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How Prospecting for Informed Dispersal Shapes Biodiversity Patterns in a Metacommunity.

Marie-Sophie Rohwäder1, Florian Jeltsch1,2

  • 1Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation University of Potsdam Potsdam Germany.

Ecology and Evolution
|July 8, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Prospecting for future breeding sites influences species interactions and diversity in metacommunities. Informed dispersal decisions, driven by prospecting effort, mediate the relationship between dispersal rate and species diversity.

Keywords:
competitive metacommunitydispersal‐diversity‐relationshipindividual‐based modellinginformed dispersalprospecting

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Metacommunity Dynamics
  • Behavioral Ecology

Background:

  • Prospecting for future breeding sites is crucial for informed dispersal decisions.
  • Understanding how prospecting mediates species co-occurrence versus competitive exclusion is key to metacommunity dynamics.
  • The dispersal-diversity relationship can be significantly altered by prospecting behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of prospecting in mediating species co-occurrence and competitive exclusion.
  • To determine how prospecting effort influences the dispersal-diversity relationship in a metacommunity.
  • To explore the impact of dispersal costs and heritable prospecting traits on metacommunity diversity.

Main Methods:

  • Developed an individual-based model (IBM) simulating a small mammal metacommunity with 10 theoretical species.
  • Incorporated local resource competition and regional breeding dispersal.
  • Tested three scenarios of prospecting effort: uniform, interspecific, and intraspecific differences, including heritability and dispersal costs.

Main Results:

  • Informed settlement significantly influenced the dispersal-diversity relationship, with higher prospecting effort leading to a hump-shaped curve.
  • High prospecting effort resulted in increased competition and reduced establishment success for species with high resource demands.
  • Dispersal costs reduced metacommunity diversity, but increased prospecting effort partially mitigated this loss; heritable prospecting traits at low levels maximized diversity.

Conclusions:

  • Prospecting effort is a critical factor in shaping metacommunity diversity by mediating competitive interactions.
  • Informed dispersal decisions, influenced by prospecting, are vital for maintaining species diversity in metacommunities.
  • The interplay between prospecting, dispersal costs, and heritable traits significantly impacts metacommunity structure and diversity.