Movement of individual organisms, one of the most fundamental features of life on Earth, is a crucial component of almost any ecological and evolutionary process, including major problems associated with habitat fragmentation, climate change, biological invasions, and the spread of pests and diseases. The rich variety of movement modes seen among microorganisms, plants, and animals has fascinated mankind since time immemorial. The prophet Jeremiah (7th century B.C.), for instance, described the temporal consistency in migratory patterns of birds, and Aristotle (4th century B.C.) searched for common features unifying animal movements (see ref. 1).
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