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Patterns and processes of dispersal behaviour in arvicoline rodents
Jean-François Le Galliard1, Alice Rémy, Rolf A Ims
1CNRS-UMR 7625, Laboratoire Ecologie-Evolution, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France. galliard@biologie.ens.fr
Molecular Ecology
|January 4, 2012
Summary
Mammalian dispersal patterns in arvicoline rodents show significant variation within and between species. While often short-distance, these rodents exhibit unexpected long-distance dispersal capabilities, influenced by various factors.
Area of Science:
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Mammalian Behavioral Ecology
- Population Genetics
Background:
- Understanding mammalian societies necessitates quantifying sex-specific dispersal patterns and processes.
- Arvicoline rodents, common in temperate regions, exhibit diverse life history strategies influenced by environmental factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate dispersal behavior in arvicoline rodents, examining influences of condition-dependent and phenotype-dependent factors.
- To compare dispersal patterns across and within arvicoline species.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of dispersal data across multiple arvicoline rodent species.
- Focus on identifying variations in dispersal distance and fraction.
- Examination of external (condition-dependent) and internal (phenotype-dependent) factors influencing dispersal.
Main Results:
- Substantial and largely unexplained interspecific variation in dispersal distances was observed.
- High intraspecific variation in both dispersal distance and fraction was found.
- Females were predominantly philopatric compared to males, with no clear link to mating systems.
- Arvicoline rodents display frequent short-distance dispersal but also possess an unexpected capacity for long-distance dispersal.
Conclusions:
- Dispersal strategies in arvicoline rodents are highly flexible, influenced by competition, inbreeding avoidance, mate searching, and habitat quality.
- Condition-dependent dispersal is shaped by costs and benefits during movement and settlement.
- Phenotype-dependent dispersal is largely idiosyncratic, with a notable exception for activity syndromes linked to natal dispersal.
- Dispersal patterns significantly impact population dynamics and genetic structures.
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