Fine-Grained Distribution of a Non-Native Resource Can Alter the Population Dynamics of a Native Consumer.

ABSTRACT: New interactions with non-native species can alter selection pressures on native species. Here, we examined the effect of the spatial distribution of a non-native species, a factor that determines ecological and evolutionary outcomes but that is poorly understood, particularly on a fine scale. Specifically, we explored a native butterfly population and a non-native plant on which the butterfly oviposits despite the plant's toxicity to larvae. We developed an individual-based model to describe movement and oviposition behaviors of each butterfly, which were determined by plant distribution and the butterfly's host preference genotype. We estimated the parameter values of the model from rich field data. We simulated various patterns of plant distributions and compared the rates of butterfly

SUBMITTER: Nakajima M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4648569 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature