Spatial memory and animal movement

Abstract

Memory is critical to understanding animal movement but has proven challenging to study. Advances in animal tracking technology, theoretical movement models and cognitive sciences have facilitated research in each of these fields, but also created a need for synthetic examination of the linkages between memory and animal movement. Here, we draw together research from several disciplines to understand the relationship between animal memory and movement processes. First, we frame the problem in terms of the characteristics, costs and benefits of memory as outlined in psychology and neuroscience. Next, we provide an overview of the theories and conceptual frameworks that have emerged from behavioural ecology and animal cognition. Third, we turn to movement ecology and summarise recent, rapid developments in the types and quantities of available movement data, and in the statistical measures applicable to such data. Fourth, we discuss the advantages and interrelationships of diverse modelling approaches that have been used to explore the memory-movement interface. Finally, we outline key research challenges for the memory and movement communities, focusing on data needs and mathematical and computational challenges. We conclude with a roadmap for future work in this area, outlining axes along which focused research should yield rapid progress.

Pharmacological evidence is consistent with a prominent role of spatial memory in complex navigation

“…[6,8,9]). Similarly, the ability to gather information about the spatial environment plays a critical role for migration, dispersal and foraging [10,11]. Some animals appear to learn to take paths associated with landscape features [12] and may use complex spatial memory to navigate between the nesting and foraging sites [13].…”

“…Although much progress has been made in recent years (e.g. [4][5][6][7][8][9]), the mechanisms that underlie navigation behaviour and the full role of cognition (herein defined as 'all processes involved in acquiring, storing and using information from the environment' [14]) in navigation remain enigmatic, especially in vertebrates [11]. In particular, the role of spatial memory in navigation has been controversial, especially in some taxa [15][16][17].…”

“…Experimental manipulations of cognition and its effect on navigation in wild vertebrates, therefore, remain sparse [1,11]. Studies that do attempt cognitive manipulation often either focus inadvertently on orientation (as opposed to navigation itself ) or generate results that can be explained by orientation alone.…”

“…Such difficulties are inherent in many study systems, and therefore, common in many studies of spatial memory in wild vertebrates. Thus, our understanding of the development and mechanisms underlying complex spatial cognition and strategies for navigation is limited [11].…”

What do territory owners defend against?

“…For a full picture, however, it will be necessary to integrate habitat and species properties (e.g. [110,111]), cognitive mechanisms [112], interaction mechanics [33,113], population feedback [66] and resource properties [35,94].…”