title: Joint evolution of specialization and dispersal in structured metapopulations.
abstract: We study the joint evolution of dispersal and specialization concerning resource usage in a mechanistically underpinned structured discrete-time metapopulation model. We show that dispersal significantly affects the evolution of specialization and that specialization is a key factor that determines the possibility of evolutionary branching in dispersal propensity. Allowing both dispersal propensity and specialization to evolve as a consequence of natural selection is necessary in order to understand the evolutionary dynamics. The joint evolution of dispersal and specialization forms a natural evolutionary path leading to the coexistence of generalists and specialists. We show that in this process, the number of different patch types and the resource distribution are essential.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, University of Turku, FIN-20014, Finland. tuomas.nurmi@utu.fi
authors.forename: Tuomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nurmi
authors.forename: Kalle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Parvinen
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003198:Computer Simulation; D017753:Ecosystem; D008954:Models, Biological; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012621:Seasons; D013997:Time Factors