Post-Release Dispersal in Animal Translocations: Social Attraction and the “Vacuum Effect”

摘要: Animal translocations are human-induced colonizations that can represent opportunities to contribute the knowledge on behavioral and demographic processes involved in establishment of animal populations. Habitat selection behaviors, such as social cueing, have strong implications dispersal affect success translocations. Using modeling simulations with a two-population network model (a translocated population remnant population), we investigated consequences four habitat strategies post-translocation probabilities short- long-lived species. Two using cues (conspecific attraction copying) were compared random quality-based strategies. We measured sensitivity local extinctions strategies, life cycles, release frequencies, group sizes, proportion breeders connectivity between Our results indicate behaviors compromise result post-release dispersal, particularly This mechanism, “vacuum effect”, arises from increased emigration populations small relative neighboring populations, reducing their rate growth. The vacuum effect drive extinction when is large. In addition, magnitude varies non-linearly connectivity. represents novel form behaviorally mediated Allee cause unexpected failures or response cueing. Accounting for conditional step persistence would improve accuracy predicting fates natural (meta)populations.