Sex-biased topography effects on butterfly dispersal.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Metapopulation 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 i

SUBMITTER: Plazio E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7737334 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature