Should I stay or should I go? Natal dispersal in the Seychelles
warbler |Date:||March 14, 2008| The dispersal from the place of
birth to the place of first reproduction is one of the most
important steps in the life of an individual. In his thesis Cas
Eikenaar studied the patterns of dispersal of young Seychelles
warblers and attempts to explain the individual differences in
the distance and timing of dispersal. Agreeing with the general
trend in birds, female Seychelles warblers settle further from
their natal territory than males. For males, dispersal distance
decreases with increasing local breeding density, whereas
females avoid settling in adjacent territories, no matter what
density. Theory predicts that this sex-difference result from
inbreeding avoidance. However, the distribution of relatives in
the population reveals that the female-bias in dispersal
distance does not contribute to inbreeding avoidance. The
identity of the dominant breeders in the natal territory appears
to be an important determina