Spatial explicit demography: The effects habitat patch isolation have on vole matrilines

Populations of many species are spatially structured in matrilines, and the ir dynamics may be determined by matriline specific demographic processes. We examined whether the isolation of habitat patches (i.e. interpatch dista nce) affected the demography of matrilines in 14 experimentally fragmented populations of the root vole. Matrilines inhabiting the most isolated patch es decreased in size over the breeding season, while matrilines in less iso lated patches increased. The survival tate of adult females was the main fa ctor underlying the variation in growth rates among matrilines. Low surviva l when patches were isolated seemed to be due to long-distance interpatch m ovements exposing females to increased predation rate. The differential suc cess of matrilines in patchy populations with variable interpatch distances acted to decrease the matrilineal diversity at the population level. Furth ermore, isolated patches mag; function as sinks. Thus spatially explicit la ndscape features ma!; affect both population demography and genetics.