The interplay between landscape change and plasticity in habitat selection determines dispersal movements and settlement in small non‐flying vertebrates

The response of dispersers to landscape changes depends on both external environmental conditions and individual internal conditions, as well as movement and orientation abilities. Plasticity in habitat selection may also affect how individuals respond to landscape changes. We investigated the role of plasticity in habitat selection during the settlement stage of dispersal for three species of neotropical marsupials with varying perceptual ranges and movement abilities, as well as their interactions with the landscape context, including habitat amount and fragmentation. In addition, we considered the role of individual energetic conditions during dispersal and the trade‐off between habitat quality and energetic conditions in settlement decisions. We developed an individual‐based model (IBM), parameterised with empirical estimates of perceptual range and movements, to simulate dispersal, transfer and settlement stages in fragmented landscapes varying in habitat amount and clumpiness. Plasticity plays a crucial role in mitigating the impacts of fragmentation and habitat loss, but it may not always yield the optimal strategy. Fragmentation positively affects settlement rates, particularly in landscapes with intermediate habitat amounts, but it may also reduce habitat quality in settlement patches, impair individual energetic condition at settlement, and alter the ratio of total to Euclidean dispersal distance. Our results demonstrate that the impacts of landscape disturbance on dispersal depend on multiple interacting factors, including species‐specific movement and orientation capacities. These factors should be incorporated into future studies to better understand and predict dispersal across heterogeneous landscapes.