Genetic diversity and connectivity of deep‐sea hydrothermal vent metapopulations

Deep‐sea hydrothermal vents provide ephemeral habitats for animal communities that depend on chemosynthetic primary production. Sporadic volcanic and tectonic events destroy local vent fields and create new ones. Ongoing dispersal and cycles of extirpation and colonization affect the levels and distribution of genetic diversity in vent metapopulations. Several species exhibit evidence for stepping‐stone dispersal along relatively linear, oceanic, ridge axes. Other species exhibit very high rates of gene flow, although natural barriers associated with variation in depth, deep‐ocean currents, and lateral offsets of ridge axes often subdivide populations. Various degrees of impedance to dispersal across such boundaries are products of species‐specific life histories and behaviours. Though unrelated to the size of a species range, levels of genetic diversity appear to correspond with the number of active vent localities that a species occupies within its range. Pioneer species that rapidly colonize nascent vents tend to be less subdivided and more diverse genetically than species that are slow to establish colonies at vents. Understanding the diversity and connectivity of vent metapopulations provides essential information for designing deep‐sea preserves in regions that are under consideration for submarine mining of precious metals.     

Evolution of specialization in resource utilization in structured metapopulations

We study the evolution of resource utilization in a structured discrete-time metapopulation model with an infinite number of patches, prone to local catastrophes. The consumer faces a trade-off in the abilities to consume two resources available in different amounts in each patch. We analyse how the evolution of specialization in the utilization of the resources is affected by different ecological factors: migration, local growth, local catastrophes, forms of the trade-off and distribution of the resources in the patches. Our modelling approach offers a natural way to include more than two patch types into the models. This has not been usually possible in the previous spatially heterogeneous models focusing on the evolution of specialization.     

非自治Lotka-Volterra型捕食扩散系统中有害时滞对该系统持久性的影响

研究了时滞对一类非自治Lotka-Volterra型捕食扩散系统的影响,该系统由n个斑块组成,食饵种群可以在斑块间迁移,而摘食者限制在某一个斑块不能扩散．我们假设密度制约项系数并不总是严格正的．通过运用比较定理及时滞泛函微分方程的基本原理,分两种情况表明了在一定条件下系统是一致持久的．两种情况的结果表明时滞的引入和变化即可能是“有害”,也可能是”无害”．进一步还说明了系统在一致持久性的条件下至少存在一个正周期解．这些结果是对已知的非自治Lotka-Volterra系统的一些结果的推广与改进．     

生物被膜分散方式的研究进展

临床上生物被膜与感染的慢性迁延不愈密切相关,而生物被膜菌的分散又会造成感染的反复急性发作,给临床感染的有效控制带来很大困难。生物被膜菌的分散过程受到了遗传和环境等多因素的调控,主要是通过蜂式分散、块式分散和毯式分散3种形式来实现的。深入进行生物被膜基础研究对改变目前临床感染治疗的窘境有重大意义。     

Joint evolution of specialization and dispersal in structured metapopulations

We study the joint evolution of dispersal and specialization concerning resource usage in a mechanistically underpinned structured discrete-time metapopulation model. We show that dispersal significantly affects the evolution of specialization and that specialization is a key factor that determines the possibility of evolutionary branching in dispersal propensity. Allowing both dispersal propensity and specialization to evolve as a consequence of natural selection is necessary in order to understand the evolutionary dynamics. The joint evolution of dispersal and specialization forms a natural evolutionary path leading to the coexistence of generalists and specialists. We show that in this process, the number of different patch types and the resource distribution are essential.     

Dispersal mechanisms in a captive wild house mouse population (Mus domesticus Rutty)

The ecological implications of dispersal have been discussed in many studies of wild animals in the field but little is known about the social mechanisms leading to the emigration of certain members of a group. To study the social background of dispersal in wild house mice ( Mus domesticus Rutty) a population cage system was evaluated that allowed permanent observation of individually marked animals. It consisted of ten cages connected to a central cage by transparent plastic tubes. Two of these cages were defined as 'dispersal cages' and could be reached only by swimming through a water basin. Dispersal was defined as a permanent stay in one of these cages for at least 4 days. At the beginning of the experiment one pair of house mice with their litter was placed into the cage system. Each of six experiments lasted for 6 months during which data on spacing, social interactions, body condition, reproduction, mortality and dispersal were collected by daily observations. Results regarding this study could be summarized as follows: (1) dispersal in house mice is male-biased; (2) there are interfamiliar differences in dispersal age, dispersal rate, and in the development of the population structure; (3) after reaching sexual maturity subdominant males are evicted by the dominant one; (4) reproductive rate among females drops with increasing birth order, thus only the oldest females within a group reproduce; (5) females born under high population density conditions can only reproduce after dispersal.     

扩散生态学及其意义

扩散研究是生态学研究中的一个热点领域 ,而扩散生态学则是生物学领域一门新的分支学科。本文综述了扩散生态学研究的一些基本理论问题 ,包括扩散的定义、扩散生态学的研究内容及其与生物学其它分支学科的关系 ,并阐述了研究扩散的重要意义。扩散生态学的研究内容十分广泛 ,既涉及所有生物 (从微生物到脊椎动物 )的生态学 (如复合种群、群落、生态系统多样性、复杂性和稳定性 )和进化 (如种化 )等理论问题 ,又涉及物种保护、生物多样性保育、有害生物 (包括外来物种 )的控制、流行病防范、环境保护和人口管理等应用问题。因此 ,研究生物的扩散具有十分重要的理论和实践意义。     

Quantifying functional connectivity: experimental assessment of boundary permeability for the natterjack toad (Bufo calamita)

Like other pond-breeding amphibians, the natterjack toad (Bufo calamita) typically presents a patchy distribution. Because the species experiences high probabilities of local population extinction, its persistence within landscapes relies on both local and landscape-scale processes [dispersal allowing the (re)colonization of habitat patches]. However, the structure and composition of the matrix surrounding local populations can alter the dispersal rates between populations. As shown previously (Landscape Ecol 19:829–842, 2004), the locomotor performances of individuals at the dispersal stage depend on the nature of the component crossed: some landscape components offer high resistance to movement (high resistance or high viscosity components) whereas others allow high efficiency of movement (low resistance components). We now examine the ability of individuals to discriminate between landscape components and select low-resistance components. Our experimental study investigates the ways in which young natterjack toads choose from among landscape components common to southern Belgium. Toadlets (the dispersal stage) were experimentally confronted with boundaries between surrogates of sandy soils, roads, forests, agricultural fields and intensive pastures. Our results show: 1 the ability of toadlets to react to boundaries between landscape components, 2 differences in permeability among boundaries, and 3 our inability to predict correctly the permeability of the boundaries from the patch-specific resistance assessed previously. Toadlets showed a preference for bare environments and forests, whereas they avoided the use of agricultural environments. This pattern could not be explained in terms of patch-specific resistance only, and is discussed in terms of mortality risks and resource availability in the various landscape components, with particular attention to repercussions on conservation strategies.     

Reproductive timing alters population connectivity in marine metapopulations

Populations of most marine organisms are connected by the dispersal of larval stages, with profound implications for marine conservation. Because of the extreme effort needed to empirically measure larval exchange, multispecies conservation efforts must estimate connectivity by extrapolation using taxonomy, adult distribution, life history, behavior, or phenology. Using a 6-year record of connectivity realized through trace-elemental fingerprinting of larval shells, we document the seasonal and interannual variability of larval exchange for two congeneric mussel species with overlapping but distinct distribution, life history, and reproduction timing. We reveal consistent autumn poleward movement and spring equatorward movement for both species, coincident with near-shore surface currents. However, because the major reproductive seasons differ, the dominant source-sink dynamics of these two congeneric species are nearly opposite. Consideration of present and future reproductive timing as altered by climate change is crucial to marine connectivity and conservation, especially for the numerous coastal areas subject to seasonal current reversals.     

Dispersal distance as a benefit of myrmecochory

Summary Nutrient-enrichment and predator avoidance are generally considered the major benefits of myrmecochory, but this is apparently not so in Australia where some of the greatest known concentrations of myrmecochorus plants occur. Here I demonstrate that distance dispersal is a potential benefit of myrmecochory in the Australian environment. Although mean dispersal distance at a site in southeastern Australia was only 2.1 m, the dispersal curve was characterised by a narrow peak and long tail. A dispersal curve of this shape has been shown by Green (1983) to be optimal when safe sites for seedling establishment are rare, as is typically the case for Australian myrmecochores in the absence of fire. Both mean disperal distance and shape of the dispersal curve are influenced strongly by nest density and dispersion, population size, and territoriality of seed-dispersing ants. I argue that distance dispersal is likely to be a benefit of myrmecochory throughout Australia, independent of any targeting of seeds to ant nests.     

Interspecific competition in metapopulations

The assumptions and predictions of metapopulation models for competing species are discussed in relation to empirical studies of colonization and extinction in metapopulations. In three species of Daphnia in rockpools, interspecific competition increased local extinction rates, while no effects on colonization rates were detected. Distributional patterns were consistent with several predictions of the competition model; for example, the number of species on an island increased with the number of pools and the proportion of pools occupied by each species decreased with increasing species number. It is concluded that interspecific competition is important for the distributional dynamics of Daphnia species in rockpools, but the question whether the coexistence of these species depends on metapopulation dynamics is still unresolved. Other studies on the effects of interspecific competition on colonization and extinction rates are discussed.     

Dispersal behaviour of individuals in metapopulations of two British butterflies

Dispersal patterns are important in metapopulation ecology because they affect the dynamics and survival of populations. However, because little empirical information exists on dispersal behaviour of individuals, theoretical models usually assume random dispersal. Recent empirical evidence, by contrast, suggests that the butterfly Maniola jurtina uses a non‐random, systematic dispersal strategy, can detect and orient towards habitat from distances of 100–150 m, and prefers a familiar habitat patch over a non‐familiar one (‘homing behaviour’). The present study (1) investigated whether these results generalise to another butterfly species, Pyronia tithonus; and (2) examined the cause of the observed ‘homing behaviour’ in M. jurtina. P. tithonus used a similar non‐random, systematic dispersal strategy to M. jurtina, had a similar perceptual range for habitat detection and preferred a familiar habitat patch over a non‐familiar one. The ‘homing behaviour’ of M. jurtina was found to be context‐dependent: individual M. jurtina translocated within habitat did not return towards their capture point, whereas individuals translocated similar distances out of habitat did return to their ‘home’ patch. We conclude that butterfly ‘homing behaviour’ is not based on an inherent preference for a familiar location, but that familiarity with an area facilitates the recognition of suitable habitat, towards which individuals orient if they find themselves in unsuitable habitat. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we suggest that frequent, short ‘excursions’ over habitat patch boundaries are evolutionarily advantageous to individuals, because increased familiarity with the surrounding environment is likely to increase the ability of a straying animal to return to its natural habitat, and to reduce the rate of mortality experienced by individuals attempting to disperse between habitat patches. We discuss the implications of the non‐random dispersal for existing metapopulation models, including models of the evolution of dispersal rates.     

非人灵长类个体的迁移与扩散

迁移现象在群居动物中普遍存在、在非人灵长类中尤为突出。在非人灵长类中,大多数的迁移表现出强烈的雄性偏向性和雌性不进行迁移的形式。在一些少数的物种中,也存在雌雄双方都进行迁移以及雌性偏向性迁移而雄性不迁移的形式。群居种类、一夫一妻制种类、独居种类的迁移模式上各有特色且不尽相同,这是动物社群结构多样性的体现。驱赶和异性的吸引是推动个体迁移的两大动力,驱赶多发生在一雄多雌的社群中,异性吸引多发生在无亲缘关系的个体之间。个体迁移过程,是个体付出与收益的平衡。迁移不仅是非人灵长类动物生活史中的一个重要环节,同时在不同种群间个体基因交流上也有明显的作用。     

Dispersal, settling and layer formation

Motivated by examples in developmental biology and ecology, we develop a model for convection-dominated invasion of a spatial region by initially motile agents which are able to settle permanently. The motion of the motile agents and their rate of settling are affected by the local concentration of settled agents. The model can be formulated as a nonlinear partial differential equation for the time-integrated local concentration of the motile agents, from which the instantaneous density of settled agents and its long-time limit can be extracted. In the limit of zero diffusivity, the partial differential equation is of first order; for application-relevant initial and boundary-value problems, shocks arise in the time-integrated motile agent density, leading to delta-function components in the motile agent density. Furthermore, there are simple solutions for a model of successive layer formation. In addition some analytic results for a one-dimensional system with non-zero diffusivity can also be obtained. A case study, both with and without diffusion, is examined numerically. Some important predictions of the model are insensitive to the specific settling law used and the model offers insight into biological processes involving layered growth or overlapping generations of colonization.     

High relatedness selects against hypermutability in bacterial metapopulations

Mutation rate and cooperation have important ecological and evolutionary consequences and, moreover, can affect pathogen virulence. While hypermutability accelerates adaptation to novel environments, hypermutable lineages ('mutators') are selected against in well-adapted populations. Using the model organism Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we previously demonstrated a further potential disadvantage to hypermutability, namely, that it can accelerate the breakdown of cooperation. We now investigate how this property of mutators can affect their persistence in metapopulations. Mutator and wild-type bacteria were competed for 250 generations in globally competing metapopulations, imposing conditions of high or low intra-deme relatedness. High relatedness favours cooperating groups, so we predicted that mutators should achieve lower equilibrium frequencies under high relatedness than under low relatedness. This was observed in our study. Consistent with our hypothesis, there was a positive correlation between mean mutator and cheat frequencies. We conclude that when dense population growth requires cooperation, and when cooperation is favoured (high relatedness), demes containing high frequencies of mutators are likely to be selected against because they also contain high frequencies of non-cooperating cheats. We have also identified conditions where mutator lineages are likely to dominate metapopulations; namely, when low relatedness reduces kin selection for cooperation. These results may help to explain clinical distributions of mutator bacteria.     

Effective population size,reproductive success and sperm precedence in the butterfly,Bicyclus anynana,in captivity

A pedigree approach is used to estimate the effective population size yn two population cages of the butterfly, Bicyclus anynana. Each cage was founded with 54 individually marked adults of each sex. Matings were recorded over a 3‐day period. Eggs were then collected from each female over a similar period before the numbers of hatching larvae were counted to assess progeny number. The males showed a higher variance in reproductive success than the females. Since about one‐quarter of all females mated more than once, we also examined the pattern of sperm precedence using molecular markers or, in separate crossing experiments, wing pattern mutants. Both instances of complete first and last male sperm precedence, as well as of sperm mixing, were found. In some crosses a ‘leakiness’ was found in which some of the early eggs laid by a female were fertilized by a male partner which was subsequently completely unsuccessful. However, the estimates of effective population size were largely unaffected by the pattern of sperm precedence. Estimates for N_e : N in each cage were close to 0.60. The possibility of obtaining comparable estimates in selected natural populations of butterflies is discussed.     

Dispersal and spatial scale affect synchrony in spatial population dynamics

A large body of theoretical studies has shown that synchrony among populations is critical for the long-term persistence of species in fragmented habitats. Although the effects of dispersal and environmental factors on synchrony have been investigated theoretically, empirical studies of these relationships have been lacking. We explored the interplay between environmental and demographic factors (fecundity, survival, dispersal) on population synchrony for 53 species of birds. We show that the interspecific differences in mean synchrony were determined by global environmental factors whose action was probably mediated by the abundance of each species. After removing the effect of these global factors on synchrony, the residual synchrony was strongly correlated with dispersal distance. The relationship between dispersal and synchrony was stronger for the species nesting in wet habitats than for those nesting in dry habitats. Our results indicate that different factors synchronize bird populations at different spatial scales, thus highlighting the role of scale in understanding spatial population dynamics and extinction risks.     

Dispersal mode,seed shadows,and colonization patterns

This review assesses the state of our knowledge about comparative seed shadows. Using data presently available in the literature, I compare the slopes (on a log-linear scale) of seed shadows for plants with different morphologically characterized modes of dispersal. The seeds of many species have no evident morphological adaptation for dispersal and seem to achieve only short-distance dispersal. Seed shadows for herbaceous species with devices for wind have flatter slopes and more distant modes and maxima than those of ballists, which in turn exceed those with no special devices. Seed shadows for wind-dispersed trees and shrubs had similar or steeper slopes than those for vertebrate-dispersed species in this sample. Species with poor mechanisms for dispersal in space only sometimes had the capacity for better dispersal in time (dormancy). Although some species exhibited seed shadows sufficiently steep to be predicted to colonize new-habitat in a front or phalanx pattern, actual colonization patterns must reflect many other factors.