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Spatial asymmetries in connectivity influence colonization−extinction dynamics

  • Population ecology - Original research
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Abstract

Movement has broad implications for many areas of biology, including evolution, community and population ecology. Movement is crucial in metapopulation ecology because it facilitates colonization and reduces the likelihood of local extinction via rescue effects. Most metapopulation modeling approaches describe connectivity using pair-wise Euclidean distances resulting in the simplifying assumption of a symmetric connectivity pattern. Yet, assuming symmetric connectivity when populations show net asymmetric movement patterns may result in biased estimates of colonization and extinction, and may alter interpretations of the dynamics and conclusions regarding the viability of metapopulations. Here, we use a 10-year time series on a wind-dispersed orchid Lepanthes rupestris that anchors its roots in patches of moss growing on trees or boulders along streams, to test for the role of connectivity asymmetries in explaining the colonization−extinction dynamics of this orchid in a network of 975 patches. We expected that wind direction could highly alter dispersal direction in this orchid. To account for this potential asymmetry, we modified the connectivity measure traditionally used in metapopulation models to allow for asymmetric effective distances between patches and subsequently estimated colonization and extinction probabilities using a dynamic occupancy modeling approach. Asymmetric movement was prevalent in the L. rupestris metapopulation and incorporating potential dispersal asymmetries resulted in higher colonization estimates in larger patches and more accurate models. Accounting for dispersal asymmetries may reveal connectivity effects where they were previously assumed to be negligible and may provide more reliable conclusions regarding the role of connectivity in patch dynamics.

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Acknowledgments

This work greatly benefited from discussions with B. Bolker and S. Vuilleumier. We thank J. C. Smith, K. Sieving, M. Oli and R. Holt for their suggestions. Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Quantitative Spatial Ecology, Evolution and Environment Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program grant 0801544 at the University of Florida and an NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (DEB-1110441). Funding was also provided by the School of Natural Resources and Environment and the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida. R. Tremblay was supported by the Center for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation, NSF-HRD 0734826. The experiments comply with the current laws of the country (Puerto Rico) in which the experiments were performed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Natural Resources and Environment, PO Box 110430, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0430, USA

    Miguel A. Acevedo

  2. Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, PO Box 110430, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0430, USA

    Miguel A. Acevedo & Robert J. Fletcher Jr.

  3. Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico-Humacao, Call Box 860, Humacao, PR, 00792, USA

    Raymond L. Tremblay

  4. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras, PO Box 70377, San Juan, PR, 00936-8377, USA

    Elvia J. Meléndez-Ackerman

  5. Center for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation, University of Puerto Rico, PO Box 23360, San Juan, PR, 00931-3360, USA

    Raymond L. Tremblay & Elvia J. Meléndez-Ackerman

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  1. Miguel A. Acevedo
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  2. Robert J. Fletcher Jr.
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  3. Raymond L. Tremblay
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  4. Elvia J. Meléndez-Ackerman
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Correspondence to Miguel A. Acevedo.

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Communicated by John Thomas Lill.

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Acevedo, M.A., Fletcher, R.J., Tremblay, R.L. et al. Spatial asymmetries in connectivity influence colonization−extinction dynamics. Oecologia 179, 415–424 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-015-3361-z

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