Lifetime philopatry in the blue-footed booby: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Philopatry over the lifetime and its relationship with reproductive success were examined using longitudinal records of nest location and reproduction of individual blue-footed boobies. Males showed shorter natal dispersal than females, and natal dispersal distance of both sexes were unrelated to either first reproductive success or lifetime reproductive success. Throughout the early lifetime, males and females nested closer to their first breeding sites than to their natal sites, and comparison with a simulation of successive breeding dispersals in random directions showed that male and female blue-footed boobies are philopatric to the first breeding site. Therefore, throughout the early lifetime, the first breeding site seems to function as a point of reference for breeding site use together with the previous season's site. Males and females with shorter natal dispersal distances showed stronger lifetime philopatry to their first breeding sites, suggesting stable individual variation in competitive ability or dispersal phenotype. However, early lifetime philopatry to first breeding sites was unrelated to annual breeding success. Compared with simple fidelity to previous breeding sites, lifetime philopatry to first breeding sites should result in increased kin interactions and greater selection for kin recognition, altruism and inbreeding avoidance, as well as long-term familiarity with neighbors. © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology. All rights reserved.