Metapopulation Biology: Ecology, Genetics, and Evolution

Habitat destruction has left many landscapes increasingly fragmented. These isolated populations, or metapopulations, are in a constant state of change-growing, shrinking, disappearing, and reappearing. This unique volume brings together an international team of ecologists, geneticists, and evolutionary biologists who provide a comprehensive review of metapopulations. This book will provide fundamental reading for anyone studying the spatial dynamics of populations.
This book is an essential reference for anyone who is interested in conservation and population dynamics.

Essential for biologists interested in spatial population dynamicsServes as a valuable reference to conservationistsCovers both the principal theories and field studiesReviews the ecology, genetics, and evolution of metapopulations

Conceptual Foundation: Introduction. Empirical Evidence for Metapopulation Dynamics. Metapopulation Dynamics and Landscape Ecology. Theory of Metapopulation Dynamics. Metapopulation Dynamics: Form Concepts and Observations to Predictive Models. Structures Metapopulation Models. Two-Species Metapopulation Models. From Metapopulation Dynamics to Community Structure: Some Consequences of Spatial Heterogeneity. Genetic Effective Size of a Metapopulation. The Evolution of Metapopulations. Metapopulation Processes: Extinction Models for Local Populations. Studying Transfer Processes in Metapopulations: Immigration, Migration, And Colonization. Migration Within Metapopulations: The Impact Upon Local Population Dynamics. Evolution of Migration Rate and Other Traits: The Metapopulation Effect. Spatial Processes in Host-Parasite Genetics. Case Studies: Butterfly Metapopulations. Tritrophic Metapopulation Dynamics: A Case Study of Ragworth, The Cinnabar Moth, And the Parasitoid Cotesia Popularis. Spatially Correlated Dynamics in a Pika Metapopulation. A Case Study of Genetic Structure in a Plant Metapopulation. Subject Index.