Animal Movement as a Link Between Ecology, Evolution and Behavior

Due to its critical role in shaping ecological and evolutionary processes, the movement of organisms has been studied extensively and intensively since the early days of scientific inquiry. Movement Ecology recently emerged as an independent discipline that integrates movement, its consequences and its origins across taxonomic groups. It specifically considers individual behavioral responses to environmental variation, while taking into account key life-history traits and evolutionary constraints on navigation and motion capacities. As such, movement ecology links three major research disciplines: Ecology, Evolution and Behavior (EEB). This conference will explore these links by presenting the most recent discoveries in this exciting field of research, covering four major themes and a closing synthesis.

Starting at the level of the individual, our first theme will present emerging insights into two fascinating questions: what is the role of conspecific variation in movement behavior, its origin and consequences? (session 1), and what are the neural/cognitive mechanisms that underlie movement decisions (session 2). Our second theme will explore how biotic interactions among individuals shape movement patterns, both within species, focusing on social groups and collective motion (session 3) and among species, focusing on dispersal of pathogens and plants by animals (session 5). The third theme is methodological, focusing on the interface between moving organisms and their environment, covering emerging technologies (session 4) and data analysis tools (session 6). The fourth theme will be devoted to the consequences of movement for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem function (session 7), along with some global perspectives on the pervasive impacts of humans on movement patterns and related processes (session 8). To conclude (session 9), we will invite opinion lectures from leading experts in related EEB disciplines to present complementary lines of research and to synthesize insights from the different themes, for broadening the perspectives in movement ecology as a field linking EEB research.