Metapopulation Ecology

Abstract

A metapopulation is a spatially structured population that persists over time as a set of local populations with limited dispersal between them. At equilibrium, the frequencies of local extinctions and colonisations are in balance. Starting in 1969, and accelerating in the early 1990s, mathematical models of metapopulations have shown the importance of landscape connectivity and dispersal for persistence of a species in fragmented landscapes. Metapopulation ecology is a key concept in conservation ecology. Although pure metapopulations may be rare, there are many empirical studies in which metapopulation processes, primarily local colonisation and extinction, have been useful in explaining dynamics of natural, managed and experimental systems. Metapopulation structure also affects population genetics, the rate of evolution, and the evolution of traits related to habitat use. Finally, just as a population can be structured as a metapopulation, communities inhabiting a heterogeneous landscape can form a metacommunity. Key Concepts A metapopulation is made up of semi‐independent local populations, with interplay between local and regional population dynamics. While few species may live as metapopulations in the strict sense, many species depend on metapopulation processes. That is, a species regional persistence depends on asynchronous local dynamics and dispersal. Models of the persistence of species in fragmented landscapes become more realistic if the metapopulation dynamics of the species is taken into account. Closely interacting species, such as a predator and its prey or strong competitors, may persist on a landscape scale owing to metapopulation dynamics of the species involved. Metapopulation structure imposes genetic structure on a population, influencing its genetic viability, rate of evolution and what traits evolve. Communities of species that are distributed in a landscape form a metacommunity. This concept shares important characteristics with metapopulations.

An integrated animal tracking technology combining a GPS tracking system with a UAV

“…Animals' movements influence individual survival, shape species spatial distributions, and facilitate individual dispersal between subpopulations (Sweanor et al, 2000), which promotes gene flow and maintains plant diversity through pollination and seed dispersal (Kays et al, 2015). Local-scale movements are particularly important in maintaining the heterogeneity between subpopulations and facilitating coexistence (van Nouhuys, 2016) and determining the factors that influence species distributions and resource selection (Mercker et al, 2021). Thus, obtaining high-quality information on animal locations and movements is crucial.…”

Conserving urban tropical biodiversity by connecting networks of green patches

“…By contrast, species capable of dispersing to new patches, such as the medium‐sized mammals in our study, are able to exploit new resources, find new mates and avoid conspecific threats and competition (Ramakrishnan, 2008). The long‐term survival of a metapopulation depends on colonisation through local dispersal (van Nouhuys, 2016). Species found in isolated patches in Greater KL are likely to become locally extinct over time.…”

Conservation strategies for endangered arable plant Euphorbia gaditana

“…The concept of metapopulation, defined as an assemblage of local populations existing in equilibrium between extinction and colonization, is central to determining the persistence of species in fragmented landscapes. Metapopulation modeling is one of the prospective tools used in conservation biology to evaluate long‐term survival in fragmented landscapes (van Nouhuys, 2016). Among metapopulation models, the incidence function model (IFM) is one of the most commonly used to predict metapopulation dynamics because it only requires data on occupancy, patch size, and distance between patches instead of detailed demographic data, which unfortunately are not always available (Hanski, 1994).…”