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On the evolution of migration in heterogeneous environments
François Blanquart1, Sylvain Gandon
1Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5175, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; Université de Montpellier 2, 2 Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier Cedex 5, France. francois.blanquart@normalesup.org.
Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|February 28, 2014
Summary
This study introduces a new model for migration evolution, showing environmental changes significantly impact migration rates and can lead to evolutionary bistability depending on initial conditions.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Theoretical ecology
- Population genetics
Background:
- Environmental conditions vary in space and time, influencing population dynamics.
- Understanding the evolution of migration is crucial in heterogeneous environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a theoretical framework for studying migration evolution under variable selection and genetic drift.
- To investigate factors influencing polymorphism maintenance and migration levels.
- To explore the impact of complex environmental heterogeneity on migration evolution.
Main Methods:
- Developed a novel theoretical framework.
- Analyzed conditions for polymorphism maintenance under heterogeneous selection.
- Studied migration evolution considering kin competition and local adaptation.
- Relaxed assumptions on selection heterogeneity to explore complex variability patterns.
Main Results:
- Polymorphism maintenance depends on spatial heterogeneity and migration rate.
- Evolutionary bistability observed in migration levels (low or high) based on initial conditions.
- Complex spatial and temporal selection patterns dramatically affect migration evolution.
Conclusions:
- Environmental heterogeneity plays a critical role in shaping migration evolution.
- General scenarios of environmental variability are important for studying life-history traits.
- The theoretical framework provides insights into migration dynamics in complex ecological settings.
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