Landscapes are composed of a variety of different habitat types, and while some species may be found in more than one of these habitat types, individual animals may choose to move through or settle in a particular habitat type. Habitat variation is often assumed to affect the movement and settlement patterns of animals, but the potential influence of experience with a particular habitat type on dispersal and habitat selection behavior has been unexplored. Do animals born and reared in a habitat type tend to move through and/or settle in that habitat type (a phenomenon known as habitat preference induction, or HPI)? The goal of the proposed research is to determine the effects of habitat type variation and natal habitat type on the behavior of brush mice (Peromyscus boylii) as they leave their mother's home range, search for, and settle in a new home range. The proposed field study will use a combination of methods, including live-trapping and radio-tracking, to observe the movement and settlement behavior of naturally dispersing mice, and fluorescent powder tracking to follow the movements of mice that are experimentally translocated to different habitat types. Radio-tracking will be used to assess animals' responses to habitat types (large scale habitat variation), and fluorescent powder tracking will be used to determine how animals respond to features within a habitat type, such as downed trees (small scale habitat variation). This research has implications for conservation issues such as wildlife corridor design, ecological restoration, and the viability of animal populations living in human-altered habitats.
