Chapter 12

Population: Group of individuals of the same species occupying a given habitat

Meta-population: A population consisting of many local populations (A population of populations)
Four conditions for a meta-population:
1. Suitable habitat occurs in discrete patches occupied by local populations
2. Large populations also have a substantial risk of extinction
3. Habitat patches must not be isolated to prevent recolonization if a local extinction occurs
4. Dynamics of local populations are not synchronized
At local or within-patch scale, individuals move and interact with each other in the course of their routine activities. At
meta-population or regional scale, dynamics are governed by the interaction of local populations in the process of
dispersal and colonization. Because all local populations have a probability of extinction, persistence depends on process
of recolonization.
Colonization is movement of individuals from occupied to unoccupied patches to form a new local population.
Individuals moving across habitats move across habitats unsuitable to them resulting in substantial risk of failing to locate
to another suitable patch to settle in. If no individuals move between patches, local populations act independently. If
movement between populations is high, the local populations will function as a single large population (dynamics may be
synchronized). At intermediate levels of dispersal, process of local extinction and colonization achieve balance.
Meta-population persistence is a balance between extinction of local populations and recolonization of empty habitat
patches (population turnover). Rate at which subpopulations will go extinct: E = eP (E rate, e probability of going
extinct, P fraction of discrete habitat patches). Rate of colonization C = [mP(1-P)] (C Rate of colonization, m
probability of colonization, P fraction of discrete habitat patches). Therefore change in meta-populations through time
(P/t) = C-E
Chance of colonization decreases as distance between patches increases (>100m). Risk of local extinction increases with
decreasing patch size. Probability of local extinction increases with decreasing patch size and increasing isolation.
Probability of colonization increases with increasing patch size and decreasing isolation.
Increasing patch sizes increase the potential for environmental heterogeneity, therefore larger patches include habitat
types not found in smaller patches. When environmental conditions change, resources may disappear from a smaller patch
while they are more likely to remain in the larger patch. As a result, increasing patch area increases heterogeneity, reduces
chances of extinction and reduces impact due to changes in environmental conditions.
Rescue effect: increasing population size that occurs due to increasing immigration and decreasing risk of extinction.
Mainland-island meta-population structure is unique in the sense that a single habitat patch (mainland) is dominant
source of individuals emigrating to other habitat patches within the meta-population network.
Local extinctions tend to strike smaller populations more as they have the least impact on the overall persistence of the
meta-population. Source populations are defined by having a positive growth rate (r>0) while sink populations cannot
support growth rate (r<0) because of their poor quality.
Dispersal rate is an important in determining ability of a species to colonize a new area (r vs K species) [Hint: Remember
r for rats, rats multiply fast cuz they like to get jiggy with it and their numbers increase and like a big Asian family dont
care what their kids do so dispersal rate is high since population is unstable with high fecundity or birthrate. K is for
humans, we like to slow things down buy the girl a drink, dinner, a show, then the whole love making starts (le sigh!) so
our fecundity is low resulting in more stable population and less dispersal required)
Concept of population as a hierarchical framework
First spatial unit: Local population, responsible for determining rates of birth, death, immigration and emigration.
Second spatial unit: Meta-population, collection of local populations which may or may not show correlations in
demographic rates
Third spatial unit: Subspecies, collection of metapopulations in a geographic region where local and meta populations
occupy habitats separated by large distances, resulting in independence.
Fourth spatial unit: Species, collections of subspecies encompassing the entire distribution and geographic range of the
species.