Ecological versus genetic dispersal: inconsistencies as revealed by the assessment of sex-related spatial genetic structure in two grouse species?

• Main Authors: Caizergues, Alain, Ratti, Osmo, Rasplus, Jean‐Yves
• Other Authors: Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage (ONCFS), Arctic Centre University of Lapland, University of Lapland, Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations (UMR CBGP), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD France-Sud )-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro Montpellier, Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Université de Montpellier (UM)
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2003
• Subjects: birds; ecological dispersal; genetic dispersal; mating systems; microsatellites; sexbiased dispersal; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; rock ptarmigan
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-03986371; https://hal.science/hal-03986371/document; https://hal.science/hal-03986371/file/Caizergues%20et%20al%202003%20Genetic%20vs%20ecological%20dispersal.pdf

Population genetics theory predicts a sex-difference in genetic structure in species displaying extensive sex-biaised dispersal. As a result, the use of molecular methods for inferring patterns of sex-biased dispersal in animals has been increasing in recent years. However, the relationship between movements of genes (or genetic dispersal) and movement of individuals between their birth site and the place where they reproduce (ecological dispersal) might not be straightforward. We compared pattern of genetic structure between males and females in two bird species displaying female biased dispersal. As expected, we detected a more marked isolation-by-distance effect in males than in female in the monogamous rock ptarmigan. However, the reverse trend was found in the lekking black grouse even though female-biased dispersal is probably stronger than in rock ptarmigan. We hypothesize that mating behaviour of both, males and females, is responsive for this situation. We conclude that in species displaying complex mating behaviour, a more or less complete uncoupling between genetic and ecological dispersal could occur. If evidence for such a situation could be gathered in other taxa, the importance of inbreeding in promoting the evolution of sex-biased dispersal would be seriously questionable.