Luca Russo, Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)

Understanding the mechanisms driving animal space use is essential to predict wildlife responses to environmental change. Although habitat selection has traditionally been explained by environmental characteristics, growing evidence shows that spatial memory—knowledge gained from past experience—also influences movement decisions. Individuals may differ in how much they rely on previous experience versus current environmental cues.

In brown bears (Ursus arctos), consistent differences along the shy–bold continuum affect risk-taking, use of anthropogenic areas, and exploratory behaviour. Shy individuals show greater caution and site fidelity, whereas bold individuals are more exploratory and tolerant of human disturbance. We tested whether reliance on spatial memory varies with behavioural type.

Using multi-year GPS data from four European populations (Karelian, Romanian, Slovak, and Italian), we quantified behavioural types from repeatable movement metrics, including daily travel distance, displacement, diurnality, and proximity to anthropogenic features. Boldness was estimated using mixed-effects models, and bears were classified as shy or bold by sex.

We applied a resource selection framework comparing environment-based models (topographic and anthropogenic covariates) with memory-based models indexing previous seasonal use. Model performance was assessed as the proportion of used locations falling within areas of highest predicted suitability.

Preliminary results show that both memory and environmental variables explain bear space use, but their relative importance differs between behavioural types. Shy individuals rely more on previous-use indices, whereas bold individuals respond more to current environmental conditions, particularly in human-modified landscapes. These findings indicate that personality shapes the balance between memory and environmental drivers of habitat selection.