Sex differences in condition dependence of natal dispersal in a large herbivore: dispersal propensity and distance are decoupled.

ABSTRACT: Evolution should favour plasticity in dispersal decisions in response to spatial heterogeneity in social and environmental contexts. Sex differences in individual optimization of dispersal decisions are poorly documented in mammals, because species where both sexes commonly disperse are rare. To elucidate the sex-specific drivers governing dispersal, we investigated sex differences in condition dependence in the propensity and distance of natal dispersal in one such species, the roe deer, using fine-scale monitoring of 146 GPS-collared juveniles in an intensively monitored population in southwest France. Dispersal propensity increased with body mass in males such that 36% of light individuals dispersed, whereas 62% of heavy individuals did so, but there was no evidence for condition depend

SUBMITTER: Hewison AJM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7944087 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature