Post-fragmentation population structure in a cooperative breeding Afrotropical cloud forest bird: emergence of a source-sink population network.

The impact of demographic parameters on the genetic population structure and viability of organisms is a long-standing issue in the study of fragmented populations. Demographic and genetic tools are now readily available to estimate census and effective population sizes and migration and gene flow rates with increasing precision. Here we analysed the demography and genetic population structure over a recent 15-year time span in five remnant populations of Cabanis's greenbul (Phyllastrephus cabanisi), a cooperative breeding bird in a severely fragmented cloud forest habitat. Contrary to our expectation, genetic admixture and effective population sizes slightly increased, rather than decreased between our two sampling periods. In spite of small effective population sizes in tiny forest remnants, none of the populations showed evidence of a recent population bottleneck. Approximate Bayesian modelling, however, suggested that differentiation of the populations coincided at least partially with an episode of habitat fragmentation. The ratio of meta-Ne to meta-Nc was relatively low for birds, which is expected for cooperative breeding species, while Ne /Nc ratios strongly varied among local populations. While the overall trend of increasing population sizes and genetic admixture may suggest that Cabanis's greenbuls increasingly cope with fragmentation, the time period over which these trends were documented is rather short relative to the average longevity of tropical species. Furthermore, the critically low Nc in the small forest remnants keep the species prone to demographic and environmental stochasticity, and it remains open if, and to what extent, its cooperative breeding behaviour helps to buffer such effects.

A stochastic movement simulator improves estimates of landscape connectivity.

Conservation actions often focus on restoration or creation of natural areas designed to facilitate the movements of organisms among populations. To be efficient, these actions need to be based on reliable estimates or predictions of landscape connectivity. While circuit theory and least-cost paths (LCPs) are increasingly being used to estimate connectivity, these methods also have proven limitations. We compared their performance in predicting genetic connectivity with that of an alternative approach based on a simple, individual-based "stochastic movement simulator" (SMS). SMS predicts dispersal of organisms using the same landscape representation as LCPs and circuit theory-based estimates (i.e., a cost surface), while relaxing key LCP assumptions, namely individual omniscience of the landscape (by incorporating perceptual range) and the optimality of individual movements (by including stochasticity in simulated movements). The performance of the three estimators was assessed by the degree to which they correlated with genetic estimates of connectivity in two species with contrasting movement abilities (Cabanis's Greenbul, an Afrotropical forest bird species, and natterjack toad, an amphibian restricted to European sandy and heathland areas). For both species, the correlation between dispersal model and genetic data was substantially higher when SMS was used. Importantly, the results also demonstrate that the improvement gained by using SMS is robust both to variation in spatial resolution of the landscape and to uncertainty in the perceptual range model parameter. Integration of this individual-based approach with other developing methods in the field of connectivity research, such as graph theory, can yield rapid progress towards more robust connectivity indices and more effective recommendations for land management.

Population genetic structure of the tree-hole tick Ixodes arboricola (Acari: Ixodidae) at different spatial scales.

The endophilic tick Ixodes arboricola infests cavity-nesting birds, and its dispersal strongly depends on the movements of its host. Population genetic structure of I. arboricola was studied with seven polymorphic microsatellite markers. We collected 268 ticks from 76 nest boxes in four woodlots near Antwerp, Belgium. These nest boxes are mainly used by the principal hosts of I. arboricola, the great tit Parus major and the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus. As these birds typically return to the same cavity for roosting or breeding, ticks within nest boxes were expected to be highly related, and tick populations were expected to be spatially structured among woodlots and among nest boxes within woodlots. In line with the expectations, genetic population structure was found among woodlots and among nest boxes within woodlots. Surprisingly, there was considerable genetic variation among ticks within nest boxes. This could be explained by continuous gene flow from ticks from nearby tree holes, yet this remains to be tested. A pairwise relatedness analysis conducted for all pairs of ticks within nest boxes showed that relatedness among larvae was much higher than among later instars, which suggests that larvae are the most important instar for tick dispersal. Overall, tick populations at the studied spatial scale are not as differentiated as predicted, which may influence the scale at which host-parasite evolution occurs.

Seasonal feeding activity of the tree-hole tick, Ixodes arboricola.

Bird-specific ticks do not infest humans and livestock, but these ticks often share their avian hosts with generalist ticks that do. Therefore, their feeding activity may have an impact on the transmission of pathogens outside bird-tick transmission cycles. Here we examined the seasonal feeding activity of the tree-hole tick (Ixodes arboricola) in relation to the activity of its hole-breeding hosts (Parus major and Cyanistes caeruleus). We analysed data on ticks derived from birds, on the abundance of engorged ticks inside nest boxes, and on bird nests that were experimentally exposed to ticks. We observed a non-random pattern of feeding associated with the tick instar and host age. The majority of adult ticks fed on nestlings, while nymphs and larvae fed on both free-flying birds and nestlings. Due to their fast development, some ticks were able to feed twice within the same breeding season. The highest infestation rates in free-flying birds were found during the pre-breeding period and during autumn and winter when birds roost inside cavities. Except during winter, feeding of I. arboricola overlapped in time with the generalist Ixodes ricinus, implying that tick-borne microorganisms that are maintained by I. arboricola and birds could be bridged by I. ricinus to other hosts.

Host specificity of a bird-specialised endophilic ectoparasite, the tree-hole tick Ixodes arboricola.

Host specialisation in parasites can be due to either limited exposure or limited adaptation to different host types. When the first barrier is lifted experimentally, the degree of adaptive specialisation can be studied. The tree-hole tick Ixodes arboricola is an endophilic parasite with a narrow host range, found in nest boxes used mainly by great and blue tits (Parus major, Cyanistes caeruleus) and to a lesser extent by pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) and nuthatches (Sitta europaea). In the current study, we exposed two nestlings per nestbox of pied flycatchers (N = 14), blue tits (N = 18), great tits (N = 14), and nuthatches (N = 16) to ten I. arboricola nymphs each. We found no differences in attachment success 2 days after infestation (56 ± 4% across species) nor were there any differences in tick engorgement weight (1.95 ± 0.03 mg across species), and moulting success was >90% for ticks from all bird species. Hence, our data suggest that all bird species investigated here are suitable host species. This may enhance the ticks' chances for persistence in cavities and dispersal among cavities inhabited by multiple host species, and supports the hypothesis that host use by ticks is limited by host ecology rather than by host specialisation.

Faecal egg counts from field experiment reveal density dependence in helminth fecundity: Strongyloides robustus infecting grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis).

Investigation of endo-macroparasite infections in living animals relies mostly on indirect methods aimed to detect parasite eggs in hosts' faeces. However, faecal flotation does not provide quantitative information on parasite loads, whereas faecal egg count (FEC) techniques may not give reliable estimates of parasite intensity, since egg production may be affected by density-dependent effects on helminth fecundity. We addressed this issue using Eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) and their gastrointestinal nematode Strongyloides robustus to assess the performance of coprological techniques and to investigate factors affecting parasite fecundity. We compared results of gut examination, flotation and McMaster FECs in 65 culled grey squirrels. Sensitivity and specificity of flotation were 81.2% (Confidence Interval, CI 54.3-95.9%) and 85.7% (CI 72.7-94.1%), respectively, resulting in low positive predictive values when infection prevalence is low. Individual parasite fecundity (no. of eggs/adult female worm) was negatively affected by S. robustus intensity, leading to a non-linear relationship between parasite load and eggs/gram of faeces (EPG). As a consequence, whereas flotation may be a valid method to perform the first screening of infection status, FECs are not a reliable method to estimate S. robustus intensity, since diverse values of EPG may correspond to the same number of parasites. Neither the amount of analysed faeces nor the season had any effect on EPG, indicating that the observed reduction in helminth fecundity is likely caused exclusively by density-dependent processes such as competition among worms or host immune response.

Isolation and characterization of ten polymorphic microsatellite loci in Ixodes arboricola, and cross-amplification in three other Ixodes species.

We characterized ten polymorphic microsatellite loci from the tree-hole tick, Ixodes arboricola. Loci were screened in 11-18 individuals from three Belgian populations and five to ten alleles were found at each locus. Seven loci did not show deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium conditions and there were no indications for null alleles at these loci. The three other loci showed significant heterozygote deficiencies in at least one population, and a high potential for the occurrence of null alleles. We observed no effect of potential host DNA on the scoring of the microsatellites. Cross-amplification of the microsatellites was tested in eight specimens of three congeneric species: I. ricinus, I. hexagonus and I. frontalis. Depending on the species, six or seven of the loci were amplified in ≥ 4 of the 8 specimens and were polymorphic in each of these species (except for Ixaf 11 in I. frontalis and I. ricinus). These loci thus provide a tool for population genetic analysis of I. arboricola. The suitability of these markers needs to be further investigated in its congeners.

Adaptive timing of detachment in a tick parasitizing hole-nesting birds.

In non-permanent parasites with low intrinsic mobility such as ticks, dispersal is highly dependent on host movements as well as the timing of separation from the hosts. Optimal detachment behaviour is all the more crucial in nidicolous ticks as the risk of detaching in non-suitable habitat is high. In this study, we experimentally investigated the detachment behaviour of Ixodes arboricola, a nidicolous tick that primarily infests birds roosting in tree-holes. We infested great tits with I. arboricola larvae or nymphs, and submitted the birds to 2 experimental treatments, a control treatment in which birds had normal access to nest boxes and an experimental treatment, in which the birds were prevented access to their nest boxes for varying lengths of time. In the control group, most ticks detached within 5 days, whereas in the experimental group, ticks remained on the bird for as long as the bird was prevented access (up to 14 days). This prolonged attachment caused a decrease in survival and engorgement weight in nymphs, but not in larvae. The capacity of I. arboricola larvae to extend the duration of attachment in non-suitable environments with no apparent costs, may be an adaptation to unpredictable use of cavities by roosting hosts during winter, and at the same time may facilitate dispersal of the larval instars.

Nestling development and the timing of tick attachments.

Parasites exposed to fast-developing hosts experience a variety of conditions over a short time period. Only few studies in vertebrate-ectoparasite systems have integrated the timing of ectoparasite infestations in the host's development into the search for factors explaining ectoparasite burden. In this study we examined the temporal pattern of attachment in a nidicolous tick (Ixodes arboricola) throughout the development of a songbird (Parus major). In the first experiment, we exposed bird clutches at hatching to a mix of the 3 tick instars (larvae, nymphs and adults), and monitored the ticks that attached in relation to the average broods' age. In a complementary experiment we focused on the attachment in adult female ticks--the largest and most significant instar for the species' reproduction--after releasing them at different moments in the nestlings' development. Our observations revealed a positive association between the size of the attached instar and the broods' age. Particularly, adult females were less likely to be found attached to recently hatched nestlings, which contrasts with the smaller-sized larvae and nymphs. These differences suggest either an infestation strategy that is adapted to host physiology and development, or a result of selection by the hosts' anti-tick resistance mechanisms. We discuss the implications of our results in terms of tick life-history strategies.

Plasticity in the timing of detachment of an Eurasian-African songbird tick, Ixodes frontalis.

In non-permanent parasites, host detachment should take place in an environment that ensures the continuation of their life cycle. Timing of detachment - in combination with the host's space use - affects dispersal and transmission success of the parasites and of the pathogens they vector. Before reaching the adult reproductive stage, ticks need to go through multiple immature developmental stages (larva and nymph), each feeding on host blood. In between the feeding bouts, they often remain in the off-host environment for considerable periods of time. With this study, we aimed to obtain more insight in Ixodes frontalis' off-host habitat use by comparing its detachment pattern in different life stages with that of two habitat-specialized ticks also found on birds: the endophilic tree-hole tick (Ixodes arboricola) and the exophilic sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus), the latter living in humid understory vegetation of forests. For this, we artificially infested hole-roosting (great tits, Parus major) and open-roosting (blackbirds, Turdus merula) birds with ticks under laboratory conditions, and recorded whether detachment occurred during the day or the night. We hypothesize that nocturnal detachment improves off-host mating opportunities and host localization, whereas diurnal detachment optimizes tick dispersal. Ixodes frontalis nymphs detached during the night, especially when feeding on blackbirds. This behaviour was very similar to that of I. arboricola (larva and nymph) feeding on great tits. In contrast, I. frontalis larvae detached during the day, especially when feeding on great tits, which resembles that of I. ricinus' feeding behaviour (larva and nymph). Ixodes frontalis left the host within seven days, immediately after completion of the blood meal. This is similar to both developmental stages of I. ricinus but contrasts with the very long (up to 20 days) feeding duration in I. arboricola. Thus I. frontalis shows strong plasticity, switching from dispersal-centered (larvae) to host-centered (nymphs) detachment behaviour. Findings are discussed with regard to the ticks' habitat use, dispersal, life history and host specificity.

Contrasting detachment strategies in two congeneric ticks (Ixodidae) parasitizing the same songbird.

In non-permanent parasites the separation from the host should take place in suitable habitats that allow the continuation of their life cycle. Furthermore, detachment strategies determine the parasites' dispersal capability, a characteristic on which epidemiological dynamics and the evolution of host specificity centre. In this study we experimentally investigate in the laboratory how 2 congeneric tick species, with contrasting habitat requirements, time detachment from one of their current songbird hosts (Parus major). Ixodes arboricola is a nidicolous tick, infesting bats and birds breeding or roosting in tree holes. Ixodes ricinus is a non-nidicolous generalist that parasitizes mammals, birds and even reptiles. We experimentally infested full-grown great tits, P. major, and found that I. arboricola detaches during the night, the moment when P. major sleeps in tree holes. In contrast, I. ricinus detaches during the day, the moment when birds are most active. In addition we found that all I. ricinus immatures left the birds within 5.5 days, while in I. arboricola the detachment time was long (up to 20 days) and highly variable. We discuss these findings with respect to their implications on the ticks' dispersal capability and host specificity.

Ticks and tick-borne diseases in the city: Role of landscape connectivity and green space characteristics in a metropolitan area.

Green spaces in the city are important for human wellbeing, but are also zones in which humans can become infected with zoonotic diseases. Therefore, there is a need to understand how infection risk is related to green space characteristics, wildlife communities and connectivity with rural areas hosting reservoir populations of hosts. Our hypothesis is that wildlife hosts in urban green spaces, and thereby the prevalence of questing ticks and their Lyme disease causing pathogens (Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.), can be partly predicted based on green space characteristics as well as measures of connectivity to known source areas. We sampled ticks in twenty-two green spaces during Spring (2014 and 2016) and Autumn 2016, located along an urbanization gradient in Antwerp (Belgium). More than 18,000 m2 was sampled, with tick densities ranging from 0 to 386 individuals/100 m2. We estimated connectivity using the least-cost algorithm as either the cost distance to the nearest green space, or to a known population of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), known to be an important tick propagation host. Both connectivity measures turned out to be correlated, reflecting a gradient in green space isolation from the periphery to the urban center. In 87% of plots where ticks were trapped, at least one Borrelia-infected tick was found. The overall Borrelia-prevalence in nymphs was 17.8%, in adults 32.6%. Density of infected ticks decreased with urbanization and increased with connectivity. Nymphs in larger green spaces were more likely to be infected. While density and infection prevalence for adults increased with the amount of neighboring agricultural land, the larval density and nymphal infection prevalence decreased. Interestingly, the proportion of Borrelia genospecies associated with birds or mammals was comparable in rural and (sub)urban areas (bird/mammal: 0.38), suggesting that even in small green spaces Borrelia infections can persist in local host populations.

The more the merrier--experimental evidence for density-dependent feeding facilitation in the bird-specialised tick Ixodes arboricola.

Similar to many other parasites, the distribution of ticks among hosts is strongly skewed, with few hosts harbouring the majority of parasites. Because parasite-induced impairment of host health, parasite population growth and pathogen transmission are density-dependent, understanding why tick distributions are skewed is important for the population and evolutionary dynamics of both parasite and host. However, there is currently no knowledge concerning parasites that strongly depend on individual hosts. Here, we investigated the effects of tick density on feeding performance in the nidicolous tree-hole tick, Ixodes arboricola, which feeds on cavity-nesting birds and is the carrier of several tick-borne pathogens. Nidicolous ticks reside in or close to their hosts' nests and therefore depend strongly on individual hosts and their offspring. Increased feeding success at higher densities (facilitation) may therefore be detrimental to the ticks themselves. We investigated the effects of tick density on feeding performance of I. arboricola by infesting great tit nestlings with one to five adult ticks, which is within the natural range. There was no effect of tick density on initial attachment success, attachment after 48 h or engorgement weight, but tick recovery rates increased significantly with tick density. We also found a modest increase in nestling body mass with tick density, suggesting that birds over-compensate resource drainage by the ticks and, by doing this, anticipate the costs of a tick-rich environment. Our results indicate that nidicolous ticks perform better when feeding in aggregation. This may have important consequences for population dynamics and consequently pathogen transmission.

Mating strategies and multiple paternity, assessed by microsatellites, of the dispersal-limited, ectoparasitic tree-hole tick, Ixodes arboricola.

Multiple mating is common among ticks, a large group of haematophagous ectoparasites, but multiple paternity has rarely been investigated. Multiple paternity may be common because the resultant increased genetic diversity allows ticks to rapidly evolve in relation to host responses and increases colonisation potential in novel habitats. Knowledge concerning mating systems is important because ticks may have profound effects on their hosts and are the principal transmitters of many pathogenic agents. In the current study, we investigated the mating system of the nidicolous tick Ixodes arboricola. These ticks attach to their bird hosts in the nest, which restricts gene flow but facilitates finding a partner off-host. Having genetically variable offspring may be beneficial for ticks which may encounter very different conditions when dispersed to the nest of another host type. We conducted an experiment in which female ticks fed on great tit nestlings and mated with two males in three treatments of the females: mating with both males before feeding, mating with one male before and the other male after feeding, or mating with both males after feeding. We investigated paternity with microsatellites. In a complementary experiment we investigated male preference for unfed or engorged females, and measured mating duration. We predicted (i) there would be multiple mating by I. arboricola males and females, leading to multiple paternity, and (ii) males would prefer to mate with engorged females and those matings would last longer because engorged females present a higher probability of successful reproduction. We found multiple paternity within clutches but no indications of sperm precedence. Males preferred to mate with engorged females and those matings lasted significantly longer, even including attachment beyond egg deposition. We suggest such mate guarding and male preference for mating after feeding is adaptive because there is no first male precedence. Male preference for mating after feeding may also be adaptive because dispersal is low and females are available after the blood meal.

Estimating density dependence from population time series using demographic theory and life-history data.

For populations with a density-dependent life history reproducing at discrete annual intervals, we analyze small or moderate fluctuations in population size around a stable equilibrium, which is applicable to many vertebrate populations. Using a life history having age at maturity alpha, with stochasticity and density dependence in adult recruitment and mortality, we derive a linearized autoregressive equation with time lags from 1 to alpha yr. Contrary to current interpretations, the coefficients corresponding to different time lags in the autoregressive dynamics are not simply measures of delayed density dependence but also depend on life-history parameters. The theory indicates that the total density dependence in a life history, D, should be defined as the negative elasticity of population growth rate per generation with respect to change in population size, [Formula: see text], where lambda is the asymptotic multiplicative growth rate per year, T is the generation time, and N is adult population size. The total density dependence in the life history, D, can be estimated from the sum of the autoregression coefficients. We estimate D in populations of seven vertebrate species for which life-history studies and unusually long time series of complete population censuses are available. Estimates of D were statistically significant and large, on the order of 1 or higher, indicating strong density dependence in five of the seven species. We also show that life history can explain the qualitative features of population autocorrelation functions and power spectra and observations of increasing empirical variance in population size with increasing length of time series.

Ecomorphological analysis of trophic niche partitioning in a tropical savannah bat community.

The exceptional diversity of neotropical bat communities is sustained by an intricate partitioning of available resources among the member species. Trophical specialization is considered an important evolutionary avenue towards niche partitioning in neotropical phyllostomid bats. From an ancestral insectivorous condition, phyllostomids evolved into highly specialized frugivorous, carnivorous, nectarivorous, piscivorous and even sanguivorous species. Previously, correlations between cranial morphology and trophic ecology within this group have been documented. Here, we examine the evolutionary relationships between bite force and head shape in over 20 species of bats from a single tropical savannah bat community. The results show that bite force increases exponentially with body size across all species examined. Despite the significant differences between large dietary groups using traditional analysis (i.e. non-phylogenetic) and the strong evolutionary correlations between body mass and bite force, phylogenetic analyses indicated no differences in bite performance between insectivorous, omnivorous and frugivorous bats. Comparisons of three species with highly specialized feeding habits (nectarivory, piscivory and sanguivory) with the rest of the species in the community indicate that specialization into these niches comes at the expense of bite performance and, hence, may result in a reduction of the trophic niche breadth.

A strong association between immune responsiveness and natal dispersal in a songbird.

Because parasite faunas typically show considerable spatio-temporal variation, and because parasites can have important fitness consequences, host defence mechanisms, including the immune system, can be expected to coevolve with natal dispersal, i.e. the movement of a newborn individual from its site of birth to its first site of reproduction. We demonstrate that immigrant individuals show a significantly higher humoral immune response towards a novel antigen than do local recruits in two independent populations of the great tit (Parus major). There was no effect of age, sex, tarsus length or body mass on immune responsiveness. Our results are consistent with the idea that phenotype-dependent dispersal and/or dispersal-by-phenotype-dependent selection establish a relation between immune responsiveness and natal dispersal.

Heritability of tibia fluctuating asymmetry and developmental instability in the winter moth (Operophtera brumata L.) (Lepidoptera, geometridae)

Broad-sense heritability of fluctuating asymmetry and developmental instability in the winter moth were analysed in a full-sib breeding experiment. Effects of both genetic background and common environment on both tibia FA (measured for the three pairs of legs) and body size were studied. As body size has previously been shown to be a reliable indicator of larval feeding success and expected fitness, the relationship between FA and body size was investigated as well. This relationship is of interest because it has been argued that the low heritability of FA results from a strong relationship between FA and fitness. Broad-sense h2 of body size equalled zero whereas the effect of common environment was strong. The heritability of FA was low and not statistically significant for separate tibias. For FA based on the average of the three tibias h2 equalled 0.07 and differed significantly from zero. The heritability of developmental instability equalled 0.09. Thus the use of the hypothetical repeatability to translate the h2 of FA to h2 of developmental instability did not result in a strong increase in this species. Individual asymmetry was not correlated with fitness (as estimated by body size), indicating that the low heritabilities of FA are not a consequence of a strong correlation with fitness. Between-trait correlations in the unsigned FA were significant. However, these correlations are not necessarily indicative of an individual asymmetry parameter as the signed FA values were positively correlated as well, suggesting interdependent development of the three pairs of legs. Further research is necessary to investigate what the effects of interdependent development are on patterns in FA.

Thermoregulatory differences between phenotypes in the speckled wood butterfly: hot perchers and cold patrollers?

Males of the speckled wood butterfly Pararge aegeria L. (Satyrinae), actively search for females ("patrolling") or wait for them at particular places ("perching"). Darker males are more likely to patrol than pale ones, which are mainly territorial perchers. We studied whether this morphological variation relates to thermoregulatory differences. The relationship between thoracic temperature and ambient temperature differed between the colour types under natural conditions: darker males had on average lower body temperatures than paler males. Different activities (e.g. resting, flying) and behavioural strategies (perching or patrolling) were associated with differences in thoracic temperature: patrolling males which mainly engaged in long flights and periods of basking afterwards, had lower thoracic temperatures than perching males which engaged in very short flights, fights and basking. When resting for a while thoracic temperatures did not differ between males practising different strategies. Under laboratory conditions, darker males heated up faster than pale males but there was no difference in the thoracic temperature at which they started to fly. These results indicate that thermal requirements (or general conditions) differ between the behavioural strategies, and that behavioural differences between phenotypes (colour types) relate to differences in thermal ecology. This supports the idea that darker males are better adapted to patrolling. There is no evidence that one mate-locating strategy is always superior to the other, which coincides with the observation that both strategies co-exist. More generally, this study shows that relatively small differences in colour can have a considerable effect on thermoregulation and hence on the behavioural strategies a heliothermic insect will adopt.

Natal dispersal and parental escorting predict relatedness between mates in a passerine bird.

Although relatedness between mates is of considerable evolutionary and ecological significance, the way in which the level of relatedness is determined by different behavioural processes remains largely unknown. We investigated the role of behaviour in predicting mate relatedness in great tits using genotypic markers and detailed observations. We studied how mate relatedness is influenced by natal dispersal, inbreeding/outbreeding avoidance after natal dispersal and a behaviour not previously considered that influences membership to social aggregations, namely family escorting behaviour by parents. Among locally born individuals, the level of mate relatedness decreased with natal dispersal distance for females, but not for males. In contrast, mate relatedness was negatively related to the extent of family movements for males, but not for females. However, family movements did not predict dispersal distance for either sex. Local recruits were more related to their mates than immigrants, but this was only significant for females. No evidence was found for inbreeding/outbreeding avoidance after dispersal. Our results suggest that, in highly mobile species, mating options are spatially and/or socially limited, and that parents influence mating options of their offspring before dispersal.