Simple settlement decisions explain common dispersal patterns in territorial species

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Animal Behavior
• Population Dynamics

Background:

• Dispersal mechanisms and individual variation in response to circumstances are poorly understood.
• Understanding dispersal is crucial for spatial population dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how simple decision rules generate individual dispersal plasticity.
• To investigate how this plasticity influences population-scale dispersal dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Agent-based simulations of a territorial, monogamous population in a homogeneous environment.
• Modeling dispersal variability arising solely from inter-individual interactions and simple decision algorithms.

Main Results:

• Complex dispersal dynamics, including sex biases and density dependence, emerged from simple rules.
• Mate availability significantly influenced dispersal, affecting Allee effects and sex ratios.
• Evaluating mate availability by both sexes eliminated sex biases but reduced population growth.

Conclusions:

• Simple decision mechanisms can explain common dispersal patterns in territorial species without environmental heterogeneity.
• Observed dispersal variability may be driven by social and demographic conditions.
• Investigating settlement decision rules is vital for predicting dispersal patterns.