Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 19, 2026
09:47
Spotting Cheetahs: Identifying Individuals by Their Footprints
Published on: May 1, 2016
Predicting dispersal distance in mammals: a trait-based approach
Sarah Whitmee1, C David L Orme
1Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY, UK. s.whitmee07@imperial.ac.uk
The Journal of Animal Ecology
|August 29, 2012
Summary
Estimating mammal dispersal distances is crucial for understanding ecological processes. This study identifies key life-history traits like home range, geographic range, and body mass that predict dispersal, aiding conservation efforts in data-scarce regions.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Zoology
Background:
- Dispersal is a key ecological and evolutionary process.
- Quantitative data on dispersal distance are scarce, hindering understanding of population responses to climate change.
- Cross-species correlative approaches can identify dispersal predictors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compile a dataset of mammal natal dispersal distances.
- To test life-history predictors of dispersal distance in mammals.
- To examine the phylogenetic signal in dispersal distance.
Main Methods:
- Compilation of a novel dataset on natal dispersal distances for mammals.
- Statistical modeling to identify predictors of dispersal distance, accounting for phylogeny.
- Cross-validation of predictive models.
Main Results:
- Dispersal distances in mammals exhibit strong phylogenetic signals.
- Home range area, geographic range size, and body mass were identified as key predictors of dispersal distance.
- Models demonstrated high explanatory power, suggesting predictability even with limited data.
Conclusions:
- Dispersal distance in mammals can be estimated using limited data and key life-history traits.
- The identified predictors (home range, geographic range, body mass) can be used to predict dispersal for species lacking empirical data.
- This approach aids in understanding population dynamics and informing conservation strategies.
Related Concept Videos
00:54Distribution and Dispersion
To understand intra-specific interactions in populations, scientists measure the spatial arrangement of species individuals. This geographic arrangement is known as the species distribution or dispersion. Highly territorial species exhibit a uniform distribution pattern, in which individuals are spaced at relatively equal distances from one another. Species that are highly tied to particular resources, such as food or shelter, tend to concentrate around those resources, and thus exhibit a...
02:16Genetics of Speciation
Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
00:53Migration
Migration is long-range, seasonal movement from one region or habitat to another. This common strategy, carried out by many different organisms around the world, is an adaptive response that typically corresponds to changes in an organism’s environment, like resource availability or climate. Migrations can involve huge groups of thousands of animals as well as single individuals traveling alone and can range from thousands of kilometers to just a few hundred meters.
01:19X-linked Traits
In most mammalian species, females have two X sex chromosomes and males have an X and Y. As a result, mutations on the X chromosome in females may be masked by the presence of a normal allele on the second X. In contrast, a mutation on the X chromosome in males more often causes observable biological defects, as there is no normal X to compensate. Trait variations arising from mutations on the X chromosome are called “X-linked”.
01:19X-linked Traits
In most mammalian species, females have two X sex chromosomes and males have an X and Y. As a result, mutations on the X chromosome in females may be masked by the presence of a normal allele on the second X. In contrast, a mutation on the X chromosome in males more often causes observable biological defects, as there is no normal X to compensate. Trait variations arising from mutations on the X chromosome are called “X-linked”.