4 - Metapopulation Dynamics in Highly Fragmented Landscapes

Abstract

This chapter focuses on models that are the hardcore of ecological metapopulation theory: stochastic patch occupancy models (SPOMs) and their deterministic approximations, the Levins model. There are several reasons for devoting an entire chapter to these models. In a broader biological perspective, the SPOMs belong to “island models,” which have played an important role not only in population and community ecology, but also in population genetics and evolutionary studies. These models often allow a rigorous mathematical analysis, an obvious advantage for theory. SPOMs are also good models for real metapopulations living in highly fragmented landscapes, to the extent that they can be parameterized with empirical data and turned into tools that hold substantial promise for conservation, landscape planning, and management.