Seasonal movement behavior reveals relationships between habitat use and weather on initial reproductive investment in Meleagris gallopavo (Wild Turkey)

Abstract Previous research on vertebrates suggests that numerous factors influence the initiation of seasonal movement behavior and potential reproductive carry-over effects. Recognizing the potential link between seasonal movements and reproductive carry-over effects, we investigated the drivers and potential consequences of spring movements consisting of movement transitions between the nonbreeding and breeding seasons in a large-bodied upland game bird, Meleagris gallopavo (Wild Turkey), using a spatial, morphometric, and disease data in Pennsylvania, USA. We fit 4 models to assess (1) environmental and individual drivers of seasonal movement, categorizing individuals that initiated seasonal movements as “movers” and individuals that did not exhibit seasonal movement as “residents”; (2) environmental and individual effects on movement-related energy expenditure (i.e., overall dynamic body acceleration); (3) effects of environmental variables, individual covariates, and movement-related energy on clutch size; and (4) effects of environmental variables, individual covariates, and movement-related energy on nest success. When modeling the influence of environmental and individual variables on spring movement initiation, we found that juveniles infected with lymphoproliferative disease virus were less likely to initiate a spring movement. When modeling the influence of environmental variables on movement-related energy during spring movements, we found that individuals expended greater movement-related energy in agricultural and developed areas. When modeling the influence of landscape variables encountered during spring movements on clutch size, we found that juvenile movers (n = 18) that encountered greater proportions of cropland and conifer forest laid more eggs than juvenile residents (n = 22). In addition, adult movers (n = 48) that encountered greater proportions of developed and higher primary road densities laid fewer eggs than adult residents (n = 130). Collectively, our findings suggest there are trade-offs with seasonal movement behavior in M. gallopavo, highlighting the broader ecological implications of alternative movement strategies and their linkages to reproductive carry-over effects.