Flight efficiency explains differences in natal dispersal distances in birds

Abstract Over four years, nestling Pied Flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) were banded and recaptured in nest boxes at a 44 km long and 1–1.5 km wide study area along the Courish Spit on the southeast Baltic coast. The return rate for males was nearly twice as high as for females. Males settled significantly closer to their natal sites than predicted by the null model, which assumed that any nest box in the study area was selected at random. For females, the frequency distribution of natal dispersal distances was not significantly different from that predicted by the null model. The difference in average dispersal distance between the sexes was highly significant. Although some individuals settled within tens of kilometers, most male Pied Flycatchers settled within several kilometers of their natal sites. We suggest that even if females settle on average farther from their natal sites than males do, both sexes imprint on a relatively small (several kilometers in diameter) area during postfledging exploration, to which they return each spring.

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Sex-Related Natal Dispersal of White Storks (Ciconia Ciconia) in Poland: How Far and Where to?

The Auk ◽

10.1093/auk/123.4.1103 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 123 (4) ◽

pp. 1103-1109 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nikita Chernetsov ◽

Wiesław Chromik ◽

Pawel T. Dolata ◽

Piotr Profus ◽

Piotr Tryjanowski

Keyword(s):

Regression Analysis ◽

Population Density ◽

Interannual Variation ◽

Natal Dispersal ◽

High Population Density ◽

Ciconia Ciconia ◽

Nesting Sites ◽

White Storks ◽

Population Indices ◽

Dispersal Distances

Abstract Distance and direction of natal dispersal were studied in a Polish White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) population on the basis of 25 years of banding and resighting data. Multiple regression analysis showed a significant sex-linked bias (females settled farther from the natal sites than males) and effect of banding year, in that dispersal distances were decreasing toward the end of the study period. Population indices in the hatching year and the presumed recruitment year did not help to explain the variance. The birds showed a trend toward settling southeast of the natal site, but this was significant only in individuals that settled within 50 km of the natal site. We suggest that when returning from winter sites in the southeast, young White Storks settle before they reach their presumed migratory target in the vicinity of the natal site. This is only possible if, in spite of a relatively high population density, many breeding areas and potential nesting sites remain vacant. This might also explain our failure to find density dependence in the interannual variation of dispersal distances.

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A genetic approach to estimating natal dispersal distances and self-recruitment in resident rainforest birds

Journal of Avian Biology ◽

10.1111/j.1600-048x.2011.05572.x ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 43 (1) ◽

pp. 33-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Stefan Woltmann ◽

Thomas W. Sherry ◽

Brian R. Kreiser

Keyword(s):

Natal Dispersal ◽

Genetic Approach ◽

Dispersal Distances

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Natal dispersal of grizzly bears

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z01-051 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 79 (5) ◽

pp. 838-844 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

Bruce N McLellan ◽

Frederick W Hovey

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Natal Dispersal ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Grizzly Bears ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Adult Males ◽

Gradual Process ◽

The Social ◽

Dispersal Distances

We studied natal dispersal of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos), a solitary nonterritorial carnivore with a promiscuous mating system, between 1979 and 1998. Dispersal distances for 2-year-olds did not differ between males and females, but by 3 years of age, males had dispersed farther than females, and farther still by 4 years of age. Dispersal of both sexes was a gradual process, occurring over 14 years. From the locations of death, or last annual ranges, it was estimated that 18 males dispersed 29.9 ± 3.5 km (mean ± SE) and 12 females dispersed 9.8 ± 1.6 km. Eleven of these males dispersed the equivalent of at least the diameter of 1 adult male home range, whereas only 3 of the females dispersed at least the diameter of 1 adult female home range. The longest dispersals recorded were 67 km for a male and 20 km for a female. Because the social system consists of numerous overlapping home ranges of both sexes, long dispersal distances may not be required to avoid inbreeding or competition with relatives. Simple models suggest that 61% of the ranges of brother and sister pairs would not overlap, but the home range of every daughter would overlap her father's range. The home range of an estimated 19 ± 4 (mean ± SD) adult males, however, would overlap at least a portion of each female's range, thereby reducing the chance of a female mating with her brother or father. Understanding the dispersal behaviour of grizzly bears is essential for developing conservation strategies. Our results suggest that meta-population reserve designs must provide corridors wide enough for male grizzly bears to live in with little risk of being killed.

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Population density and presence of the mother are related to natal dispersal in male and female Antechinus stuartii

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo04068 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 53 (2) ◽

pp. 103 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

D. O. Fisher

Keyword(s):

Population Density ◽

Natal Dispersal ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Juvenile Dispersal ◽

Linear Habitat ◽

Antechinus Stuartii ◽

Mating Opportunities ◽

Dispersal Distances ◽

A Site ◽

Juvenile Males

In common with most mammals, the frequency of natal dispersal in antechinuses is strongly male-biased. Inbreeding avoidance has been put forward as the most likely explanation, with juvenile dispersal being driven by the mother. Dispersal distances and factors affecting emigration and immigration of each sex have not previously been studied in antechinuses, because of the difficulty of following the fates of individual dispersers. I studied a dense population of brown antechinuses (Antechinus stuartii) of known parentage in linear habitat that could be comprehensively trapped, and determined the fate of 27 females and 14 males that survived to dispersal age. Juvenile males dispersed not only more frequently than females (71% v. 11%), but also much further (maximum known distance: 1230 m v. 270 m). Males dispersed further if they had been raised in an area of low population density, and were more likely to immigrate into an area with a higher density of females than the natal site. Death of the mother disrupted normal home-range establishment, resulting in frequent philopatry of sons and dispersal of some daughters. Some females emigrated after young were weaned, and this also prompted dispersal of daughters. There was no evidence that daughters with surviving, philopatric mothers were more likely to survive to breed. I conclude that male-biased dispersal appears to result not only from costs of inbreeding, but also partly by the benefits of finding a site with more mating opportunities.

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Ecomorphological predictors of natal dispersal distances in birds

Journal of Animal Ecology ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2656.2008.01504.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 78 (2) ◽

pp. 388-395 ◽

Cited By ~ 65

Author(s):

Britta A. Dawideit ◽

Albert B. Phillimore ◽

Irina Laube ◽

Bernd Leisler ◽

Katrin Böhning-Gaese

Keyword(s):

Natal Dispersal ◽

Dispersal Distances

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Dispersal distance is driven by habitat availability and reproductive success in Northern Great Plains piping plovers

Movement Ecology ◽

10.1186/s40462-021-00293-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rose J. Swift ◽

Michael J. Anteau ◽

Kristen S. Ellis ◽

Megan M. Ring ◽

Mark H. Sherfy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reproductive Success ◽

Great Plains ◽

Dispersal Distance ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Natal Dispersal ◽

Northern Great Plains ◽

Habitat Availability ◽

Charadrius Melodus ◽

Piping Plovers ◽

Dispersal Distances

Abstract Background Dispersal is a critical life history strategy that has important conservation implications, particularly for at-risk species with active recovery efforts and migratory species. Both natal and breeding dispersal are driven by numerous selection pressures, including conspecific competition, individual characteristics, reproductive success, and spatiotemporal variation in habitat. Most studies focus on dispersal probabilities, but the distance traveled can affect survival, fitness, and even metapopulation dynamics. Methods We examined sources of variation in dispersal distances with 275 natal dispersal and 1335 interannual breeding events for piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) breeding in the Northern Great Plains between 2014 and 2019. Results Natal dispersal was on average longer (mean: 81.0 km, median: 53 km) than adult breeding movements (mean: 23.7 km, median: 1 km). Individuals moved the shortest distances when hatched, previously nested, or settling on river habitats. When more habitat was available on their natal area than in the year prior, hatch-year birds moved shorter distances to their first breeding location. Similarly, adults also moved shorter distances when more habitat was available at the settling site and when in closer proximity to other known nesting areas. Additionally, adult movement distance was shorter when successfully hatching a nest the year prior, retaining a mate, or initiating a current nest earlier. Conclusion Habitat availability appears to be associated with dispersal distance for both hatch-year and adult piping plovers. Conservation efforts that integrate dispersal distances may benefit from maintaining nesting habitat within close proximity to other areas for adults and a network of clustered sites spread out across a larger landscape for natal dispersal.

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Ichnological evidence of jökulhlaup deposit recolonization from the Touchet Beds, Mabton, WA, USA

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1016/j.yqres.2012.09.001 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 79 (1) ◽

pp. 37-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

James A. MacEachern ◽

Michael C. Roberts

Keyword(s):

Secondary Succession ◽

Ground Squirrels ◽

The Other ◽

Natal Dispersal ◽

Glacial Lake ◽

Pocket Gophers ◽

Field Evidence ◽

Late Wisconsinan ◽

Dispersal Distances ◽

Mount St Helens

AbstractThe late Wisconsinan Touchet Beds section at Mabton, Washington reveals at least seven stacked jökulhlaup deposits, five showing evidence of post-flood recolonization by vertebrates. Tracemakers are attributed to voles or pocket mice (1–3 cm diameter burrows) and pocket gophers or ground squirrels (3–6 cm diameter burrows). The Mount St. Helens S tephra deposited between flood beds contains the invertebrate-generated burrows Naktodemasis and Macanopsis. Estimates of times between floods are based on natal dispersal distances of the likely vertebrate tracemakers (30–50 m median distances; 127–525 m maximum distances) from upland areas containing surviving populations to the Mabton area, a distance of about 7.9 km. Tetrapods would have required at least two to three decades to recolonize these flood beds, based on maximum dispersal distances. Invertebrate recolonization was limited by secondary succession and estimated at only a few years to a decade. These ichnological data support multiple floods from failure of the ice dam at glacial Lake Missoula, separated by hiatal surfaces on the order of decades in duration. Ichnological recolonization times are consistent with published estimates of refill times for glacial Lake Missoula, and complement the other field evidence that points to repeated, autogenically induced flood discharge.

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Gender-specific dispersal distances of grizzly bears estimated by genetic analysis

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z04-077 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 82 (7) ◽

pp. 1108-1118 ◽

Cited By ~ 76

Author(s):

Michael F Proctor ◽

Bruce N McLellan ◽

Curtis Strobeck ◽

Robert M.R Barclay

Keyword(s):

Genetic Analysis ◽

Home Range ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Dispersal Distance ◽

Natal Dispersal ◽

Grizzly Bears ◽

Long Distance ◽

Generation Times ◽

Natal Home ◽

Dispersal Distances

Natal dispersal is difficult to quantify, and long-distance events are often undetected, leading to biased estimates. Following offspring from their natal home range to their postdispersal adult breeding home range is challenging, and gathering sufficient data for large mammals with long generation times is particularly difficult. Here we measure average sex-specific dispersal distances in grizzly bears (Ursus arctos L., 1758) using individual-based genetic analysis. We genetically sampled and generated 15-locus microsatellite genotypes for 711 grizzly bears over a range of 100 000 km2 in southwestern Canada. Microsatellite markers are inherited in a Mendelian fashion, allowing us to use likelihood-based parentage analyses to estimate parent–offspring dyads. We used the distance between individually captured females of parent–offspring pairs (i.e., mother–daughter) to estimate female natal dispersal distances and found that, on average, females dispersed 14.3 km from the center of their natal home range. We used the distance between males of parent–offspring pairs (i.e., father–son) to estimate average male dispersal distances and found that males dispersed, on average, 41.9 km from their natal, or maternal, home range (mother–son dispersal distance). We used a simulation model to estimate the bias associated with measuring the father–son (male–male) distance as an estimate of the mother–son distance.

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