BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

Between 1988 and 2016, we investigated the effects of breeding density and body size on natal dispersal propensity in a pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) population breeding in nest-boxes in two different habitats in central Spain (41°04'N, 3°27'W − 40°40'N, 4°80'W). Body size was measured as tarsus length. Breeding density was estimated as the annual number of nest-boxes occupied by pied flycatchers relative to the total area of each forest patch. Dispersal rates between habitats were also calculated by dividing the number of recruits that moved from their natal to the alternative habitat patch by the total number of recruits that returned to the study area each year. In addition, we calculated the annual rates of immigration to each habitat, expressed as the number of unbanded birds relative to the total number of birds in a given year., Peer reviewed

The dataset contains the information of the pairs breeding in the population during the study years: breeding year (year), identity of the nest box (IDnestbox), its coordinates (GPSLONG & GPSLAT) and number of plot (Plot; there are two plots in the study area) wherein the pair bred. The file also contains the identity of the male (IDmale), the identity of the female (IDfemale), the mating status of the female (Polygyny = scored as 1 for the combination between the polygynous male and the secondary female) and its breeding date (Layingdate = day of the first egg, scored as days after 1st May). . To be published in Behavioral Ecology, Why females pair with already mated males and the mechanisms behind variation in such polygynous events within and across populations and years remain open questions. Here, we used a 19-year dataset from a pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) population to investigate, through local networks of breeding pairs, the socio-ecological factors related to the probability of being involved in a polygynous event in both sexes. Then, we examined how the breeding contexts experienced by individuals shaped the spatial and temporal separation between broods of polygamous males. The probability of polygyny decreased with the distance between nests. Indeed, secondary females were often close neighbors of primary females, although the distance between both nests increased slightly with increasing synchrony between them. The probability of polygyny was also related to the breeding time of individuals, since early breeding males were more likely to become polygynous with late breeding females. Throughout the season, there was substantial variation in the temporal separation between primary and secondary broods, and this separation was in turn related to the breeding asynchrony of the polygamous males (in the primary nest) relative to the neighbors. Polygynous males that bred late relative to their neighbors had a short time window to attract a second female and thus the breeding interval between their primary and secondary broods was reduced. Overall, the spatial proximity between polygynous males’ broods and, if the opportunity existed, their temporal staggering are compatible with a male strategy to maximize paternity and reduce the costs of caring for two broods, though the effect of female’s interest, either primary or secondary, cannot be fully ruled out. We highlight that a comprehensive assessment of the breeding contexts faced by individuals is essential to understand individual mating decisions and reconcile the discrepancies raised by previous work on social polygyny., Peer reviewed

Data set supporting the results of the article "Local adaptation, natal experience, and the evolution of philopatry”. The readme file contains information about the header cells in the datasets. Questions should be addressed to Carlos Camacho (ccamacholmedo@gmail.com). This data set is subjected to a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence., This data set includes measurements of breeding success for pied flycatchers stemming from a long-term (2006-2016, N = 951 individuals) cross-fostering experiment conducted in an oak forest (41°04'N 3°27'W) and a pine plantation (40°40'N 4°8'W) of central Spain. Further details of the experimental and field procedures are provided in the article, Peer reviewed