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Evolutionary Suicide and Evolution of Dispersal in Structured Metapopulations

Mats Gyllenberg, Kalle Parvinen, Ulf Dieckmann, Evolutionary Suicide and Evolution of Dispersal in Structured Metapopulations. Journal of Mathematical Biology 45(2), 79–105, 2002.

Abstract:

<P>We study the evolution of dispersal in a structured
metapopulation model. The metapopulation consists of a large
(infinite) number of local populations living in patches of
habitable environment. Dispersal between patches is modelled by a
disperser pool and individuals in transit between patches are
exposed to a risk of mortality. Occasionally, local catastrophes
eradicate a local population: all individuals in the affected
patch die, yet the patch remains habitable. We prove that, in the
absence of catastrophes, the strategy not to migrate is
evolutionarily stable. Under a given set of environmental
conditions, a metapopulation may be viable and yet selection may
favor dispersal rates that drive the metapopulation to extinction.
This phenomenon is known as evolutionary suicide. We show that in
our model evolutionary suicide can occur for catastrophe rates
that increase with decreasing local population size. Evolutionary
suicide can also happen for constant catastrophe rates, if local
growth within patches shows an Allee effect. We study the
evolutionary bifurcation towards evolutionary suicide and show
that a discontinuous transition to extinction is a necessary
condition for evolutionary suicide to occur. In other words, if
population size smoothly approaches zero at a boundary of
viability in parameter space, this boundary is evolutionarily
repelling and no suicide can occur.
</p>

<A HREF=http://link.springer.de/link/service/journals/00285/bibs/2045002/20450079.htm target=_top>Available online</a>

BibTeX entry:

@ARTICLE{jGyPaDi02a,
  title = {Evolutionary Suicide and Evolution of Dispersal in Structured Metapopulations},
  author = {Gyllenberg, Mats and Parvinen, Kalle and Dieckmann, Ulf},
  journal = {Journal of Mathematical Biology},
  volume = {45},
  number = {2},
  pages = {79–105},
  year = {2002},
}

Belongs to TUCS Research Unit(s): Biomathematics Research Unit (BIOMATH)

Publication Forum rating of this publication: level 3

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