Collective animal navigation and migratory culture: from theoretical models to empirical evidence

Abstract

Animals often travel in groups, and their navigational decisions can be influenced by social interactions. Both theory and empirical observations suggest that such collective navigation can result in individuals improving their ability to find their way and could be one of the key benefits of sociality for these species. Here, we provide an overview of the potential mechanisms underlying collective navigation, review the known, and supposed, empirical evidence for such behaviour and highlight interesting directions for future research. We further explore how both social and collective learning during group navigation could lead to the accumulation of knowledge at the population level, resulting in the emergence of migratory culture.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Collective movement ecology’.

Northward range expansion in spring‐staging barnacle geese is a response to climate change and population growth, mediated by individual experience

“…A similar process was also proposed earlier for barnacle geese (Eichhorn et al, 2009;Jonker et al, 2013;van der Jeugd, 2001), but our study is the first to show the link between individual decisions and populationscale patterns in any detail. In doing so, our study adds to a growing number of studies that point out the importance of social processes in the development of migratory behaviour (see, Berdahl et al, 2018 for a review). However, we stress that these behavioural processes remain largely speculative, and the size and direction of their combined effects go beyond our current understanding.…”

“…Although associations have been found between genetic polymorphisms and migratory decisions among populations (Lundberg et al, ; Mueller, Pulido, & Kempenaers, ), actual evidence for genetic changes with functional effects on migratory behaviour is lacking. Alternatively, changes can result from individually or collectively adjusted migratory choices in direct response to a changing environment (Berdahl et al, ; Clausen et al, ). These choices may then be inherited and spread through the population via social learning, which provides the possibility of cultural evolution in addition to genetic evolution (Aplin, ).…”

“…Alternatively, changes can result from individually or collectively adjusted migratory choices in direct response to a changing environment (Berdahl et al, 2018;Clausen et al, 2018). These choices may then be inherited and spread through the population via social learning, which provides the possibility of cultural evolution in addition to genetic evolution (Aplin, 2019).…”

Collective decision making by rational agents with differing preferences

“…At the group level, it would create an emergent leadership role for those in the minority, who would attend relatively more strongly to environmental cues, while those in the majority act preferentially as followers and thus ensure group cohesion. Since cohesive groups can be led by a relatively small number of relatively less social individuals [20,23,25,37], these minority groups could have a disproportionately large effect on the collective decision making. However, rather than the group being led by a subset of 'informed individuals', in this model leadership would be conferred on those with unusual preferences rather than greater information.…”

Spatial ecology of long‐tailed ducks and white‐winged scoters wintering on Nantucket Shoals

“…For example, longtailed ducks off Massachusetts declined from highs of nearly half a million birds in~1990-2010 to less than a tenth of those in 2017-2018 (National Audubon Society 2010). Sociality may function to drive flock formation and to enhance resource location (Hein et al 2015, Veit and Harrison 2017, Berdahl et al 2018, Zou et al 2018). 1; Video S1).…”