Is ungulate migration culturally transmitted? Evidence of social learning from translocated animals.

Autor: Jesmer BR; Program in Ecology, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA. bjesmer@uwyo.edu.; Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA., Merkle JA; Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA., Goheen JR; Program in Ecology, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA., Aikens EO; Program in Ecology, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.; Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA., Beck JL; Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA., Courtemanch AB; Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Jackson, WY 83001, USA., Hurley MA; Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Boise, ID 83712, USA., McWhirter DE; Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Jackson, WY 83001, USA., Miyasaki HM; Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Boise, ID 83712, USA., Monteith KL; Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.; Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82072, USA., Kauffman MJ; U. S. Geological Survey, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Science (New York, N.Y.) [Science] 2018 Sep 07; Vol. 361 (6406), pp. 1023-1025.
DOI: 10.1126/science.aat0985
Abstrakt: Ungulate migrations are assumed to stem from learning and cultural transmission of information regarding seasonal distribution of forage, but this hypothesis has not been tested empirically. We compared the migratory propensities of bighorn sheep and moose translocated into novel habitats with those of historical populations that had persisted for hundreds of years. Whereas individuals from historical populations were largely migratory, translocated individuals initially were not. After multiple decades, however, translocated populations gained knowledge about surfing green waves of forage (tracking plant phenology) and increased their propensity to migrate. Our findings indicate that learning and cultural transmission are the primary mechanisms by which ungulate migrations evolve. Loss of migration will therefore expunge generations of knowledge about the locations of high-quality forage and likely suppress population abundance.
(Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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