Spatial Demographic Synchrony in Fragmented Populations

Abstract

An important determinant of population dynamics is the degree of spatial covariance in demographic processes. Positive spatial covariance in demographic parameters and, consequently, spatial synchrony in population density dynamics develop whenever the spatial domain of determinants of demography exceeds the response scale of individual animals so as to synchronize demographic events such as births, deaths, and dispersal across space. Identifying the scale of spatial synchrony in density dynamics hints at which factors regulate populations and, thus, the characteristic scale of such regulating factors (Addicot et al. 1987, de Roos et al. 1991). In addition, estimating the strength of the synchrony is of interest because it may be a critical determinant of the stability and persistence of populations at various spatial scales (Hanski and Woiwod 1993).