Jesse Granger

Migratory animals are ecologically important, often keystone species, because they transport nutrients and other organisms vast distances. Despite this, little is known about how these animals navigate long distances, which makes it difficult to target conservation efforts efficiently. While collective movement (CM) in groups like herds and flocks was traditionally thought to primarily aid in predator avoidance and social activities, more recent theories suggest that CM may also enhance navigational accuracy via the 'many wrongs principle,' wherein pooling information reduces individual error.
Her recent theoretical work demonstrates that CM is an effective strategy for long-distance migrators; however, it also highlights that animals relying on CM may be more vulnerable to population loss because it reduces their ability to locate conspecifics. Despite the theoretical importance of CM in navigation, almost no experimental work has been done to explore how it impacts long-distance navigation. Here she aims to elucidate this crucial but unknown aspect of navigation by studying an iconic long-distant migrant, the Australian Bogong moth.
Every spring, nocturnal Bogong moths migrate over 1,000km to a specific cave system. Although they shelter in swarms and travel in groups of many sizes, it is unclear if they utilize CM to improve their navigation. Here they aim to test 1) how CM affects Bogong’s navigational behavior, 2) what sensory systems the Bogongs use for conspecific orientation, and 3) how CM ranks in importance compared to other sensory cues. In addition, they will also develop a novel "Virtual Reality" apparatus for testing multiple cues in the lab under realistic conditions.
This research will span three countries and collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of researchers to conduct the first CM experiment in a long-distance migrant and provide critical information on the navigational abilities of this endangered, keystone species.