Age- and sex-specific settlement patterns of chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) offspring

Abstract

The social, spatial, and genetic structures of populations depend on where offspring settle and reproduce in relation to their parent’s home range. However, the patterns of settlement in wild populations of large mammals are often poorly described owing to the difficulty of monitoring mother–offspring pairs over a long period. Here, we investigated sex-specific settlement patterns in chamois ( Rupicapra rupicapra (L., 1758)) based on the study of 31 mother–offspring pairs. We calculated the distance between the center of the mother’s range and the center of her offspring’s range, and tested whether this distance differed when the offspring was immature (i.e., a yearling) and after offspring sexual maturity (>2 years of age). We found no sex effect on the distance between centers of mother and offspring ranges for yearling offsprings. However, mature sons ranged farther away from their mother than mature daughters. Daughters appear to settle close to their mother’s home range. The distance at which a daughter settles compared with her mother’s range seems to be determined before 2 years of age. On the contrary, the distance between the center of the locations of yearling males and the center of locations of their mother does not predict how far away males will eventually settle when mature. We discuss the implications of these patterns for generating female social structures, as well as population spatial and genetic structures.