Spread of networked populations is determined by the interplay between dispersal behavior and habitat configuration.

ABSTRACT: Predicting the spread of populations across fragmented habitats is vital if we are to manage their persistence in the long term. We applied network theory with a model and an experiment to show that spread rate is jointly defined by the configuration of habitat networks (i.e., the arrangement and length of connections between habitat fragments) and the movement behavior of individuals. We found that population spread rate in the model was well predicted by algebraic connectivity of the habitat network. A multigeneration experiment with the microarthropod Folsomia candida validated this model prediction. The realized habitat connectivity and spread rate were determined by the interaction between dispersal behavior and habitat configuration, such that the network configurations that f

SUBMITTER: Rayfield B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10089154 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature