Abstract
Our ability to understand population spread dynamics is complicated by rapid evolution, which renders simple ecological models insufficient. If dispersal ability evolves, more highly dispersive individuals may arrive at the population edge than less dispersive individuals (spatial sorting), accelerating spread. If individuals at the low-density population edge benefit (escape competition), high dispersers have a selective advantage (spatial selection). These two processes are often described as forming a positive feedback loop; they reinforce each other, leading to faster spread. Although spatial sorting is close to universal, this form of spatial selection is not: low densities can be detrimental for organisms with Allee effects. Here, we present two conceptual models to explore the feedback loops that form between spatial sorting and spatial selection. We show that the presence of an Allee effect can reverse the positive feedback loop between spatial sorting and spatial selection, creating a negative feedback loop that slows population spread.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1293-1300 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Ecology letters |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:AKS is grateful for a sabbatical leave from the University of Minnesota to l'Université de Montréal with support from Fulbright Canada (2021). FL is grateful for teaching release through the UOttawa–CRM membership agreement (Fall 2020). FL and LP are funded by the Discovery Grants program from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RGPIN-2016-0495 and RGPIN-2015-06573). We acknowledge the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute (MSI) at the University of Minnesota for providing resources that contributed to the research results reported within this paper (http://www.msi.umn.edu). Finally, we thank two reviewers for feedback.
Funding Information:
AKS is grateful for a sabbatical leave from the University of Minnesota to l'Université de Montréal with support from Fulbright Canada (2021). FL is grateful for teaching release through the UOttawa–CRM membership agreement (Fall 2020). FL and LP are funded by the Discovery Grants program from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RGPIN‐2016‐0495 and RGPIN‐2015‐06573). We acknowledge the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute (MSI) at the University of Minnesota for providing resources that contributed to the research results reported within this paper ( http://www.msi.umn.edu ). Finally, we thank two reviewers for feedback.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Ecology Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Keywords
- Allee effect
- biological invasion
- dispersal kernel
- eco-evolutionary dynamics
- integrodifference equation
- invasion speed
- range expansion
- spread speed
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Letter