Survival of dispersing versus philopatric juvenile snowshoe hares: do dispersers die?

We used radio-telemetry to monitor the survival of dispersing and philopatric juvenile snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) in southwestern Yukon Territory, Canada, during a cyclic population increase. Neither 28-d survival nor the proportion of hares surviving to breed differed significantly between j...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oikos 2000-08, Vol.90 (2), p.343-346
Main Authors: Gillis, Elizabeth A., Krebs, Charles J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Boreal forests
Breeding seasons
Canada, Yukon
Causes of death
Demecology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Ground squirrels
Hares
Hirundo rustica
Mammalia
Mammals
Mortality
Population dynamics
Survival rates
Vertebrata
Young animals
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Summary:We used radio-telemetry to monitor the survival of dispersing and philopatric juvenile snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) in southwestern Yukon Territory, Canada, during a cyclic population increase. Neither 28-d survival nor the proportion of hares surviving to breed differed significantly between juvenile hares that dispersed and those that did not, nor was there a significant relationship between dispersal distance and fate (dead or alive). Our results indicate that the overall survival cost associated with natal dispersal is low for snowshoe hares during the early increase of the hare cycle.
ISSN:0030-1299
1600-0706
DOI:10.1034/j.1600-0706.2000.900215.x