Biology – Quantitative Biology – Populations and Evolution
Scientific paper
2010-01-02
Biology
Quantitative Biology
Populations and Evolution
19 Preprint style pages and 9 figures
Scientific paper
Dispersal is an important strategy that allows organisms to locate and exploit favorable habitats. The question arises: given competition in a spatially heterogeneous landscape, what is the optimal rate of dispersal? Continuous population models predict that a species with a lower dispersal rate always drives a competing species to extinction in the presence of spatial variation of resources. However, the introduction of intrinsic demographic stochasticity can reverse this conclusion. We present a simple model in which competition between the exploitation of resources and stochastic fluctuations leads to victory by either the faster or slower of two species depending on the environmental parameters. A simplified limiting case of the model, analyzed by closing the moment and correlation hierarchy, quantitatively predicts which species will win in the complete model under given parameters of spatial variation and average carrying capacity.
Doering Charles R.
Sander Leonard M.
Waddell Jack N.
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