Journal
OECOLOGIA
Volume 176, Issue 2, Pages 431-443Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-3021-8
Keywords
Mate choice; Inbreeding avoidance; GPS telemetry; Rut excursion; Ungulate
Categories
Funding
- Autonomous Province of Trento [N. 3479]
- Wildlife and Forest Service of the Autonomous Province of Trento
- Hunting Association of Trento Province
- EU-programme INTEREG IV (EFRE Ziel 3)
- Bavarian Forest National Park Administration
- Marie Claire Cronstedts Minne
- Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
- Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management
- INDHET ANR grant [ANR-12-BSV7-0023-02]
- PATCH RPDOC ANR project [ANR-12-PDOC-0017-01]
- Research Council of Norway
- Directorate for Nature Management
- county governor's office in Buskerud county
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) [ANR-12-PDOC-0017, ANR-12-BSV7-0023] Funding Source: Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)
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Breeding dispersal, defined as the net movement between successive breeding sites, remains a poorly understood and seldom reported phenomenon in mammals, despite its importance for population dynamics and genetics. In large herbivores, females may be more mobile during the breeding season, undertaking short-term trips (excursions) outside their normal home range. If fertilisation occurs, leading to gene flow of the male genome, this behaviour could be considered a form of breeding dispersal from a genetic point of view. Here, we investigated ranging behaviour of 235 adult roe deer using intensive GPS monitoring in six populations across Europe within the EURODEER initiative. We show that excursions are common from June to August among females, with 41.8 % (vs. 18.1 % of males) making at least one excursion. Most individuals performed only one excursion per season and departure dates for females were concentrated in time, centred on the rutting period, suggesting a link with reproduction. The distance females travelled during excursions was significantly greater than the site-specific average diameter of a male home range, while travel speed decreased once they progressed beyond this diameter, indicating search behaviour or interaction with other male(s) outside the resident male's territory. Because adults are normally highly sedentary, the potential for mating with relatives is substantial; hence, we conclude that rut excursions could be an alternative tactic enabling females to avoid mating with a closely related male. To understand better the ultimate drivers at play, it will be crucial to explore the genetic causes and consequences of this behaviour.
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