Evolution of Spatial Patterns in Host-Parasitoid Metapopulation

Abstract

Diverse patterns of species persistence, abundance, and distribution are seen in nature. Ecological interactions, environmental and habitat heterogeneity, demographic and genetic inhomogeneity—are some of the factors that shape population persistence, spatial distribution, and diversity of the species, as well as their life history traits. In this paper we model the effect of various forms of environmental (landscape and demographic) heterogeneities on the spatial dynamics of host-parasitoid metapopulations. These different forms of heterogeneity, coupled to different connectivity patterns of the habitat patches, lead to evolution of different spatial patterns in population distributions. The results explore the roles of different types of dispersal barriers and coexistence of different genotypes of host and parasitoid populations in migration and disease spread.