englanti

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.768478

Julkaisun avoin saatavuus: Avoimesti saatavilla

Julkaisukanavan avoin saatavuus: Kokonaan avoin julkaisukanava

Julkaisu on rinnakkaistallennettu (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/80157

Tiivistelmä

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.

YSO-asiasanat: eläinten käyttäytyminen; saalistus; reviirit; muisti (kognitio); susi

Vapaat asiasanat: discrete choice modeling; wolf; movement; predation; boundary patrolling; central place foraging; foraging site fidelity; foraging site switching

Liittyvät organisaatiot

Hankkeet, joissa julkaisu on tehty

OKM-raportointi: Kyllä

Raportointivuosi: 2022

JUFO-taso: 1