Abstract
The ideal free distribution (IFD) requires that individuals can accurately perceive density‐dependent habitat quality, while failure to discern quality differences below a given perception threshold results in distributions approaching spatial uniformity. Here, we investigate the role of population growth in restoring a nonideal population to the IFD. We place a simple model of discrete patch choice under limits to the resolution by which patch quality is perceived and include population growth driven by that underlying quality. Our model follows the population's distribution through both breeding and dispersal seasons when perception limits differ in their likely influence. We demonstrate that populations of perception limited movers can approximate an IFD provided sufficient population growth; however, the emergent IFD would be temporally inconstant and correspond to reproductive events. The time to emergence of the IFD during breeding is shorter under exponential growth than under logistic growth. The IFD during early colonization of a community persists longer when more patches are available to individuals. As the population matures and dispersal becomes increasingly random, there is an oscillation in the observance of IFD, with peaks most closely approximating the IFD occurring immediately after reproductive events, and higher reproductive rates producing distributions closer to the IFD.
Highlights
The distribution of organisms is determined by the spatial allocation of limiting resources in a given landscape and any competitive pressures from other organisms (Case, Holt, McPeek, & Keitt, 2005; Holt & Keitt, 2005; Lima & Zollner, 1996; McLoughlin, Morris, Fortin, Vander Wal, & Contasti, 2010)
Operating under the hypothesis that population growth serves to drive populations toward the ideal free distribution (IFD), we predicted that (1) populations of nonideal movers would achieve an IFD provided sufficient population growth; (2) the emergent IFD would be temporally inconstant and correspond to reproductive events; (3) time to emergence of the IFD would be shorter under exponential growth than under logistic growth; and (4) that initial maintenance of an IFD is prolonged during dispersal as the number of possible sites increases
Every simulation run completes five full dispersal-breeding cycles before terminating. (The first dispersal season corresponds to the initial colonization of the environment.) we considered the behavior of the population with dispersal and reproduction co-occurring
Summary
The distribution of organisms is determined by the spatial allocation of limiting resources in a given landscape and any competitive pressures from other organisms (Case, Holt, McPeek, & Keitt, 2005; Holt & Keitt, 2005; Lima & Zollner, 1996; McLoughlin, Morris, Fortin, Vander Wal, & Contasti, 2010). Each population might exhibit an IFD driven by the true gradient of predation risk despite having selected only for perceived predation risk; that is, an IFD may emerge as those animals that have by chance found themselves in higher quality habitat experience higher fecundity and survivorship than their less fortunate competitors. The implication of such a scenario is that population dynamics alone may give rise to the IFD in the absence of ideally motivated searchers. Operating under the hypothesis that population growth serves to drive populations toward the IFD, we predicted that (1) populations of nonideal movers would achieve an IFD provided sufficient population growth; (2) the emergent IFD would be temporally inconstant and correspond to reproductive events; (3) time to emergence of the IFD would be shorter under exponential growth than under logistic growth; and (4) that initial maintenance of an IFD is prolonged during dispersal as the number of possible sites increases
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