DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The causes and consequences of asymmetric dispersal: an experimental approach

生物在斑块之间移动的能力对进化和生态过程有广泛的影响，如基因流动和种群持久性。对这些过程的理解通常建立在补丁之间的运动是对称的假设上。在现实中，个体的运动经常遵循环境线索或倾向于指向更高质量的栖息地，并且是不对称的。这项研究建议量化不对称或定向扩散对集合种群定居-灭绝动态的影响，从而对斑块种群的持久性产生影响。它依靠野外实验来测试不同的行为机制如何影响普通昆虫的运动不对称性的大小。研究结果将导致更准确的种群连接性测量，从而产生更准确的集合种群模型。研究结果将以不同的形式提供给四个不同的群体--科学家、管理者和自然资源保护者、普通公众和年轻学生。其中一名调查人员是西班牙裔，是来自服务不足群体的本科生的有效榜样。这些群体的本科生将被招募到该项目中，并将使用不同的社交媒体(如YouTube、TeacherTube)向年轻科学家和教师传播研究成果。管理人员和政策制定者的手册将以英语和西班牙语编写；这些手册将解释集合种群理论以及如何进行和分析集合种群实验。

The ability of organisms to move among patches has broad implications for evolutionary and ecological processes such as gene flow and population persistence. Understanding these processes often rests on the assumption that movement among patches is symmetric. In reality, individual movement frequently follows environmental cues or tends to be directed toward higher quality habitat patches, and is asymmetric. This study proposes to quantify the effects of asymmetric or directional dispersal on metapopulation colonization-extinction dynamics and, therefore, persistence of patchy populations. It relies on field experiments to test how different behavioral mechanisms affect the magnitude of movement asymmetries in a common insect. Results will lead to more accurate measures of population connectivity and thus to more accurate metapopulation models Results from the study will be made available in different formats to four distinct groups - scientists, managers and conservationists, the general public, and young students. One of the investigators is Hispanic and serves as an effective role model for undergraduates from under-served groups. Undergraduates from these groups will be recruited to the project, and diverse social media (such as YouTube, TeacherTube) will be used to disseminate research results to young scientists and teachers. Manuals for managers and policy makers will be produced in both English and Spanish; these will explain metapopulation theory and how to conduct and analyze metapopulation experiments.