(Not) far from home: No sex bias in dispersal, but limited genetic patch size, in an endangered species, the Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata)

Sex‐biased dispersal is common in many animals, with male‐biased dispersal often found in studies of mammals and reptiles, including interpretations of spatial genetic structure, ostensibly as a result of male–male competition and a lack of male parental care. Few studies of sex‐biased dispersal have been conducted in turtles, but a handful of studies, in saltwater turtles and in terrestrial turtles, have detected male‐biased dispersal as expected. We tested for sex‐biased dispersal in the endangered freshwater turtle, the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) by investigating fine‐scale genetic spatial structure of males and females. We found significant spatial genetic structure in both sexes, but the patterns mimicked each other. Both males and females typically had higher than expected relatedness at distances