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Phenotypic and environmental correlates of natal dispersal in a long-lived territorial vulture.

Authors :
Serrano, David
Cortés-Avizanda, Ainara
Zuberogoitia, Iñigo
Blanco, Guillermo
Benítez, José Ramón
Ponchon, Cecile
Grande, Juan Manuel
Ceballos, Olga
Morant, Jon
Arrondo, Eneko
Zabala, Jabi
Montelío, Eugenio
Ávila, Enrique
González, José L.
Arroyo, Bernardo
Frías, Óscar
Kobierzycki, Erick
Arenas, Rafael
Tella, José Luis
Donázar, José Antonio
Source :
Scientific Reports; 3/8/2021, Vol. 11 Issue 1, p1-13, 13p
Publication Year :
2021

Abstract

Natal dispersal, the movement between the birth and the first breeding site, has been rarely studied in long-lived territorial birds with a long-lasting pre-breeding stage. Here we benefited from the long-term monitoring programs of six populations of Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus) from Spain and France to study how the rearing environment determines dispersal. For 124 vultures, we recorded a median dispersal distance of 48 km (range 0–656 km). Linear models were used to assess the effect of population and individual traits on dispersal distance at two spatial scales. Dispersal distances were inversely related to vulture density in the natal population, suggesting that birds perceive the abundance of conspecifics as a signal of habitat quality. This was particularly true for declining populations, so increasing levels of opportunistic philopatry seemed to arise in high density contexts as a consequence of vacancies created by human-induced adult mortality. Females dispersed further than males, but males were more sensitive to the social environment, indicating different dispersal tactics. Both sexes were affected by different individual attributes simultaneously and interactively with this social context. These results highlight that complex phenotype-by-environment interactions should be considered for advancing our understanding of dispersal dynamics in long-lived organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20452322
Volume :
11
Issue :
1
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Scientific Reports
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
149129643
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-84811-8