Dynamical complexity and metapopulation persistence

Abstract

Factors leading to chaotic dynamics in metapopulation are studied, including Allee effect, rescue effect and overcrowding effect. We use theoretical bifurcation diagram and lattice simulation to investigate the dynamics of metapopulation in time and space. The influence of habitat destruction on the complexity of dynamics, which can decrease the fraction of suitable patches and induce the change of colonization rate and extinction rate, is also discussed. The whole scene of the implicit relationship between dynamical complexity and metapopulation persistence is given, which has five primary results. First, metapopulation persistence reaches the maximum at moderate dynamical complexity, which can occur at moderate intensity of habitat destruction. Second, the intensity of habitat destruction can be approximated by the dynamical complexity because the habitat destruction regulates the dynamics. Third, Allee effects can amazingly regulate dynamics and improve the persistence slightly before extinction. Fourth, rescue effects stabilize dynamics and improve persistence. Finally, overcrowding effect is the key to incur chaos and increase the dynamical complexity, and to improve the persistence of metapopulations. Anyway, there is no uniform correlation between dynamical complexity and metapopulation persistence.