TY  - JOUR
A1  - Gurarie, Eliezer
A1  - Bracis, Chloe
A1  - Brilliantova, Angelina
A1  - Kojola, Ilpo
A1  - Suutarinen, Johanna
A1  - Ovaskainen, Otso
A1  - Potluri, Sriya
A1  - Fagan, William F.
T1  - Spatial memory drives foraging strategies of wolves, but in highly individual ways
T2  - Frontiers in ecology and evolution
N2  - 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.
KW  - discrete choice modeling
KW  - wolf
KW  - movement
KW  - predation
KW  - boundary patrolling
KW  - central place foraging
KW  - foraging site fidelity
KW  - foraging site switching
Y1  - 2022
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/62067
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-620674
SN  - 2296-701X
N1  - Funding: NSF ; DBI1915347
N1  - Funding: Academy of Finland ; 309581
N1  - Funding: Research Council of Norway ; 223257
N1  - Funding: European Research Council (ERC) ; 856506
VL  - 10
IS  - art. 768478
SP  - 1
EP  - 16
PB  - Frontiers Media
CY  - Lausanne
ER  -