Abstract
:Population persistence of animals that have specific habitat requirements in certain life history stages is influenced by spatial and temporal availability of the required habitat. Accessibility of suitable habitats may be affected by their spatial distribution in the landscape and by dispersal ability of the animals. Animals with low dispersal power should be more vulnerable to spatial variation in the distribution of suitable habitats than animals with high dispersal ability. We investigated the effects of differential dispersal power and landscape composition on population dynamics of a terrestrial arthropod by use of a spatially explicit individual-based simulation model. The model was parameterized with data from a common spring breeding carabid beetle in European agroecosystems. Spring-breeding ground beetles depend largely on vegetated field boundaries for (winter) hibernation. We analyzed the effects of and interaction between dispersal rate, field size, and availability of hibernation sites on beetle population development and spatial dynamics. A landscape composed of small fields and a high boundary-to-field size ratio supported larger beetle populations than a landscape consisting of large fields. Animal populations were more robust to variation in spatial distribution of required habitat when dispersal power of individuals was high. In a landscape of large fields, beetles were found to associate with the field boundaries, whereas such an association was not observed in a landscape composed of small fields, suggesting that distance to hibernation sites may be a limiting factor for habitat use. Interactions between life history traits and essential habitat requirements may have profound effects on population dynamics and play an important role in predictions of effects of landscape changes on animal populations.
Published Version
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