Perceptual constraints of motion shape animal movement strategies
- 1Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Science, Department of Social and Myrmecophilous Insects, Warsaw, Poland
Abstract
As animals explore their environment, self-generated motion can affect visual perception, while perceptual constraints shape movement decisions. Movement strategies should therefore balance the benefits of exploration against the potential perceptual costs of motion. Here, we test whether the movement strategies animals adopt can enhance information acquisition while accounting for the constraints that motion imposes on visual perception. We first quantified the visual perceptual abilities of freely moving fish in three dimensions by projecting virtual prey around three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), determining how the likelihood of detecting prey varied across the fish's visual field as a function of their movement. Self-induced motion reduced the likelihood prey were detected, with increases in speed non-linearly reducing the perceptual abilities of the fish. Using agent-based simulations based on empirical models of visual perception, we demonstrate that when visual perception degrades non-linearly with speed, the strategy that maximizes prey detection is 'saltatory' locomotion, involving stationary pauses interspersed with movements. Moreover, experiments with freely swimming fish showed they adopted specific durations of stops and movements that improved prey detection given the way motion impacts their perception. Our results reveal that some movement strategies are more effective than others at gathering information during exploration.
Related
- Movement mechanisms explain current animal density patterns and predict their reorganization under global change
- Social anchors: how previous social locations shape current animal movement and habitat selection
- Bearing, heading and the perceptual geometry of collective motion
- Insights for Estimating Animal Movement Step Selection Functions
- Representing short-term movement to reveal animal identity and learning progress
BibTeX
@misc{chiara2026perceptual,
title = {{Perceptual constraints of motion shape animal movement strategies}},
author = {V. Chiara and S. R. Matchette and P. Chakravarty and N. M. Hamilton and P. Bartashevich and J. Attwell and C. C. Ioannou and J. Herbert-Read},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.22.753148},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.22.753148v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Perceptual constraints of motion shape animal movement strategies
AU - V. Chiara
AU - S. R. Matchette
AU - P. Chakravarty
AU - N. M. Hamilton
AU - P. Bartashevich
AU - J. Attwell
AU - C. C. Ioannou
AU - J. Herbert-Read
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/22
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.22.753148
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.22.753148v1
AB - As animals explore their environment, self-generated motion can affect visual perception, while perceptual constraints shape movement decisions. Movement strategies should therefore balance the benefits of exploration against the potential perceptual costs of motion. Here, we test whether the movement strategies animals adopt can enhance information acquisition while accounting for the constraints that motion imposes on visual perception. We first quantified the visual perceptual abilities of freely moving fish in three dimensions by projecting virtual prey around three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), determining how the likelihood of detecting prey varied across the fish's visual field as a function of their movement. Self-induced motion reduced the likelihood prey were detected, with increases in speed non-linearly reducing the perceptual abilities of the fish. Using agent-based simulations based on empirical models of visual perception, we demonstrate that when visual perception degrades non-linearly with speed, the strategy that maximizes prey detection is 'saltatory' locomotion, involving stationary pauses interspersed with movements. Moreover, experiments with freely swimming fish showed they adopted specific durations of stops and movements that improved prey detection given the way motion impacts their perception. Our results reveal that some movement strategies are more effective than others at gathering information during exploration.
ER -