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Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

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Biased dispersal can explain fast human range expansions.

Joaquim Fort^1,2

¹Complex Systems Laboratory, Universitat de Girona, C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany 61, 17003, Girona, Catalonia, Spain. joaquim.fort@udg.edu.

Scientific Reports

|June 5, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Human population fronts can spread faster than predicted. This study shows biased dispersal, not just incorporation of locals, explains faster front speeds in expansions like the Khoi-khoi and Bantu migrations.

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Area of Science:

Population dynamics
Human migration
Mathematical modeling

Background:

Observed human population fronts spread faster than models predict.
Current models often assume incorporation of autochthonous individuals to explain speed.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate alternative explanations for rapid human front propagation.
To demonstrate the consistency of biased dispersal models with historical expansion data.

Main Methods:

Development of physical models incorporating biased dispersal.
Application of models to historical human expansion data (Khoi-khoi herders, Bantu farmers).

Main Results:

Simple models with biased dispersal successfully explain observed front speeds.
Biased dispersal, favoring directions of propagation, is sufficient without autochthonous incorporation.
Models are consistent with Khoi-khoi and Bantu expansion speeds.

Conclusions:

Biased dispersal is a key factor in rapid population front expansion.
The presented physical models offer a parsimonious explanation for observed phenomena.
These models have broad applicability to various social and biological systems exhibiting biased spread.