TY - JOUR
T1 - Individual-level memory is sufficient to create spatial segregation among neighboring colonies of central place foragers
AU - Aarts, Geert
AU - Mul, Evert
AU - Fieberg, John
AU - Brasseur, Sophie
AU - van Gils, Jan A.
AU - Matthiopoulos, Jason
AU - Riotte-Lambert, Louise
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by The University of Chicago.
PY - 2021/8
Y1 - 2021/8
N2 - Central place foragers often segregate in space, even without signs of direct agonistic interactions. Using parsimonious individual-based simulations, we show that for species with spatial cognitive abilities, individual-level memory of resource availability can be sufficient to cause spatial segregation in the foraging ranges of colonial animals. The shapes of the foraging distributions are governed by commuting costs, the emerging distribution of depleted resources, and the fidelity of foragers to their colonies. When colony fidelity is weak and foragers can easily switch to colonies located closer to favorable foraging grounds, this leads to space partitioning with equidistant borders between neighboring colonies. In contrast, when colony fidelity is strong—for example, because larger colonies provide safety in numbers or individuals are unable to leave—it can create a regional imbalance between resource requirements and resource availability. This leads to nontrivial space-use patterns that propagate through the landscape. Interestingly, while better spatial memory creates more defined boundaries between neighboring colonies, it can lower the average intake rate of the population, suggesting a potential trade-off between an individual’s attempt for increased intake and population growth rates.
AB - Central place foragers often segregate in space, even without signs of direct agonistic interactions. Using parsimonious individual-based simulations, we show that for species with spatial cognitive abilities, individual-level memory of resource availability can be sufficient to cause spatial segregation in the foraging ranges of colonial animals. The shapes of the foraging distributions are governed by commuting costs, the emerging distribution of depleted resources, and the fidelity of foragers to their colonies. When colony fidelity is weak and foragers can easily switch to colonies located closer to favorable foraging grounds, this leads to space partitioning with equidistant borders between neighboring colonies. In contrast, when colony fidelity is strong—for example, because larger colonies provide safety in numbers or individuals are unable to leave—it can create a regional imbalance between resource requirements and resource availability. This leads to nontrivial space-use patterns that propagate through the landscape. Interestingly, while better spatial memory creates more defined boundaries between neighboring colonies, it can lower the average intake rate of the population, suggesting a potential trade-off between an individual’s attempt for increased intake and population growth rates.
KW - Animal movement
KW - Animal tracking
KW - Central place foraging
KW - Public information
KW - Space partitioning
KW - Species distribution
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U2 - 10.1086/715014
DO - 10.1086/715014
M3 - Article
C2 - 34260868
AN - SCOPUS:85110453992
SN - 0003-0147
VL - 198
SP - E37-E52
JO - American Naturalist
JF - American Naturalist
IS - 2
ER -