The Effect of Natal Experience on Habitat Preferences

Abstract

Several important problems in ecology, evolution and conservation biology are affected by habitat selection in dispersing animals. Experience in the natal habitat has long been considered a potential source of variation in the habitat preferences displayed when dispersers select a post-dispersal habitat. However, the taxonomic breadth of this phenomenon is underappreciated, in part because partially overlapping, taxon-specific definitions in the literature have discouraged communication. Here, we explore the phenomenon of natal habitat preference induction (NHPI) and demonstrate that NHPI has been observed in a broad range of animal taxa. We consider the potential adaptive significance of NHPI, identify implications of its occurrence for problems in evolution, ecology and conservation biology, and encourage further study of this phenomenon.