Dispersing brush mice prefer habitat like home

Abstract

During natal dispersal, young animals leave their natal area and search for a new area to live. In species in which individuals inhabit different types of habitat, experience with a natal habitat may increase the probability that a disperser will select the same type of habitat post-dispersal (natal habitat preference induction or NHPI). Despite considerable interest in the ecological and the evolutionary implications of NHPI, we lack empirical evidence that it occurs in nature. Here we show that dispersing brush mice (Peromyscus boylii) are more likely to search and settle within their natal habitat type than expected based on habitat availability. These results document the occurrence of NHPI in nature and highlight the relevance of experience-generated habitat preferences for ecological and evolutionary processes.