Abstract
SummaryUnderstanding patterns of dispersal behaviour of threatened species is important in conservation biology and population ecology, especially in fragmented landscapes. Dupont’s Lark Chersophilusduponti is a threatened passerine whose European population has declined by around 40% in the last decade. To study natal and breeding dispersal of the species, we used a long-term mark-recapture dataset (2011–2019) and analysed the records of 32 males (39 dispersal movements) and five females (five dispersal movements) captured during the breeding season at Rincón de Ademuz (Valencia, eastern Spain). Adult birds had a median breeding dispersal of 154 m (Q25-Q75 = 70.0–300.3). Among these captures, two adult males dispersed to a new patch of habitat separated by more than 5,800 m. Only one out of 26 nestlings ringed was trapped as an adult bird, which occurred at a site different from the natal territory (4,500 m). Our results show a low breeding dispersal for the species and are, in essence, in agreement with previous studies carried out in the Ebro Valley metapopulation, one of the core areas for the species in Europe. Nonetheless, unlike in the Ebro Valley, we detected movements of adult birds between habitat patches. The low recovery rate of young birds suggests that they left their natal sites and moved outside the study area or that their survival rate was very low. Future studies focused on the post-fledging survival rate and natal dispersal movements are essential to determine effective conservation measures for the species. Habitat management actions in occupied and potential sites should be carried out close to the areas inhabited by the species to increase the success rate of the interventions and the effective dispersal and therefore population connectivity.
Highlights
Animal dispersal is a key life-history trait related to gene flow, demography, and social evolution of wildlife populations (Lidicker 1975, Taylor and Taylor 1977, Baguette et al 2013, Aguillon et al 2017)
Understanding patterns of dispersal is essential in conservation biology, population ecology and biogeography, as it provides basic information to assess long-term persistence of populations in fragmented landscapes and their conservation status (Baillie et al 2002, Caplat et al 2016, Legrand et al 2017)
Natal dispersal can be defined as the movement of juveniles from their natal territory to their first breeding site, while breeding dispersal is the movement of already established adults between breeding sites in successive years (Greenwood 1980, Greenwood and Harvey 1982)
Summary
Animal dispersal is a key life-history trait related to gene flow, demography, and social evolution of wildlife populations (Lidicker 1975, Taylor and Taylor 1977, Baguette et al 2013, Aguillon et al 2017). There is a large number of factors that may influence whether an individual performs a short dispersal or seeks out a new site, such as sex (females usually disperse farther than males, Greenwood and Harvey 1982, Aguillon et al 2017) and sexual system (mate-site fidelity; Cezilly et al 2000), among others The importance of these factors in selecting for dispersal may vary between species and populations according to their life history and how they interact with the environment. This is important in species with low dispersal ability and vulnerable to landscape transformation (i.e. habitat fragmentation)
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