Evolution of dispersal in spatially and temporally variable environments: The importance of life cycles |
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Authors: | François Massol Florence Débarre |
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Institution: | 1. Laboratoire Evolution, Ecologie et Paléontologie, CNRS UMR 8198, Université Lille 1, Villeneuve d'Ascq cedex, France;2. Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, équipe Stochastic Models for the Inference of Life Evolution, Collège de France, Paris, France |
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Abstract: | Spatiotemporal variability of the environment is bound to affect the evolution of dispersal, and yet model predictions strongly differ on this particular effect. Recent studies on the evolution of local adaptation have shown that the life cycle chosen to model the selective effects of spatiotemporal variability of the environment is a critical factor determining evolutionary outcomes. Here, we investigate the effect of the order of events in the life cycle on the evolution of unconditional dispersal in a spatially heterogeneous, temporally varying landscape. Our results show that the occurrence of intermediate singular strategies and disruptive selection are conditioned by the temporal autocorrelation of the environment and by the life cycle. Life cycles with dispersal of adults versus dispersal of juveniles, local versus global density regulation, give radically different evolutionary outcomes that include selection for total philopatry, evolutionary bistability, selection for intermediate stable states, and evolutionary branching points. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for life‐cycle specifics when predicting the effects of the environment on evolutionarily selected trait values, such as dispersal, as well as the need to check the robustness of model conclusions against modifications of the life cycle. |
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Keywords: | Adaptive dynamics dispersal disruptive selection hard selection metapopulation soft selection |
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