Prospecting for informed dispersal: Reappraisal of a widespread but overlooked ecological process

Prospecting for a future breeding site is an essential component of informed natal and breeding dispersal. It allows individuals to reduce the uncertainty of their environment by gathering personal and social information about the local quality of alternative breeding areas and make informed emigration and settlement decisions. Although this process has been studied in territorial and social animal species for decades, it is still understudied and not well understood. Using 124 empirical studies that have explicitly described prospecting in a context of breeding habitat selection in birds, mammals, fish, and invertebrates, I review why, how, when, and which individuals prospect according to various life history traits and sociality. Multiple classes of individuals were identified prospecting, and they do so at different times of the year, depending on whether they immediately use the information gathered for settling in a new breeding area or delay it for a future breeding season. Spatial patterns and occurrence of prospecting were hard to generalize over taxa or even species due to substantial intra and interspecific variability. From this synthesis, I identify persisting knowledge gaps related to the different spatial and temporal scales involved with prospecting and provide key objectives and research directions. I notably propose to examine prospecting at the interface of movement and behavioral ecology. This will be possible by combining different methodologies including tracking and biologging devices, field monitoring surveys, and experimental approaches. Overall, a better understanding of the spatial and behavioral processes underlying prospecting will significantly enhance our ability to predict species responses to environmental changes and inform more effectively management plans for threatened species.