Determinants of departure to natal dispersal across an elevational gradient in a long-lived raptor species.

ABSTRACT: Attributes of natal habitat often affect early stages of natal dispersal. Thus, environmental gradients at mountain slopes are expected to result in gradients of dispersal behavior and to drive elevational differences in dispersal distances and settlement behavior. However, covariation of environmental factors across elevational gradients complicates the identification of mechanisms underlying the elevational patterns in dispersal behavior. Assuming a decreasing food availability with elevation, we conducted a food supplementation experiment of red kite (Milvus milvus) broods across an elevational gradient toward the upper range margin and we GPS-tagged nestlings to assess their start of dispersal. While considering timing of breeding and breeding density across elevation, this allo

SUBMITTER: Scherler P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9842906 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature