Abstract
Cognitive biases for encoding spatial information (orientation strategies) in relation to self (egocentric) or landmarks (allocentric) differ between species or populations according to the habitats they occupy. Whether biases in orientation strategy determine early habitat selection or if individuals adapt their biases following experience is unknown. We determined orientation strategies of pheasants, Phasianus colchicus, using a dual-strategy maze with an allocentric probe trial, before releasing them (n = 20) into a novel landscape, where we monitored their movement and habitat selection. In general, pheasants selected for woodland over non-woodland habitat, but allocentric-biased individuals exhibited weaker avoidance of non-woodland habitat, where we expected allocentric navigation to be more effective. Sex did not influence selection but was associated with speed and directional persistence in non-woodland habitat. Our results suggest that an individual's habitat selection is associated with inherent cognitive bias in early life, but it is not yet clear what advantages this may offer.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 751-760 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Ecology Letters |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors thank Rothamsted Research North Wyke for accommodating the rearing and release of the pheasants and various landowners in Mid Devon for hosting our tracking equipment. The authors also thank the Minerva Center for movement ecology for their persistence in developing ATLAS. Additionally, the authors thank Kandace Griffin and Anna Morris for their help with data collection and animal husbandry. This work was funded by an ERC Consolidator award (616474) to JRM. Finally, the authors thank Tal Avgar and two anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments on the manuscript.
Funding Information:
The authors thank Rothamsted Research North Wyke for accommodating the rearing and release of the pheasants and various landowners in Mid Devon for hosting our tracking equipment. The authors also thank the Minerva Center for movement ecology for their persistence in developing ATLAS. Additionally, the authors thank Kandace Griffin and Anna Morris for their help with data collection and animal husbandry. This work was funded by an ERC Consolidator award (616474) to JRM. Finally, the authors thank Tal Avgar and two anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments on the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Ecology Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Keywords
- Allocentric
- cognition
- egocentric
- habitat
- movement ecology
- navigation
- orientation strategies
- spatial memory