This volume presents a review of metapopulation biology. It describes key theories of study and applies the best field studies to the conservation of species in fragmented landscapes. The work explains and critically assess the value of the metapopulation concept for field studies and conservation.

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. Key Features * Essential for biologists interested in spatial population dynamics * Serves as a valuable reference to conservationists * Covers both the principal theories and field studies * Reviews the ecology, genetics, and evolution of metapopulations

Ecology, Genetics and Evolution of Metapopulations is acollection of specially commissioned articles that looks at fragmented habitats, bringing together recent theoretical advances and empirical studies applying the metapopulation approach. Several chapters closely integrate ecology with genetics and evolutionary biology, and others illustrate how metapopulation concepts and models can be applied to answer questions about conservation, epidemiology, and speciation. The extensive coverage of theory from highly regarded scientists and the many substantive applications in this one-of-a-kind work make it invaluable to graduate students and researchers in a wide range of disciplines. Provides a comprehensive and authoritative account of all aspects of metapopulation biology, integrating ecology, genetics, and evolution Developed by recognized experts, including Hanski who won the Balzan Prize for Ecological Sciences Covers novel applications of the metapopulation approach to conservation

Written by a world renowned biologist, this volume offers a comprehensive synthesis of current research in this rapidly expanding area of population biology. It covers both the essential theory and a wide range of empirical studies, including the author's groundbreaking work on the Glanville fritillary butterfly. It also includes practical applications to conservation biology. The book describes theoretical models for metapopulation dynamics in highly fragmented landscapes and emphasizes spatially realistic models. It presents the incidence function model and includes several detailed examples of its application. Accessible to advanced undergraduate and graduate students, Metapopulation Ecology will be a valuable resource for researchers in population biology, conservation biology, and landscape ecology.

Technological improvements have greatly increased the ability of marine scientists to collect and analyze data over large spatial scales, and the resultant insights attainable from interpreting those data vastly increase understanding of poplation dynamics, evolution and biogeography. Marine Metapopulations provides a synthesis of existing information and understanding, and frames the most important future directions and issues. First book to systematically apply metapopulation theory directly to marine systems Contributions from leading international ecologists and fisheries biologists Perspectives on a broad array of marine organisms and ecosystems, from coastal estuaries to shallow reefs to deep-sea hydrothermal vents Critical science for improved management of marine resources Paves the way for future research on large-scale spatial ecology of marine systems

Metapopulation Dynamics: Empirical and Theoretical Investigations covers the 1989 proceedings of a metapopulation dynamics workshop held at Lammi Biological Station, Helsinki, Finland. It is divided into 18 chapters that cover various approaches to spatially structured population and community dynamics. After briefly discussing the history of metapopulation ideas and the major conceptual links, the book covers types of studies that have been conducted on single-species and multispecies metapopulations. Then, it examines the relationships between metapopulation dynamics, the equilibrium theory of island biogeography, and the dynamics of populations living in patchy environments. It further tackles practical issues and the links between metapopulation dynamics and landscape ecology, and between metapopulation dynamics and conservation biology. Chapters 4 and 5 present structured models describing changes in the number of individuals within patches and an empirical evaluation of local extinction in metapopulation studies. The subsequent chapters discuss several aspects of metapopulation, including dispersal and connectivity, colonization, conspecific attraction, extinction and isolation, and forest fragmentation. The latter chapters describe the concept of habitat fragmentation, the diversity and competition in metapopulations, the community collapse, and the effects of metapopulation studies in predator-prey systems.

Spatial dynamics, landscape, population.