HABITAT SELECTION

Habitat selection

choosing where to live based on food, shelter, mates, and environmental factors

Habitat preference

consistent choice for certain microhabitats within a general area

Natal philopatry

offspring remain near birthplace; benefits familiarity and safety

Natal dispersal

offspring leave birthplace permanently, avoiding inbreeding or competition

Reasons for dispersal

to reduce inbreeding, mate competition, or competition with parents

Bird dispersal

females disperse; males defend territories in monogamous species

Mammal dispersal

males disperse; females remain in matrilines in polygynous species

Inbreeding reduction

sex benefiting most from local familiarity stays; other sex disperses

Oedipus hypothesis

offspring forced to leave to reduce reproductive competition with parents

Determinants of habitat preference

heredity, learning, social facilitation, and tradition

Habitat imprinting

learning habitat cues early in life; seen in birds and deer mice

Social facilitation

animals join conspecifics in habitats they see occupied by others

Tradition

habitat use passed culturally through generations; e.g., sheep vs. deer recolonization

Migration

seasonal movement between breeding and non-breeding areas

Zugunruhe

migratory restlessness; pre-migration activity triggered by fat stores and weather

Costs of migration

energy use, predation, weather, territory loss, and danger from obstacles

Benefits of migration

access to food, milder climate, and longer breeding days in summer

Migration examples

monarch butterflies, Arctic terns, salmon, whales, sea turtles