Patterns and processes of dispersal behaviour in arvicoline rodents

Abstract

A good understanding of mammalian societies requires measuring patterns and comprehending processes of dispersal in each sex. We investigated dispersal behaviour in arvicoline rodents, a subfamily of mammals widespread in northern temperate environments and characterized by a multivoltine life cycle. In arvicoline rodents, variation in life history strategies occurs along a continuum from precocial to delayed maturation that reflects seasonal and ecological fluctuations. We compared dispersal across and within species focusing on the effects of external (condition-dependent) and internal (phenotype-dependent) factors. Our data revealed substantial, unexplained variation between species for dispersal distances and a strong variation within species for both dispersal distance and fraction. Some methodological aspects explained variation across studies, which cautions against comparisons that do not control for them. Overall, the species under consideration display frequent short-distance dispersal events and extremely flexible dispersal strategies, but they also have hitherto unexpected capacity to disperse long distances. Female arvicolines are predominantly philopatric relative to males, but we found no clear association between the mating system and the degree of sex bias in dispersal across species. Dispersal is a response to both various proximate and ultimate factors, including competition, inbreeding avoidance, mate searching and habitat quality. In particular, our review suggests that costs and benefits experienced during transience and settlement are prime determinants of condition dependence. Patterns of phenotype-dependent dispersal are idiosyncratic, except for a widespread association between an exploration ⁄ activity syndrome and natal dispersal. Consequences for population dynamics and genetic structures are discussed.

Multi‐scale processes in metapopulations: contributions of stage structure, rescue effect, and correlated extinctions

“…Not considering stage structure produced biased estimates of the scale of dispersal (log(2)/a: juvenile ¼ 12.40 km vs. total population ¼ 5.52 km). That juveniles should be a more informative determinant of colonization is biologically consistent with observations in water voles that most movement happens early in life ( juvenile natal dispersal), as is the case for most small-mammal species (Telfer et al 2001, Le Galliard et al 2011. It is also sensible that adult population size should determine the fate of patches in terms of their extinction risk for two reasons.…”

Bears are simply voles writ large: social structure determines the mechanisms of intrinsic population regulation in mammals

“…Adult root voles are solitary, with larger home ranges and core areas in adult males than adult females (Andreassen et al 1998)—a result that appears to be consistent among studies of small rodents in general (Ims 1987a, Le Galliard et al 2012). Their degree of space sharing depends on sex and kinship (Bjørnstad et al 1998; Andreassen et al 1998; Andreassen and Ims 1998; Le Galliard et al 2006).…”

“…Individuals are primarily solitary in both species with some degree of intrasexual territoriality and a polygyneous mating system, which is quite common for several small rodent and large carnivore species (Le Galliard et al 2012; Steyaert et al 2012). …”

Pair-bonding behaviour of the sister species Microtus lusitanicus and M. duodecimcostatus

“…These females may be members of the population, members of a nearby population, or immigrants from a different population. The first two scenarios are more probable, because male-biased dispersal is more common among arvicolines (Le Galliard et al 2012), nevertheless, the third scenario may be plausible if natal dispersal of M. lusitanicus and M. duodecimcostatus is non-sex-biased, similar to that of monogamous M. ochrogaster (McGuire and Getz 2012).…”