Why do some males choose to breed at home when most other males disperse?

Davidian, Eve; Courtiol, Alexandre; Wachter, Bettina; Hofer, Heribert; Höner, Oliver P.

doi:10.1126/sciadv.1501236

Cited by 27 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Our findings are in line with a recent study showing that, in a social species, the distribution of breeding partners was more important for dispersal patterns than individual phenotypes (Davidian et al. ). However, to assess the influence of phenotypic traits on dispersal, an investigation at the individual level may be more informative.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

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Density‐dependent dispersal strategies in a cooperative breeder

Maag

Cozzi

Clutton‐Brock

et al. 2018

Ecology

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Dispersal is a key ecological process that influences the dynamics of spatially and socially structured populations and consists of three stages-emigration, transience, and settlement-and each stage is influenced by different social, individual, and environmental factors. Despite our appreciation of the complexity of the process, we lack a firm empirical understanding of the mechanisms underlying the different stages. Here, using data from 65 GPS-collared dispersing female coalitions of the cooperatively breeding meerkat (Suricata suricatta), we present a comprehensive analysis of the effects of population density, mate availability, dispersing coalition size, and individual factors on each of the three stages of dispersal in a wild population. We expected a positive effect of density on dispersal due to increased kin competition at high densities. We further anticipated positive effects of mate availability, coalition size, and body condition on dispersal success. We observed increasing daily emigration and settlement probabilities at high population densities. In addition, we found that emigration and settlement probabilities also increased at low densities and were lowest at medium densities. Daily emigration and settlement probabilities increased with increasing female coalition size and in the presence of unrelated males. Furthermore, the time individuals spent in the transient stage increased with population density, whereas coalition size and presence of unrelated males decreased dispersal distance. The observed nonlinear relationship between dispersal and population density is likely due to limited benefits of cooperation at low population densities and increased kin competition at high densities. Our study provides empirical validation for the theoretical predictions that population density is an important factor driving the evolution of delayed dispersal and philopatry in cooperative breeders.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…), and the decision to settle in new territory is likely to be affected by the distribution of unrelated mates (Davidian et al. ). Social species may be able to overcome ecological constraints during dispersal by forming multiple‐member dispersing coalitions (Brown et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Density‐dependent dispersal strategies in a cooperative breeder

Maag

Cozzi

Clutton‐Brock

et al. 2018

Ecology

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“…Both factors caused dispersing coalitions to avoid areas with a high likelihood to encounter resident groups, suggesting that newly formed groups seek vacant or little used territories to settle. Mates thus not only influence dispersal patterns at emigration and settlement (Cote & Clobert, ; Davidian, Courtiol, Wachter, Hofer, & Höner, ; Gilroy & Lockwood, ) but also during the transient phase. In fact, evidence suggests that, in meerkats, the association with unrelated males is one of the key drivers promoting the transition between the consecutive phases of dispersal (N. Maag et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socially informed dispersal in a territorial cooperative breeder

Cozzi¹,

Maag²,

Börger

et al. 2018

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Dispersal is a key process governing the dynamics of socially and spatially structured populations and involves three distinct stages: emigration, transience and settlement. At each stage, individuals have to make movement decisions, which are influenced by social, environmental and individual factors. Yet, a comprehensive understanding of the drivers that influence such decisions is still lacking, particularly for the transient stage during which free-living individuals are inherently difficult to follow. Social circumstances such as the likelihood of encountering conspecifics can be expected to strongly affects decision-making during dispersal, particularly in territorial species where encounters with resident conspecifics are antagonistic. Here, we analysed the movement trajectories of 47 dispersing coalitions of Kalahari meerkats Suricata suricatta through a landscape occupied by constantly monitored resident groups, while simultaneously taking into account environmental and individual characteristics. We used GPS locations collected on resident groups to create a georeferenced social landscape representing the likelihood of encountering resident groups. We used a step-selection function to infer the effect of social, environmental and individual covariates on habitat selection during dispersal. Finally, we created a temporal mismatch between the social landscape and the dispersal event of interest to identify the temporal scale at which dispersers perceive the social landscape. Including information about the social landscape considerably improved our representation of the dispersal trajectory compared to analyses that only accounted for environmental variables. The latter were only marginally selected or avoided by dispersers. Before leaving their natal territory, dispersers selected areas frequently used by their natal group. In contrast, after leaving their natal territory, they selectively used areas where they were less likely to encounter unrelated groups. This pattern was particularly marked in larger dispersing coalitions and when unrelated males were part of the dispersing coalition. Our results suggest that, in socially and spatially structured species, dispersers gather and process social information during dispersal, and that reducing risk of aggression from unrelated resident groups outweighs benefits derived from conspecific attraction. Finally, our work underlines the intimate link between the social structure of a population and dispersal, which affect each other reciprocally.

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“…; Davidian et al . ). Age at first parturition in our study population is generally between 3 and 5 years (Holekamp, Smale & Szykman ), so we used 3 years as the age of reproductive maturity in our survival analyses.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Juvenile concentrations of IGF‐1 predict life‐history trade‐offs in a wild mammal

et al. 2016

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Summary Early postnatal development can have profound effects on life‐history traits later in life. One mechanism hypothesized to mediate this relationship is the anabolic hormone, insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1). IGF‐1 contributes importantly to postnatal growth, and thus offers a means by which environmental and genetic variation might direct organismal development, reproduction and survival. We tested whether juvenile concentrations of IGF‐1 can predict intraspecific variation in life‐history traits later in life using longitudinal data from free‐living female spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). We found that juvenile concentrations of IGF‐1 predicted heavier juvenile mass, which in turn predicted greater survival to reproductive maturity. However, independent of mass, higher juvenile concentrations of IGF‐1 predicted earlier age at first parturition and reduced longevity in adulthood. Our results highlight the importance of early postnatal development as a determination period in mammals and suggest that concentrations of IGF‐1 during this sensitive period can be used to predict important later‐life trade‐offs between growth, reproductive fitness and life span in wild, long‐lived animals. A http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.12808/suppinfo is available for this article.

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Why do some males choose to breed at home when most other males disperse?

Abstract: A long-term study on spotted hyenas shows that male philopatry and dispersal may result from a single process of habitat selection.

Cited by 27 publications

References 63 publications

Density‐dependent dispersal strategies in a cooperative breeder

Density‐dependent dispersal strategies in a cooperative breeder

Socially informed dispersal in a territorial cooperative breeder

Juvenile concentrations of IGF‐1 predict life‐history trade‐offs in a wild mammal

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