Karen E. Mabry (2007)

Awarded the best student paper presentation at the 2007 Animal Behavior Society 2007 for her talk entitled: Habitat selection by dispersers: Natal habitat type affects dispersal behavior

Institution at the time of the presentation: University of California, Davis


Meeting abstract:
Natal dispersal is a process during which young animals leave their natal area, explore surrounding areas, and finally settle. Almost nothing is known about behavior during the search phase of dispersal, during which dispersers sample potential areas in which to settle. Natal habitat preference induction (NHPI) may affect behavior during dispersal, by increasing the probability that dispersers will both search and settle within their natal habitat type. I conducted a three-year radiotracking study of the dispersal and habitat selection behavior of juvenile brush mice (Peromyscus boylii) born and reared in two distinct, adjacent habitat types (woodland and chaparral). I documented a great deal of individual variation in movement patterns during search; some animals made excursions outside their natal area on multiple nights, while others were sedentary and never left the immediate vicinity of their natal nest. I also found evidence of NHPI in brush mice: individuals both explored and settled within their natal habitat type more frequently than expected based on natal habitat type availability. This is the first demonstration of NHPI under field conditions.