The Role of Dispersal in the Great Tit (Parus major): The Causes, Consequences and Heritability of Natal Dispersal

Greenwood, Paul J.; HARVEYt, Paul H.; Christopher,; PERRINSt, M.

doi:10.2307/4105

Cited by 235 publications

(190 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Evidence for inbreeding depression in wild populations of animals comes primarily from two studies: that of Packer (1979) on olive baboons and of Greenwood et al (1978Greenwood et al ( , 1979 on the great tit (Parus major). Although these studies are often cited to support the hypothesis that dispersal patterns are an adaptive response to inbreeding depression (e.g.…”

Section: Field Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Great tits. Greenwood et al (1978Greenwood et al ( , 1979 have analysed a great deal of information on the mating of great tits. Examining cases of mothersort (N = 5), brother-sister (N = 7) and auntnephew (N = 1) incest, they found significantly higher nestling mortality among inbreeders (27.7%, versus 16.2% for outbreeders) and a non-significant trend toward fewer inbred offspring returning to breed in the study area (mortality and emigration cannot be separated here).…”

Section: Field Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…great tits, Greenwood et al 1978Greenwood et al , 1979 and is probably never sufficient to cause changes in dispersal patterns. Finally, when the risks of migration or the benefits of keeping limited resources (e.g.…”

Section: Kin Recognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Greenwood (1980), referring to Packer, states that female transfer in wild dogs 'has also been interpreted as art inbreeding avoidance mechanism' (page 1151; emphasis added)--a somewhat stronger statement than Packer's original. Phrases such as 'one function of dispersal' (Greenwood et al 1979), '[dispersal] functions, in part' (Greenwood 1980), and 'most credible functional explanation' (for mate preferences that lead to dispersal) (Harcourt 1978) certainly imply adaptational arguments, and Packer (1979) prefaces his discussion of alternative benefits of dispersal (mate availability, avoidance of aggression, etc.) with the phrase 'Even where inter-group transfer resulted from the avoidance of inbreeding, there may be other benefits...' (page 29; emphasis added).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Are dispersal and inbreeding avoidance related?

1984

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Abstract. Sex differences in dispersal and inter-group transfer by birds and mammals are often considered to be evolved responses to the phenomenon of inbreeding depression. This belief is derived from 'natural selection logic', which holds that (1) because inbreeding depression is demonstrably costly, selection must have acted to minimize its occurrence, and (2) as sex differences in dispersal often appear to be the only thing preventing inbreeding, these sex differences must be the expected adaptations for avoiding inbreeding depression. However, although the sex differences in median dispersal distance observed among many small mammals and birds may reduce average levels of inbreeding within a population, they nevertheless leave the majority of individuals 'at risk' for inbreeding; such differences can be responses to inbreeding depression only in a group selection model. Furthermore, natal dispersal by both sexes occurs in many group-living species. In these species, emigration by individuals of one sex cannot easily be attributed to avoiding inbreeding because opposite-sex relatives also emigrate. Though most authors acknowledge that sexual dispersal patterns may be epiphenomenal consequences of other factors (e.g. intrasexual aggression), this point is rarely considered further. In this paper we critically review several frequently cited examples of differential dispersal, and conclude that 'other factors', such as intrasexual competition and territory choice, explain these observations more completely and consistently than does the inbreeding avoidance hypothesis. Observed dispersal patterns simply reflect sex differences in the balance between the advantages of philopatry and the costs of intrasexual competition.

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Section: Field Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Field Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Kin Recognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Are dispersal and inbreeding avoidance related?

1984

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“…This is due to constraints linked to the spatial configuration of the study area. Heritability estimates of dispersal distances may indeed be inflated by spatial heterogeneity in detecting long-distance dispersal events within the study area such that offspring dispersing longer distances are more likely to be detected for parents having themselves dispersed long distances within the area (as discussed in the case of the great tit Parus major; Greenwood et al 1979;van Noordwijk 1984).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Heritability’ of dispersal propensity in a patchy population

2009

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Although dispersal is often considered to be a plastic, condition-dependent trait with low heritability, growing evidence supports medium to high levels of dispersal heritability. Obtaining unbiased estimates of dispersal heritability in natural populations nevertheless remains crucial to understand the evolution of dispersal strategies and their population consequences. Here we show that dispersal propensity (i.e. the probability of dispersal between habitat patches) displays a significant heritability in the collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis, as estimated by within-family resemblance when accounting for environmental factors. Offspring of dispersing mothers or fathers had a higher propensity to disperse to a new habitat patch themselves. The effect of parental dispersal status was additional to that of local habitat quality, as measured by local breeding population size and success, confirming previous results about conditiondependent dispersal in this population. The estimated levels of heritability varied between 0.30G0.07 and 0.47G0.10, depending on parent-offspring comparisons made and correcting for a significant assortative mating with respect to dispersal status. Siblings also displayed a significant resemblance in dispersal propensity. These results suggest that variation in between-patch natal dispersal in the collared flycatcher is partly genetically determined, and we discuss ways to quantify this genetic basis and its implications.

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Flight efficiency explains differences in natal dispersal distances in birds

Claramunt

2021

Ecology

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The factors responsible for variation in dispersal distances across species remain poorly understood. Previous comparative studies found differing results and equivocal support for theoretical predictions. Here I re-examine factors that influence natal dispersal distances in British birds while taking into account the cost of transport as estimated from proxies of long-distance flight efficiency.First, I show that flight efficiency, as estimated by the hand-wing index, the aspect ratio or the lift-todrag ratio, is a strong predictor of dispersal distances among resident species. Most migratory species showed a similar pattern but a group of species with relatively low aerodynamic efficiency showed longer than expected dispersal distances making the overall trend independent of flight efficiency.Ecological, behavioral, and life history factors had a small or nil influence on dispersal distances with most of their influence likely mediated by adaptations for the use of space reflected in flight efficiency. This suggests that dispersal distances in birds are not determined by adaptive strategies for dispersal per se but are predominantly influenced by the energetic cost of movement.

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The Role of Dispersal in the Great Tit (Parus major): The Causes, Consequences and Heritability of Natal Dispersal

Cited by 235 publications

References 47 publications

Are dispersal and inbreeding avoidance related?

Are dispersal and inbreeding avoidance related?

‘Heritability’ of dispersal propensity in a patchy population

Flight efficiency explains differences in natal dispersal distances in birds

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