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Parents suppress reproduction and stimulate dispersal in opposite-sex juvenile white-footed mice

Nature volume 359, pages 409–410 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

JUVENILE dispersal is sex-biased in many mammals and birds: one sex often disperses more often or farther than the other. Two hypotheses are generally presented for sex-biased dispersal. The first holds that juvenile dispersal reduces reproductive and/or resource competition between parents and same-sexed offspring1–5. If so, presence of a parent on the natal home range should both promote dispersal of same-sex offspring and suppress reproduction of those that remain. The second is that juvenile dispersal reduces matings between parents and offspring6–10, thus decreasing the likelihood of inbreeding depression11–13. If so, presence of a parent should favour dispersal and reproductive suppression of offspring of the opposite sex. Here I present evidence that juvenile dispersal in white-footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus, is due to inbreeding avoidance. When population density was high, experimental removal of one parent delayed dispersal of opposite-sexed offspring and only the presence of the parents of opposite sex suppressed juvenile reproduction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Nash Hall 104, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331-3803

    Jerry O. Wolff

  2. Environmental Protection Agency, 200 South West 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon, 97333, USA

    Jerry O. Wolff

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  1. Jerry O. Wolff
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Wolff, J. Parents suppress reproduction and stimulate dispersal in opposite-sex juvenile white-footed mice. Nature 359, 409–410 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/359409a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/359409a0

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