Do birds of a feather disperse plants together?

1. Dispersal of propagules by waterbirds is thought to be important for wetland plants because of the abundance of birds and their frequent movements among aquatic habitats. Differences in bird characteristics (size, movement, feeding ecology) were expected to lead to different outcomes for plant dispersal. 2. We investigated heterogeneity in plant dispersal by ducks (Anas superciliosa, Anas gracilis, Anas castanea). We calculated the probability of transport of viable seeds by germinating propagules retrieved from feathers and feet (epizoochory) and the contents of the oesophagus, gizzard and lower gut (endozoochory). 3. The abundance and richness of seeds carried internally and externally did not differ among sympatric bird species. We used estimates from the literature of movements of Anas species to approximate dispersal kernels for the transport of plant propagules. 4. Heterogeneity in the abundance and movement ecology of disperser species will result in differing patterns and degrees of connectivity for wetland plant metacommunities. Sedentary waterfowl are likely to have an important role in replenishing propagules and connecting aquatic metacommunities over small distances. Nomadic waterfowl may facilitate long‐distance dispersal. We discuss the implications of differences between duck species in movement patterns for connectivity of aquatic plant metacommunities across landscapes.     

Timing and location of reproduction in African waterfowl: an overview of >100 years of nest records

The timing and location of reproduction are fundamental elements of reproductive success for all organisms. Understanding why animals choose to reproduce at particular times and in particular places is also important for our understanding of other aspects of organismal ecology, such as their habitat requirements, movement strategies, and biogeography. Although breeding patterns in waterfowl are relatively well documented, most studies are from northern temperate regions and the influences of location and time of year on breeding in Afrotropical ducks (Anatidae) are poorly understood. We outline six alternative (but not mutually exclusive) hypotheses that might explain where and when Afrotropical ducks choose to breed. To explore these hypotheses, we assembled and analyzed a new database of c. 22,000 breeding records for 16 Afrotropical ducks and one introduced Palearctic species (the Mallard Anas platyrhynchos). The full database is available on line as an appendix to this article. We identified five distinct breeding strategies as well as two outliers. Peak breeding for 9 of 16 indigenous duck species occurs during the dry season. We found no evidence for spatial synchrony or spatial autocorrelation in breeding, suggesting a high level of flexibility in waterfowl responses to prevailing conditions in any given year. More intensive analyses of alternative hypotheses are needed, but our initial analysis suggests that the timing of breeding for the majority of Afrotropical ducks is driven by a combination of resource availability and predation risk.     

Complex migration and breeding strategies in an elusive bird species illuminated by genetic and isotopic markers

Unlike the annual bi‐directional movements of over 200 bird species within the Palaearctic–Afrotropical region, irregular movements such as irruptive migration with a low degree of philopatry are reported for a variety of species depending on highly seasonal and unpredictable resources. These flexible movements allow for itinerant breeding – consecutive breeding attempts in two or more geographically different regions during the same annual reproductive cycle. In order to illuminate migratory and breeding strategies of the erratic wetland species Baillon's crake Zapornia pusilla across the W‐Palaearctic–Afrotropical region, we used a set of six DNA microsatellites as well as δ²H_f values of individuals sampled at one African and four European breeding sites. We investigated the degree of genetic population structure within and among different sites and assigned individuals’ feathers of unknown origin to their probable moulting (hence breeding) site using a likelihood approach. We found three genetic clusters, differentiating into one ‘European’ and two ‘African’ populations. Connectivity between the sampling sites was probable as genetic ‘African’ individuals were found in breeding conditions in Europe and vice versa. Likewise, assigned moulting locations based on δ²H isoscapes suggested trans‐continental movements as well as moulting and possibly breeding by the same individual both in African and European breeding grounds. Both isotopic and genetic data reveal the Baillon's crake pursue a complex migration and breeding strategy, allowing as well for irruptive movements and itinerant breeding across the W‐Palaearctic–Afrotropical region. However, a better knowledge about the species’ distribution as well as a more comprehensive data set, including samples from the southern and eastern boundaries of the distribution area would be necessary to improve the spatial resolution to the precision required to unambiguously infer migration directions and extent of exchange between African and European breeding grounds.     

Movements of four native Hawaiian birds across a naturally fragmented landscape

Animals often increase their fitness by moving across space in response to temporal variation in habitat quality and resource availability, and as a result of intra and inter‐specific interactions. The long‐term persistence of populations and even whole species depends on the collective patterns of individual movements, yet animal movements have been poorly studied at the landscape level. We quantified movement behavior within four native species of Hawaiian forest birds in a complex lava‐fragmented landscape: Hawai?i ‘amakihi Chlorodrepanis virens, ‘oma‘o Myadestes obscurus, ‘apapane Himatione sanguinea, and ‘i‘iwi Drepanis coccinea. We evaluated the relative importance of six potential intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of movement behavior and patch fidelity: 1) forest fragment size, 2) the presence or absence of invasive rats (Rattus sp.), 3) season, 4) species, 5) age, and 6) sex. The study was conducted across a landscape of 34 forest fragments varying in size from 0.07 to 12.37 ha, of which 16 had rats removed using a treatment‐control design. We found the largest movements in the nectivorous ‘apapane and ‘i‘iwi, intermediate levels in the generalist Hawai?i ‘amakihi, and shortest average movement for the ‘oma‘o, a frugivore. We found evidence for larger patch sizes increasing patch fidelity only in the ‘oma‘o, and an effect of rat‐removal increasing patch fidelity of Hawai?i ‘amakihi only after two years of rat‐removal. Greater movement during the non‐breeding season was observed in all species, and season was an important factor in explaining higher patch fidelity in the breeding season for ‘apapane and ‘i‘iwi. Sex was important in explaining patch fidelity in ‘oma‘o only, with males showing higher patch fidelity. Our results provide new insights into how these native Hawaiian species will respond to a changing environment, including habitat fragmentation and changing distribution of threats from climate change.     

Microbial macroecology: highly structured prokaryotic soil assemblages in a tropical deciduous forest

Aim To assess the hypothesis that free‐living prokaryotes show a pattern of ‘no biogeography’ by examining the scaling of soil prokaryotic diversity and by comparing it with other groups’ biogeographical patterns. Location Two sites in the tropical deciduous forest of Chamela, Jalisco, on the western coast of Mexico. Methods We examined the diversity and distribution of soil prokaryotes in two 8 × 8 m quadrats divided in such manner that we could sample at four spatial scales. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms of 16S rRNA genes were used to define operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that we used in lieu of species to assess diversity. Results We found highly structured species assemblages that allowed us to reject multiple predictions of the hypothesis that soil bacteria show ‘no biogeography’. The frequency distribution of range size (measured as the occupancy of quadrats) of OTUs followed a hollow curve similar to that of vertebrates on continents. Assemblages showed high levels of beta diversity and a non‐random nested pattern of diversity. OTU diversity scaled with area followed a power function with slopes z = 0.42 and 0.47. Main conclusions We demonstrate a non‐ubiquitous dispersal for soil prokaryotes, which suggests a complex biogeography similar to that found for terrestrial vertebrates.     

Seed traits and bird species influence the dispersal parameters of wetland plants

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Home Range and Movement Patterns of Toucans: Implications for Seed Dispersal

Toucans (Ramphastidae) are highly frugivorous, widespread throughout the Neotropics, and travel long distances, thus likely providing dispersal for many tropical trees. Despite being large conspicuous members of the canopy and subcanopy bird community, their movement ecology has been little studied. To understand how these frugivores move through a lowland tropical forest, I tracked the movements of Ramphastos tucanus (White‐throated Toucan), Ramphastos vitellinus (Channel‐billed Toucan), and Pteroglossus pluricinctus (Many‐banded Araçari) in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador. The objectives of this study were to use radiotelemetry to estimate toucan home ranges, movement patterns, and potential seed dispersal distances. Using canopy nets, a total of 20 P. pluricinctus and three Ramphastos toucans were captured, radio‐tagged, and tracked over a 4‐yr period from 2001 to 2005. Average home range sizes were 191 and 86 ha for P. pluricinctus and Ramphastos toucans, respectively. The maximum travel distance in a single 30‐min tracking interval was 3665 m for P. pluricinctus and 3027 m for Ramphastos. Estimated dispersal distances of medium‐sized seeds ranged from 269 to 449 m. Large home range size and long‐distance movements indicate that toucans likely disperse seeds over a scale of hundreds of meters. This study is the first to estimate home range size of any toucan species in intact closed‐canopy forests. Abstract in Spanish is available at http://www.blackwell‐synergy.com/loi/btp .     

Movement ecology of Afrotropical birds: Functional traits provide complementary insights to species identity

Effects of anthropogenic activities on habitats and species communities and populations are complex and vary across species depending on their ecological traits. Movement ecology may provide important insights into species’ responses to habitat structures and quality. We investigated how movement behavior across a human‐modified landscape depends on species identity and species traits, with particular focus on habitat specialization, feeding guilds, and dispersal behavior. We tracked 34 individuals of nine Afrotropical bird species during three years in an anthropogenic riparian landscape of East Africa. We investigated whether species’ functional traits predicted their habitat use and movement behavior better than species’ identities. Our results indicate that habitat specialists mainly occur in dense riparian thickets, while habitat generalists do occur in agricultural land. Home‐ranges of omnivorous habitat generalists are larger than of frugivorous and insectivorous generalists and omnivorous and insectivorous specialists. Movement speed was highest in settlement areas for all species, with activity peaks during morning and afternoon for habitat specialists. Our results reveal that functional traits and species identity provide complementary insights into responses of organisms to habitat structures and habitat quality.     

Dispersal and diversification: macroevolutionary implications of the MacArthur–Wilson model, illustrated by Simulium (Inseliellum) Rubstov (Diptera: Simuliidae)

Aim Provide an empirical test of the ‘radiation zone’ hypothesis of the MacArthur–Wilson theory of island biogeography using the taxon‐pulse hypothesis of Erwin and Brooks Parsimony Analysis (BPA) on Simulium (Inseliellum) Rubstov. Location Micronesia, Cook Islands, Austral Islands, Society Islands, Marquesas Islands, Fiji and New Caledonia. Methods Primary and secondary BPA of the phylogeny of Inseliellum. Results Primary BPA showed that 15% of the taxon area cladogram contained area reticulations. Secondary BPA (invoking the area duplication convention) generated a clear sequence of dispersal for Inseliellum. The sequence follows a Micronesia – Cook Islands – Marquesas Islands – Society Islands dispersal, with a separate dispersal from the Cook Islands to the Austral Islands less than 1 Ma. A radiation in the island of Tahiti (Society Islands) produced numerous dispersals from Tahiti to other islands within the Society Islands system. Islands close to Tahiti (source island) have been colonized from Tahiti more often than islands far from Tahiti, but a higher proportion of those species colonizing distant islands have become distinct species. Main conclusions The dispersal sequence of Inseliellum exhibits both old to young island dispersal and young to old island dispersal. This is due to habitat availability on each island. Inseliellum is a model system in exemplifying the ‘radiation zone’ hypothesis of MacArthur and Wilson. As well, islands close to the source are colonized more often that those far from the source, but colonization of islands far away from the source results in a higher proportion of speciation events than for islands close to the source. The diversification of Inseliellum corresponds to a taxon‐pulse radiation, with a centre of diversification on Tahiti resulting from its large area and abundant freshwater habitats. This study illustrates the utility of BPA in identifying complex scenarios that can be used to test theories about the complementary roles of ecology and phylogeny in historical biogeography.     

Environmentally and behaviourally mediated co‐occurrence of functional traits in bird communities of tropical forest fragments

Two major theories of community assembly – based on the assumption of ‘limiting similarity’ or ‘habitat filtering’, respectively – predict contrasting patterns in the spatial arrangement of functional traits. Previous analyses have made progress in testing these predictions and identifying underlying processes, but have also pointed to theoretical as well as methodological shortcomings. Here we applied a recently developed methodology for spatially explicit analysis of phylogenetic meta‐community structure to study the pattern of co‐occurrence of functional traits in Afrotropical and Neotropical bird species inhabiting forest fragments. Focusing separately on locomotory, dietary, and dispersal traits, we tested whether environmental filtering causes spatial clustering, or competition leads to spatial segregation as predicted by limiting similarity theory. We detected significant segregation of species co‐occurrences in African fragments, but not in the Neotropical ones. Interspecific competition had a higher impact on trait co‐occurrence than filter effects, yet no single functional trait was able to explain the observed degree of spatial segregation among species. Despite high regional variability spanning from spatial segregation to aggregation, we found a consistent tendency for a clustered spatial patterning of functional traits among communities in fragmented landscapes, particularly in non‐territorial species. Overall, we show that behavioural effects, such as territoriality, and environmental effects, such as the area of forest remnants or properties of the landscape matrix in which they are embedded, can strongly affect the pattern of trait co‐occurrence. Our findings suggest that trait‐based analyses of community structure should include behavioural and environmental covariates, and we here provide an appropriate method for linking functional traits, species ecology and environmental conditions to clarify the drivers underlying spatial patterns of species co‐occurrence.     

A critique of 'countryside biogeography' as a guide to research in human‐dominated landscapes

Proliferation of redundant terms in ecology and conservation slows progress and creates confusion. ‘Countryside biogeography’ has been promoted as a new framework for conservation in production landscapes, so may offer a replacement for other concepts used by landscape ecologists. We conducted a systematic review to assess whether the 'countryside biogeography' concept provides a distinctive framing for conservation in human‐dominated landscapes relative to existing concepts. We reviewed 147 papers referring to countryside biogeography and 81 papers that did not. These papers were divided into categories representing three levels of use of countryside biogeography concepts (strong, weak, cited only) and two categories that did not use countryside biogeography at all but used similar concepts including fragmentation and matrix. We revealed few distinctions among groups of papers. Countryside biogeography papers made more frequent use of the terms 'ecosystem services', 'intensification' and 'land sparing' compared with non‐countryside biogeography papers. Papers that did not refer to countryside biogeography sampled production areas (e.g. farms) less often, and this related to their focus on habitat specialist species for which patch‐matrix assumptions were reasonable. Countryside biogeography offers a conceptual wrapper rather than a distinctive framework for advancing research in human‐modified landscapes. This and similar wrappers such as ‘conservation biogeography’ and ‘agricultural biogeography’ risk creating confusion among new researchers, and can prevent clear communication about research. To improve communication, we recommend using the suite of well‐established terms already applied to conservation in human‐modified landscapes rather than through an interceding conceptual wrapper.     

Animal movements in fire‐prone landscapes

Movement is a trait of fundamental importance in ecosystems subject to frequent disturbances, such as fire‐prone ecosystems. Despite this, the role of movement in facilitating responses to fire has received little attention. Herein, we consider how animal movement interacts with fire history to shape species distributions. We consider how fire affects movement between habitat patches of differing fire histories that occur across a range of spatial and temporal scales, from daily foraging bouts to infrequent dispersal events, and annual migrations. We review animal movements in response to the immediate and abrupt impacts of fire, and the longer‐term successional changes that fires set in train. We discuss how the novel threats of altered fire regimes, landscape fragmentation, and invasive species result in suboptimal movements that drive populations downwards. We then outline the types of data needed to study animal movements in relation to fire and novel threats, to hasten the integration of movement ecology and fire ecology. We conclude by outlining a research agenda for the integration of movement ecology and fire ecology by identifying key research questions that emerge from our synthesis of animal movements in fire‐prone ecosystems.     

Dispersal movements of non-native and native terrestrial slugs in an urban environment

Animal movement varies from undirected dispersal to directed migration. Movement rates may have implications for conservation and resource management, as well as pest control, and they play a key role in invasion success. In slugs, long-distance dispersal is typically passive, whereas active movement is critical for local dispersal and determines access to resources such as food and shelter. Telemetry has recently been used to study individual slug movements in the wild, whereas movement in arena tests has explored mechanisms of interspecific competition and invasiveness in slugs. Studies that relate the performance of individual slugs in arena tests to their post-release behavior in nature are lacking. We measured individual short-term movement speed of commonly occurring native and non-native slugs of the genera Arion and Limax in arena tests and tracked their post-release dispersal movements in a garden by PIT telemetry. We demonstrate clear differences in movement behavior among the species, but non-native slugs did not display higher movement rates than their native congeners. In the arena test, slugs of the genus Limax displayed a higher short-term speed than slugs of the genus Arion, whereas in the field, individuals of Limax maximus showed lower dispersal rates compared to the other slug species. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between short-term speed in the arena test and movement in the field among individuals of L. cinereoniger, indicating the possible existence of behavioral syndromes in slugs, which may link movement ecology, animal personality, and the invasion ecology of pest species.     

Habitat diversity associated to island size and environmental filtering control the species richness of rock‐savanna plants in neotropical inselbergs

Disentangling the multiple factors controlling species diversity is a major challenge in ecology. Island biogeography and environmental filtering are two influential theories emphasizing respectively island size and isolation, and the abiotic environment, as key drivers of species richness. However, few attempts have been made to quantify their relative importance and investigate their mechanistic basis. Here, we applied structural equation modelling, a powerful method allowing test of complex hypotheses involving multiple and indirect effects, on an island‐like system of 22 French Guianan neotropical inselbergs covered with rock‐savanna. We separated the effects of size (rock‐savanna area), isolation (density of surrounding inselbergs), environmental filtering (rainfall, altitude) and dispersal filtering (forest‐matrix openness) on the species richness of all plants and of various ecological groups (terrestrial versus epiphytic, small‐scale versus large‐scale dispersal species). We showed that the species richness of all plants and terrestrial species was mainly explained by the size of rock‐savanna vegetation patches, with increasing richness associated with higher rock‐savanna area, while inselberg isolation and forest‐matrix openness had no measurable effect. This size effect was mediated by an increase in terrestrial‐habitat diversity, even after accounting for increased sampling effort. The richness of epiphytic species was mainly explained by environmental filtering, with a positive effect of rainfall and altitude, but also by a positive size effect mediated by enhanced woody‐plant species richness. Inselberg size and environmental filtering both explained the richness of small‐scale and large‐scale dispersal species, but these ecological groups responded in opposite directions to altitude and rainfall, that is positively for large‐scale and negatively for small‐scale dispersal species. Our study revealed both habitat diversity associated with island size and environmental filtering as major drivers of neotropical inselberg plant diversity and showed the importance of plant species growth form and dispersal ability to explain the relative importance of each driver.     

Body‐size distribution and biogeographical patterns in non‐marine ostracods (Crustacea: Ostracoda)

The idea that free‐living minute organisms have ubiquitous distributions has been recently revitalized, causing significant controversy. The ubiquitous model predicts that a threshold where ubiquity leaves room to biogeography might exist somewhere along the animal body‐size range. In the present study, such a prediction is tested by analysing body‐size frequency distribution, species distribution, and local‐to‐global species ratio at the scale of biogeographical realms in cypridoidean non‐marine ostracods, a group with a body‐size range in the ubiquity–biogeography (U‐B) boundary. Data were gathered for all described extant cypridoidean ostracod species (N = 1761), with body‐size recorded for 1134 of them. Although local‐to‐global species ratios show significant over‐dispersal of small‐body ostracods for the Palaearctic and the Australasian regions, there are explanations alternative to the ‘Everything is Everywhere’ model that can account for such a result. Indicators of taxonomic structure do not support the hypothesis of a random distribution of cypridoidean species among realms. Nevertheless, the strong biogeography signal occurring at a large scale vanishes at the local scale (country‐level within the Palaearctic), and suggests wide dispersion within biogeographical realms. Additional factors, including inconsistent taxonomic criteria for species recognition, uneven sampling effort, and an excess of ‘single‐report’ occurrences, have been identified too as potential distorters of the observed patterns. Taxonomic harmonization, open databases of biogeographical data, and better ecological information are suggested as critical goals that need to be achieved for further understanding of ostracod global distribution patterns. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 109 , 409–423.     

Distribution and diversity of palms in a tropical biodiversity hotspot (Thailand) assessed by species distribution modeling

Species distribution modeling has been widely used to address questions related to ecology, biogeography and species conservation on global and regional scales. Here, we study palms (Arecaceae) in a tropical biodiversity hotspot (Thailand) using species distribution modeling to assess range‐limiting factors and estimate distribution and diversity patterns based on a comprehensive compilation of occurrence records. We focused on palms as a model group due to their key‐stone importance for ecosystem functioning and socio‐economics. Different combinations of climatic, non‐climatic environmental and spatial predictors were used. The most accurate models as indicated by the ‘area under the receiver operating characteristic curve’ (AUC) statistic were those that combined all predictors. The four strongest single predictors of palm species distributions were, in decreasing order of importance, 1) latitude, 2) precipitation of driest quarter, 3) annual precipitation, and 4) minimum temperature of the coldest month, suggesting rainfall patterns and latitudinal spatial constraints as the main range determinants. Overlaying the predicted distributions revealed that potential palm hotspots are situated in the provinces of Satun and Yala in southern Thailand where vast areas remain relatively open to the discovery of new palm records and perhaps even new species.     

Role of breeding and natal movements in lifetime dispersal of a forest‐dwelling rodent

The lifetime movements of an individual determine the gene flow and invasion potential of the species. However, sex dependence of dispersal and selective pressures driving dispersal have gained much more attention than dispersal at different life and age stages. Natal dispersal is more common than dispersal between breeding attempts, but breeding dispersal may be promoted by resource availability and competition. Here, we utilize mark–recapture data on the nest‐box population of Siberian flying squirrels to analyze lifetime dispersal patterns. Natal dispersal means the distance between the natal nest and the nest used the following year, whereas breeding movements refer to the nest site changes between breeding attempts. The movement distances observed here were comparable to distances reported earlier from radio‐telemetry studies. Breeding movements did not contribute to lifetime dispersal distance and were not related to variation in food abundance or habitat patch size. Breeding movements of males were negatively, albeit not strongly, related to male population size. In females, breeding movement activity was low and was not related to previous breeding success or to competition between females for territories. Natal philopatry was linked to apparent death of a mother; that is, we did not find evidence for mothers bequeathing territories for offspring, like observed in some other rodent species. Our results give an example of a species in which breeding movements are not driven by environmental variability or nest site quality. Different evolutionary forces often operate in natal and breeding movements, and our study supports the view that juveniles are responsible for redistributing individuals within and between populations. This emphasizes the importance of knowledge on natal dispersal, if we want to understand consequences of movement ecology of the species at the population level.     

Do ecological differences between taxonomic groups influence the relationship between species’ distributions and climate? A global meta‐analysis using species distribution models

Understanding whether and how ecological traits affect species’ geographic distributions is a fundamental issue that bridges ecology and biogeography. While climate is thought to be the major determinant of species’ distributions, there is considerable variation in the strength of species’ climate–distribution relationships. One potential explanation is that species with relatively low dispersal ability cannot reach all geographic areas where climatic conditions are suitable. We tested the hypothesis that species from different taxonomic groups varied in their climate–distribution relationships because of differences in life history strategies, in particular dispersal ability. We conducted a meta‐analysis by combining the discrimination ability (AUC values) from 4317 species distribution models (SDMs) using fit as an indication of the strength of the species’ climate–distribution relationship. We found significant differences in the strength of species’ climate–distribution relationships across taxonomic groups, however we did not find support for the dispersal hypothesis. Our results suggest that relevant ecological trait variation among broad taxonomic groups may be related to differences in species’ climate–distribution relationships, however which ecological traits are important remains unclear.     

Toward molecular trait‐based ecology through integration of biogeochemical,geographical and metagenomic data

Using metagenomic ‘parts lists’ to infer global patterns on microbial ecology remains a significant challenge. To deduce important ecological indicators such as environmental adaptation, molecular trait dispersal, diversity variation and primary production from the gene pool of an ecosystem, we integrated 25 ocean metagenomes with geographical, meteorological and geophysicochemical data. We find that climatic factors (temperature, sunlight) are the major determinants of the biomolecular repertoire of each sample and the main limiting factor on functional trait dispersal (absence of biogeographic provincialism). Molecular functional richness and diversity show a distinct latitudinal gradient peaking at 20°N and correlate with primary production. The latter can also be predicted from the molecular functional composition of an environmental sample. Together, our results show that the functional community composition derived from metagenomes is an important quantitative readout for molecular trait‐based biogeography and ecology.     

Dispersal behaviour of individuals in metapopulations of two British butterflies

Dispersal patterns are important in metapopulation ecology because they affect the dynamics and survival of populations. However, because little empirical information exists on dispersal behaviour of individuals, theoretical models usually assume random dispersal. Recent empirical evidence, by contrast, suggests that the butterfly Maniola jurtina uses a non‐random, systematic dispersal strategy, can detect and orient towards habitat from distances of 100–150 m, and prefers a familiar habitat patch over a non‐familiar one (‘homing behaviour’). The present study (1) investigated whether these results generalise to another butterfly species, Pyronia tithonus; and (2) examined the cause of the observed ‘homing behaviour’ in M. jurtina. P. tithonus used a similar non‐random, systematic dispersal strategy to M. jurtina, had a similar perceptual range for habitat detection and preferred a familiar habitat patch over a non‐familiar one. The ‘homing behaviour’ of M. jurtina was found to be context‐dependent: individual M. jurtina translocated within habitat did not return towards their capture point, whereas individuals translocated similar distances out of habitat did return to their ‘home’ patch. We conclude that butterfly ‘homing behaviour’ is not based on an inherent preference for a familiar location, but that familiarity with an area facilitates the recognition of suitable habitat, towards which individuals orient if they find themselves in unsuitable habitat. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we suggest that frequent, short ‘excursions’ over habitat patch boundaries are evolutionarily advantageous to individuals, because increased familiarity with the surrounding environment is likely to increase the ability of a straying animal to return to its natural habitat, and to reduce the rate of mortality experienced by individuals attempting to disperse between habitat patches. We discuss the implications of the non‐random dispersal for existing metapopulation models, including models of the evolution of dispersal rates.