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具有广泛的影响，如基因流动和种群持久性。对这些过程的理解通常基于斑块之间的运动是对称的假设。实际上，个体的移动经常跟随环境的线索，或者倾向于指向更高质量的栖息地斑块，并且是不对称的。本研究提出量化不对称或定向扩散对超种群定殖-灭绝动力学的影响，从而量化斑块种群的持久性。它依靠实地实验来测试不同的行为机制如何影响普通昆虫运动不对称的程度。研究结果将导致对种群连通性的更准确测量，从而产生更准确的元种群模型。研究结果将以不同的形式提供给四个不同的群体——科学家、管理人员和自然资源保护主义者、普通公众和年轻学生。其中一名调查人员是西班牙裔，他为来自服务不足群体的本科生树立了一个有效的榜样。该项目将从这些群体中招募本科生，并利用各种社交媒体（如YouTube、TeacherTube）向青年科学家和教师传播研究成果。将以英文和西班牙文编写供管理人员和决策者使用的手册；这些将解释元人口理论以及如何进行和分析元人口实验。

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.