Conspecific and congeneric interactions shape increasing rates of breeding dispersal of northern spotted owls.

ABSTRACT: Breeding dispersal, the movement from one breeding territory to another, is rare for philopatric species that evolved within relatively stable environments, such as the old-growth coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest. Although dispersal is not inherently maladaptive, the consequences of increased dispersal on population dynamics in populations whose historical dispersal rates are low could be significant, particularly for a declining species. We examined rates and possible causes of breeding dispersal based on a sample of 4,118 northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) monitored in seven study areas over 28 yr, 1990-2017, in Oregon and Washington, USA. Using a multistate mark-resight analysis, we investigated the potential impacts of an emergent congeneric competitor (barre

SUBMITTER: Jenkins JMA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9285767 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature