Exploration as a key component of natal dispersal: dispersers explore more than philopatric individuals in roe deer

Natal dispersal (i.e. movements between the natal range of an individual and its first breeding site) is a complex process which can have profound impacts on population dynamics. In most species, only a proportion of juveniles actually disperse, but few empirical data are available on the factors that drive the decision to disperse. To understand the behavioural ontogeny of the decision to disperse, we investigated the ranging behaviour of 66 juvenile roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, monitored with GPS collars prior to and during the dispersal phase. We compared the number and features (distance and duration) of exploratory movements during the period prior to dispersal between philopatric individuals and dispersers. Overall, 76% of the juveniles that dispersed during their first spring performed exploratory movements prior to the dispersal period. Indeed, exploration prior to the dispersal phase was much more common among future dispersers than among future philopatric individuals, suggesting that dispersal of juveniles is facilitated to some degree by predispersal exploration forays. Furthermore, the direction of the dispersal event was correlated with the direction of previous exploration, although there was no relationship between exploration distance and subsequent dispersal distance. Thus, it appears that individuals that subsequently disperse first explore their environment, prior to definitively leaving their natal range, probably to obtain information on potential suitable adult ranges. Exploratory movements prior to dispersal can thus provide information that influences an individual's decision on whether or not to disperse and, if so, in which direction.

[1]  P. R. Wiepkema,et al.  Consistent individual differences in early exploratory behaviour of male great tits , 1994, Animal Behaviour.

[2]  E. Batschelet Circular statistics in biology , 1981 .

[3]  Peter Segerström,et al.  Characteristics of dispersal in wolverines , 2001 .

[4]  Nils Chr. Stenseth,et al.  Animal dispersal : small mammals as a model , 1992 .

[5]  O. Liberg,et al.  Spatial and temporal variation in natal dispersal by Eurasian lynx in Scandinavia , 2012 .

[6]  L. K. Wahlstrm The significance of male-male aggression for yearling dispersal in roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ) , 1994 .

[7]  D. L. Haughland,et al.  Exploration correlates with settlement: red squirrel dispersal in contrasting habitats , 2004 .

[8]  V. Penteriani,et al.  How Fledglings Explore Surroundings from Fledging to Dispersal. A Case Study with Eagle Owls Bubo bubo , 2009 .

[9]  Jean Clobert,et al.  Informed dispersal, heterogeneity in animal dispersal syndromes and the dynamics of spatially structured populations. , 2009, Ecology letters.

[10]  J. Joachim,et al.  Landscape fragmentation influences winter body mass of roe deer , 2009 .

[11]  J. Joachim,et al.  The effects of woodland fragmentation and human activity on roe deer distribution in agricultural landscapes , 2001 .

[12]  María del Mar Delgado,et al.  The effect of phenotypic traits and external cues on natal dispersal movements. , 2010, The Journal of animal ecology.

[13]  R. Andersen,et al.  The European roe deer: the biology of success. , 2000 .

[14]  Andrew Sih,et al.  Behavioral syndromes: an ecological and evolutionary overview. , 2004, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[15]  M. Apollonio,et al.  Use of space and habitat selection by roe deer Capreolus capreolus in a Mediterranean coastal area: how does woods landscape affect home range? , 2006, Journal of Ethology.

[16]  R Core Team,et al.  R: A language and environment for statistical computing. , 2014 .

[17]  Bram Van Moorter,et al.  Landscape composition influences roe deer habitat selection at both home range and landscape scales , 2011, Landscape Ecology.

[18]  Katherine A. Jones,et al.  Are fast explorers slow reactors? Linking personality type and anti-predator behaviour , 2010, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

[19]  T. Benton,et al.  Causes and consequences of animal dispersal strategies: relating individual behaviour to spatial dynamics , 2005, Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society.

[20]  Otso Ovaskainen,et al.  EVOLUTIONARY RESPONSES OF DISPERSAL DISTANCE TO LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE AND HABITAT LOSS , 2011, Evolution; international journal of organic evolution.

[21]  I. Hanski,et al.  Habitat exploration and use in dispersing juvenile flying squirrels. , 2006, The Journal of animal ecology.

[22]  Nicolas Morellet,et al.  Condition-dependent natal dispersal in a large herbivore: heavier animals show a greater propensity to disperse and travel further. , 2012, The Journal of animal ecology.

[23]  O. Ronce How Does It Feel to Be Like a Rolling Stone? Ten Questions About Dispersal Evolution , 2007 .

[24]  J. Reid,et al.  On animal distributions in dynamic landscapes , 2003 .

[25]  S. Aulagnier,et al.  Dispersal is not female biased in a resource-defence mating ungulate, the European roe deer , 2006, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

[26]  W. Howard Innate and Environmental Dispersal of Individual Vertebrates , 1960 .

[27]  N. Pettorelli,et al.  Population density and sex do not influence fine-scale natal dispersal in roe deer , 2008, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

[28]  Movements of intercolony natal dispersers in the Columbian ground squirrel , 1989 .

[29]  V. V. Krishnan,et al.  A Learning-Based Model of Territory Establishment , 1999, The Quarterly Review of Biology.

[30]  J. F. Gilliam,et al.  Explaining Leptokurtic Movement Distributions: Intrapopulation Variation in Boldness and Exploration , 2001, The American Naturalist.

[31]  Clément Calenge,et al.  The package “adehabitat” for the R software: A tool for the analysis of space and habitat use by animals , 2006 .

[32]  O. Liberg,et al.  Patterns of dispersal and seasonal migration in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) , 1995 .

[33]  Nicolas Morellet,et al.  The Effect of Capture on Ranging Behaviour and Activity of the European Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus , 2009 .

[34]  J. Gaillard,et al.  Evidence for exploration behaviour in young roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) prior to dispersal , 2008 .

[35]  C. Tarwater Influence of phenotypic and social traits on dispersal in a family living, tropical bird , 2012 .

[36]  L. Conradt,et al.  The process of dispersal in badgers Meles meles , 2003 .

[37]  Georges Janeau,et al.  GPS approach to study fine-scale site use by wild red deer during active and inactive behaviors , 2003 .

[38]  J. Godin,et al.  Boldness and intermittent locomotion in the bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus , 2010 .

[39]  D. Parkinson,et al.  Bayesian Methods in Cosmology: Model selection and multi-model inference , 2009 .

[40]  N. Dingemanse,et al.  Natal dispersal and personalities in great tits (Parus major) , 2003, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.

[41]  M. Whittingham,et al.  Personality traits in wild starlings: exploration behavior and environmental sensitivity , 2009 .

[42]  Veronica A. J. Doerr,et al.  Dispersal range analysis: quantifying individual variation in dispersal behaviour , 2004, Oecologia.

[43]  I. Hanski,et al.  Young flying squirrels (Pteromys volans) dispersing in fragmented forests , 2004 .

[44]  N. Dingemanse,et al.  Repeatability and heritability of exploratory behaviour in great tits from the wild , 2002, Animal Behaviour.

[45]  K. Holekamp Proximal Causes of Natal Dispersal in Belding's Ground Squirrels (Spermophilus Beldingi) , 1986 .

[46]  A. Bohonak,et al.  Dispersal, Gene Flow, and Population Structure , 1999, The Quarterly Review of Biology.

[47]  N. Dingemanse,et al.  Integrating animal temperament within ecology and evolution , 2007, Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society.

[48]  E. Matthysen,et al.  Family movements before independence influence natal dispersal in a territorial songbird , 2010, Oecologia.

[49]  A. Hastings,et al.  Metapopulation Dynamics and Genetics , 1994 .

[50]  S. Lavín,et al.  EFFECTS OF ACEPROMAZINE ON CAPTURE STRESS IN ROE DEER (CAPREOLUS CAPREOLUS) , 2003, Journal of wildlife diseases.

[51]  V. V. Krishnan,et al.  SEARCH COSTS AND HABITAT SELECTION BY DISPERSERS , 2005 .