Floaters may buffer the extinction risk of small populations: an empirical assessment.

ABSTRACT: The high extinction risk of small populations is commonly explained by reductions in fecundity and breeder survival associated with demographic and environmental stochasticity. However, ecological theory suggests that population extinctions may also arise from reductions in the number of floaters able to replace the lost breeders. This can be particularly plausible under harsh fragmentation scenarios, where species must survive as small populations subjected to severe effects of stochasticity. Using a woodpecker study in fragmented habitats (2004-2016), we provide here empirical support for the largely neglected hypothesis that floaters buffer population extirpation risks. After controlling for population size, patch size and the intrinsic quality of habitat, populations in patches with fl

SUBMITTER: Robles H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5413921 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature