philopatry
Philopatry is the tendency of an organism to remain in or repeatedly return to its birthplace or to a familiar home site. In practice, it is most commonly described as natal philopatry, the return to the birthplace for reproduction, or breeding philopatry, returning to a familiar breeding area. It is widespread across animals, particularly in birds, fishes, and some mammals, though the strength and mechanism vary among taxa.
Potential benefits and costs accompany philopatry. Benefits include improved survival and reproduction from known resources, established
Mechanisms and examples help explain why philopatry persists. Navigation, imprinting, spatial learning, and social information use
Significance and measurement follow. Philopatry influences population structure, local adaptation, and metapopulation dynamics, and it interacts