Memory, not just perception, plays an important role in terrestrial mammalian migration.

ABSTRACT: One of the key questions regarding the underlying mechanisms of mammalian land migrations is how animals select where to go. Most studies assume perception of resources as the navigational mechanism. The possible role of memory that would allow forecasting conditions at distant locations and times based on information about environmental conditions from previous years has been little studied. We study migrating zebra in Botswana using an individual-based simulation model, where perceptually guided individuals use currently sensed resources at different perceptual ranges, while memory-guided individuals use long-term averages of past resources to forecast future conditions. We compare simulated individuals guided by perception or memory on resource landscapes of remotely sensed vegetation d

SUBMITTER: Bracis C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5454266 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature