Variability in Dispersal Syndromes Is a Key Driver of Metapopulation Dynamics in Experimental Microcosms

Staffan Jacob (1, 2) , Alexis Chaine (2, 3) , Michèle Huet (2) , Jean Clobert (2) , Delphine Legrand (2)

1 UCL - Université Catholique de Louvain = Catholic University of Louvain
2 SETE - Station d'écologie théorique et expérimentale
3 TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics

Evolutionary ecology studies have increasingly focused on the impact of intraspecific variability on population processes. However, the role such variation plays in the dynamics of spatially structured populations and how it interacts with environmental changes remains unclear. Here we experimentally quantify the relative importance of intraspecific variability in dispersal-related traits and spatiotemporal variability of environmental conditions for the dynamics of two-patch metapopulations using clonal genotypes of a ciliate in connected microcosms. We demonstrate that in our simple two-patch microcosms, differences among genotypes are at least as important as spatiotemporal variability of resources for metapopulation dynamics. Furthermore, we show that an important proportion of this effect results from variability of dispersal syndromes. These syndromes can therefore be as important for metapopulation dynamics as spatiotemporal variability of environmental conditions. This study demonstrates that intraspecific variability in dispersal syndromes can be key in the functioning of metapopulations facing environmental changes.

Keywords: intraspecific variability; dispersal syndrome; eco-evolutionary dynamics; spatially structured populations; genetic diversity; environmental changes

Domains: Environmental Sciences; Biodiversity and Ecology

Staffan Jacob, Alexis Chaine, Michèle Huet, Jean Clobert, Delphine Legrand. Variability in Dispersal Syndromes Is a Key Driver of Metapopulation Dynamics in Experimental Microcosms. American Naturalist, 2019, 194 (5), pp.613-626. ⟨10.1086/705410⟩. ⟨hal-02347855⟩