Blandine Doligez, Anne Berthouly, Damien Doligez, Marion Tanner, Verena Saladin, Danielle Bonfils, and Heinz Richner. 2008. Spatial scale of local breeding habitat quality and adjustment of breeding decisions. Ecology 89:1436–1444.

Appendix E. Setup of experimental patches.

FIG. E1. Open squares: territories supplemented with food; black squares: nest boxes infested with ectoparasites. In high-quality patches, all territories were supplemented with food (HT-HP). In low-quality patches, all nest boxes were infested with ectoparasites (LT-LP). In medium-quality patches, half of the territories were supplemented with food (HT-LP) and half were infested with ectoparasites (LT-HP), alternatively in space. Each patch comprised 30 nest boxes uniformly distributed in space. Patch dimensions and inter-patch distance were chosen so as to maximise the difference in dispersal probability between male and female offspring. Each patch was a 450 × 450 m square (or had the equivalent area when a rectangular shape). Inter-patch distance was chosen so that the centre points of two adjacent patches were separated by the mean natal dispersal distance of females (i.e., 800 m). Together with the lack of available nest sites between patches, these distances should lead to approx. 75% of male offspring expected to stay in their natal patch and 75% of female offspring expected to leave their natal patch (under the hypothesis that natal dispersal probability does not depend on local habitat quality).