My project aims to understand individual differences related to natal dispersal in the long-term population study of great tits in Wytham Wood. Individuals which disperse between habitats undertake a risky process that may expose them to predation and an unfamiliar environment, but can also provide new opportunities and improved conditions. Differences associated with dispersal are not well understood, but may be caused by the process of dispersal (such as reduced lifespan due to increased exertion), or associated with a higher propensity to disperse (higher quality individuals may be more likely to successfully disperse). I will produce a systematic account of fitness differences between birds which hatched in Wytham and birds which moved into Wytham to breed by analysing 60 years of breeding data. I hope to then discriminate between explanations for the causes of observed differences by considering spatial and environmental factors that affect breeding success, such as edge distance and territory quality, and determine whether differences are maintained through time or between generations. This will provide insights into the process and consequences of dispersal, having implications for the evolution and spatial structure of populations and the contribution of immigration to populations through time.
ecology, ornithology
