title: Space-use behaviour of woodland caribou based on a cognitive movement model.
abstract: Movement patterns offer a rich source of information on animal behaviour and the ecological significance of landscape attributes. This is especially useful for species occupying remote landscapes where direct behavioural observations are limited. In this study, we fit a mechanistic model of animal cognition and movement to GPS positional data of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou; Gmelin 1788) collected over a wide range of ecological conditions. The model explicitly tracks individual animal informational state over space and time, with resulting parameter estimates that have direct cognitive and ecological meaning. Three biotic landscape attributes were hypothesized to motivate caribou movement: forage abundance (dietary digestible biomass), wolf (Canis lupus; Linnaeus, 1758) density and moose (Alces alces; Linnaeus, 1758) habitat. Wolves are the main predator of caribou in this system and moose are their primary prey. Resulting parameter estimates clearly indicated that forage abundance is an important driver of caribou movement patterns, with predator and moose avoidance often having a strong effect, but not for all individuals. From the cognitive perspective, our results support the notion that caribou rely on limited sensory inputs from their surroundings, as well as on long-term spatial memory, to make informed movement decisions. Our study demonstrates how sensory, memory and motion capacities may interact with ecological fitness covariates to influence movement decisions by free-ranging animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Tal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Avgar
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario Wildlife Population Monitoring Program, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada.
authors.forename: Glen S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research, Thunder-Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada.
authors.forename: Jevon S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hagens
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kittle
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Erin E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Mallon
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Madeleine T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: McGreer
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mosser
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Steven G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Newmaster
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Trent University, DNA Building, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada.
authors.forename: Brent R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research, Thunder-Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada.
authors.forename: Douglas E B
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research, Thunder-Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada.
authors.forename: Art R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Rodgers
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research, Thunder-Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shuter
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Garrett M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Street
authors.affiliation: Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, 1219 Queen Street East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Merritt J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Turetsky
authors.affiliation: Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, 1219 Queen Street East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada.
authors.forename: Philip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Wiebe
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Fryxell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003071:Cognition; D017753:Ecosystem; D020387:Food Chain; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D008954:Models, Biological; D009864:Ontario; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D012053:Reindeer / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013037:Spatial Behavior; D019596:Wolves / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: apparent competition; attribute memory; informative prior; landscape of fear; perceptual range; redistribution kernel; resource selection; spatial memory; step selection; telemetry