Sex-specific spatio-temporal variability in reproductive success promotes the evolution of sex-biased dispersal.
Inbreeding depression, asymmetries in costs or benefits of dispersal, and the mating system have been identified as potential factors underlying the evolution of sex-biased dispersal. We use individual-based simulations to explore how the mating system and demographic stochasticity influence the evolution of sex-specific dispersal in a metapopulation with females competing over breeding sites, and males over mating opportunities. Comparison of simulation results for random mating with those for a harem system (locally, a single male sires all offspring) reveal that even extreme variance in local male reproductive success (extreme male competition) does not induce male-biased dispersal. The latter evolves if the between-patch variance in reproductive success is larger for males than females. This can emerge due to demographic stochasticity if the habitat patches are small. More generally, members of a group of individuals experiencing higher spatio-temporal variance in fitness expectations may evolve to disperse with greater probability than others.
Gros
Andreas
A
University of Würzburg, Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Glashüttenstrasse 5, D-96181 Rauhenebrach, Germany. gros@mpdl.mpg.de
Poethke
Hans Joachim
HJ
Hovestadt
Thomas
T
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003163:Competitive Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D007178:Inbreeding; D008297:Male; D008322:Mammals / Q000502:physiology; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011336:Probability; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D013269:Stochastic Processes