Landscape dynamics and evolution of colonizer syndromes: interactions between reproductive effortand dispersal in a metapopulation

The evolutionary consequences of changes in landscape dynamics for the evol ution of life history syndromes are studied using a metapopulation model. W e consider in turn the long-term effects of a change in the local disturban ce rate, in the maximal local population persistence, in habitat productivi ty, and in habitat fragmentation. We examine the consequences of selective interactions between dispersal and reproductive effort by comparing the out come of joint evolution to a situation where the species has lost the poten tial to evolve either its reproductive effort or its dispersal rate. We rel ax the classical assumption that any occupied site in the metapopulation re aches its carrying capacity immediately after recolonization. Our main conc lusions are the following: (1) genetic diversity modifies the range of land scape parameters for which the metapopulation is viable, but it alters very little the qualitative evolutionary trends observed for each trait within this range. Although they are both part of a competition/colonization axis, reproductive effort and dispersal are not substitutable traits: their evol ution reflects more directly the change in the landscape dynamics, than a s elective interaction among them. (2) no general syndrome of covariation bet ween reproductive effort and dispersal can be predicted: the pattern of ass ociation between the two traits depends on the type of change in landscape dynamics and on the saturation level. We review empirical evidence on colon izer syndromes and suggest lines for further empirical work.