DISPERSIO PATTERS OF OF ORGAISMS PATCH

There are a number of benefits to dispersal such as locating new resources, escaping unfavorable conditions, avoiding competing with siblings, and avoiding breeding with closely related individuals which could lead to inbreeding depression. In the broadest sense, dispersal occurs when the fitness benefits of moving outweigh the costs. ĭispersal of organisms is a critical process for understanding both geographic isolation in evolution through gene flow and the broad patterns of current geographic distributions ( biogeography).Ī distinction is often made between natal dispersal where an individual (often a juvenile) moves away from the place it was born, and breeding dispersal where an individual (often an adult) moves away from one breeding location to breed elsewhere. ĭue to population density, dispersal may relieve pressure for resources in an ecosystem, and competition for these resources may be a selection factor for dispersal mechanisms. Density-dependent dispersal Density dependent or active dispersal for many animals largely depends on factors such as local population size, resource competition, habitat quality, and habitat size. This is referred to as density independent or passive dispersal and operates on many groups of organisms (some invertebrates, fish, insects and sessile organisms such as plants) that depend on animal vectors, wind, gravity or current for dispersal. In general there are two basic types of dispersal:ĭensity-independent dispersal Organisms have evolved adaptations for dispersal that take advantage of various forms of kinetic energy occurring naturally in the environment. The strategies of organisms' entire life cycles often are predicated on the nature and circumstances of their dispersive phases. This is commonly called the dispersive phase of the life cycle. Some organisms are motile throughout their lives, but others are adapted to move or be moved at precise, limited phases of their life cycles. Understanding dispersal and the consequences both for evolutionary strategies at a species level, and for processes at an ecosystem level, requires understanding on the type of dispersal, the dispersal range of a given species, and the dispersal mechanisms involved.īiological dispersal may be contrasted with geodispersal, which is the mixing of previously isolated populations (or whole biotas) following the erosion of geographic barriers to dispersal or gene flow (Lieberman, 2005 Albert and Reis, 2011 ).ĭispersal can be distinguished from animal migration (typically round-trip seasonal movement), although within the population genetics literature, the terms ' migration' and 'dispersal' are often used interchangeably.

DISPERSIO PATTERS OF OF ORGAISMS PATCH

Through simply moving from one habitat patch to another, the dispersal of an individual has consequences not only for individual fitness, but also for population dynamics, population genetics, and species distribution. The act of dispersal involves three phases: departure, transfer, settlement and there are different fitness costs and benefits associated with each of these phases.

Technically, dispersal is defined as any movement that has the potential to lead to gene flow. Dispersal of lichen soredia (visualized using ultraviolet light) by a spiderīiological dispersal refers to both the movement of individuals ( animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, etc.) from their birth site to their breeding site ('natal dispersal'), as well as the movement from one breeding site to another ('breeding dispersal').ĭispersal is also used to describe the movement of propagules such as seeds and spores.

Dispersio patters of of orgaisms