Memory drives the formation of animal home ranges: evidence from a reintroduction

Abstract

Most animals live in a characteristic home range, a space-use pattern thought to emerge from the benefits of memory-based movements; however, a general model for characterizing and predicting their formation in the absence of territoriality has been lacking. Here, we use a mechanistic movement model to quantify the role of memory in the movements of a large mammal reintroduced into a novel environment, and to predict observed patterns of home range emergence. We show that an interplay between memory and resource preferences is the primary process influencing the movements of reintroduced roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). Our memory-based model fitted with empirical data successfully predicts the formation of home ranges, as well as emerging properties of movement and revisits observed in the reintroduced animals. These results provide a quantitative framework for combining memory-based movements, resource preference and the emergence of home ranges in nature.