Dataset Information

No place like home? A test of the natal habitat-biased dispersal hypothesis in Scandinavian wolves.

ABSTRACT: Natal dispersal is an important mechanism for the viability of populations. The influence of local conditions or experience gained in the natal habitat could improve fitness if dispersing individuals settle in an area with similar habitat characteristics. This process, defined as 'natal habitat-biased dispersal' (NHBD), has been used to explain distribution patterns in large carnivores, but actual studies evaluating it are rare. We tested whether grey wolf Canis lupus territory establishment was influenced by the habitat characteristics of the natal territory using the long-term monitoring of the Scandinavian wolf population. We paired the locations of natal and established territories, accounted for available habitats along the dispersing route, and compared their habitat characteristics for 271 wolves during 1998-2012. Wolves with the shortest dispersal distances established in natal-like habitat types more than expected by chance, whereas wolves that dispersed longer distances did not show NHBD. The pattern was consistent for male and female wolves, with females showing more NHBD than males. Chances to detect NHBD increased with the size of habitat defined as available. This highlights the importance of considering the biological characteristics of the studied species when defining habitat availability. Our methodological approach can prove useful to inform conservation and management to identify habitats to be selected by reintroduced or naturally expanding populations.

SUBMITTER: Sanz-Perez A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6304128 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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No place like home? A test of the natal habitat-biased dispersal hypothesis in Scandinavian wolves.

Sanz-Pérez Ana A Ordiz Andrés A Sand Håkan H Swenson Jon E JE Wabakken Petter P Wikenros Camilla C Zimmermann Barbara B Åkesson Mikael M Milleret Cyril C

Royal Society open science 20181212 12

Natal dispersal is an important mechanism for the viability of populations. The influence of local conditions or experience gained in the natal habitat could improve fitness if dispersing individuals settle in an area with similar habitat characteristics. This process, defined as 'natal habitat-biased dispersal' (NHBD), has been used to explain distribution patterns in large carnivores, but actual studies evaluating it are rare. We tested whether grey wolf <i>Canis lupus</i> territory establishm ...[more]

PMID: 30662744

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Project description:BackgroundMetapopulation persistence in fragmented landscapes is assured by dispersal of individuals between local populations. In this scenario the landscape topography, although usually neglected, may have an important role in shaping dispersal throughout the matrix separating habitat patches. Due to inter-sexual differences in optimal reproductive strategies, i.e., males maximizing the number of mating opportunities and females maximizing the offspring survival chances, topography-related constraints are expected to exert a different effect on male and female dispersal behaviour. We tested sex-biased topography effects on butterfly dispersal, with the following hypotheses: (1) females are constrained by topography in their movements and avoid hill crossing; (2) male dispersal is primarily driven by two-dimensional spatial structure of the habitat patches (i.e. their geometric locations and sizes) and little influenced by topography.MethodsFollowing intensive mark-recapture surveys of Maculinea (= Phengaris) nausithous and M. teleius within a landscape characterised by an alternation of hills and valleys, we investigated sex-specific patterns in their inter-patch movement probabilities derived with a multi-state recapture model. In particular, we (1) analysed the fit of dispersal kernels based on Euclidean (= straight line) vs. topography-based (= through valley) distances; (2) compared movement probabilities for the pairs of patches separated or not by topographic barriers; and (3) tested the differences in the downward and upward movement probabilities within the pairs of patches.ResultsEuclidean distances between patches proved to be a substantially stronger predictor of inter-patch movement probabilities in males, while inter-patch distances measured along valleys performed much better for females, indicating that the latter tend to predominantly follow valleys when dispersing. In addition, there were significantly lower probabilities of movements across hills in females, but not in males.ConclusionsBoth above results provide support for the hypothesis that topography restricts dispersal in females, but not in males. Since the two sexes contribute differently to metapopulation functioning, i.e., only female dispersal can result in successful (re)colonisations of vacant patches, the topography effects exerted on females should be considered with particular attention when landscape management and conservation actions are designed in order to maintain the functional connectivity of metapopulation systems.

Dataset Information

No place like home? A test of the natal habitat-biased dispersal hypothesis in Scandinavian wolves.

Publications

No place like home? A test of the natal habitat-biased dispersal hypothesis in Scandinavian wolves.

Similar Datasets

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