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Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

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Dispersal polymorphism in stable habitats.

¹Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Helsinki, PO Box 68, FIN-00014, Finland.

Journal of Theoretical Biology

|January 8, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Kin competition drives dispersal evolution in fragmented habitats. Contrasting kin competition levels in heterogeneous landscapes allow both low and high dispersal strategies to coexist, with a stable dimorphism emerging.

Keywords:

Adaptive dynamics Evolutionary branching Habitat heterogeneity Inclusive fitness Kin competition

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Population genetics
Behavioral ecology

Background:

Kin competition influences dispersal strategies based on habitat patch size and population density.
Dispersal loss is favored when costly and local populations are large, minimizing kin interactions.
Habitat heterogeneity, with both small and large patches, can lead to the coexistence of different dispersal strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the evolution of dispersal strategies using adaptive dynamics and inclusive fitness theory.
To model dispersal in a simplified landscape with small (single individual) and large (large population) patches.
To investigate the conditions leading to the coexistence of distinct dispersal strategies.

Main Methods:

Employed adaptive dynamics and inclusive fitness frameworks.
Developed a theoretical model with distinct patch sizes and population densities.
Conducted analytical derivations for evolutionary outcomes.

Main Results:

Evolutionary branching occurs when the proportion of individuals in small patches is below a specific threshold, leading to two coexisting dispersal strategies.
An evolutionarily stable dimorphism, including a zero-dispersal strategy and a moderate dispersal strategy, is consistently found.
The model exhibits complex population dynamics with multiple equilibria and unprotected dimorphisms, though the evolutionarily stable dimorphism is always protected.

Conclusions:

Contrasting kin competition levels in heterogeneous landscapes can maintain both low- and high-dispersal strategies.
A stable dimorphism of dispersal strategies is a robust outcome of the model, even under conditions not typically favoring branching.
The study highlights the intricate population dynamics and stable evolutionary outcomes in models of dispersal evolution.