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Hildner, K. Kelly; Soulé, Michael E.; Min, Mi Sook; Foran, David R.

doi:10.1023/a:1023319608750

Cited by 13 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 52 publications

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“…Evidence to date suggests that demography is most critical in the first generation of colonization, with larger groups of founders being better buffered against demographic and environmental stochasticity, and thereby enabling some founding individuals to survive and reproduce [20,21]. The establishment phase, on the other hand, is sensitive to the genetic composition of the founders because genetic variation can dictate population growth rates with higher variation leading to higher population growth [22]. It can also strengthen a population's ability to respond to selection [23,24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The roles of demography and genetics in the early stages of colonization

et al. 2014

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MS, 0000-0001-7972-9571Colonization success increases with the size of the founding group. Both demographic and genetic factors underlie this relationship, yet because genetic diversity normally increases with numbers of individuals, their relative importance remains unclear. Furthermore, their influence may depend on the environment and may change as colonization progresses from establishment through population growth and then dispersal. We tested the roles of genetics, demography and environment in the founding of Tribolium castaneum populations. Using three genetic backgrounds (inbred to outbred), we released individuals of four founding sizes (2-32) into two environments (natal and novel), and measured establishment success, initial population growth and dispersal. Establishment increased with founding size, whereas population growth was shaped by founding size, genetic background and environment. Population growth was depressed by inbreeding at small founding sizes, but growth rates were similar across genetic backgrounds at large founding size, an interaction indicating that the magnitude of the genetic effects depends upon founding population size. Dispersal rates increased with genetic diversity. These results suggest that numbers of individuals may drive initial establishment, but that subsequent population growth and spread, even in the first generation of colonization, can be driven by genetic processes, including both reduced growth owing to inbreeding depression, and increased dispersal with increased genetic diversity.

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