Ecology 5th Edition by Manuel Molles

Exercise 5

How do the positions of patches in a landscape affect the movement of individuals among habitat patches and among portions of a metapopulation? Again, consider the hypotheti­cal landscapes shown in question 5. Which of the two land­scapes would promote the highest rate of movement of individuals between forest patches? Can you think of any cir­cumstances in which it might be desirable to reduce the move­ment of individuals across a landscape? (Hint: Think of the potential threat of pathogens that are spread mainly by direct contact between individuals within a population.)