Dispersal is an important process in ecology, and is defined as the movement of organisms away from their birthplace (Harrison, 1975). Dispersal is a fundamental process in ecology, and has the potential to affect population dynamics, species interactions, and community structure (Cain & Sheppard, 2002).
The importance of dispersal is well documented, and the literature is vast. Dispersal has been studied in many different taxa, including plants (Bierzychudek, 1982), insects (Stamp & Bugg, 1991), and vertebrates (McNab, 1983). The mechanisms of dispersal vary greatly between taxa, but some general patterns have been observed. For example, animals tend to disperse more often and over longer distances than plants (McGill, 2003).
Dispersal is typically studied using a combination of observation and experimentation. Observational studies can provide insight into the patterns and processes of dispersal, while experiments can be useful for testing hypotheses about the causes and consequences of dispersal (Kareiva & Wennergren, 1995). For example, experimental studies have been used to determine the effects of habitat fragmentation on dispersal (Taylor & Taylor, 2001).
The study of dispersal has important implications for conservation and management. For example, understanding the dispersal of species can help us predict how they will respond to climate change and other environmental threats (Sutherland et al., 2004). In addition, knowledge of dispersal can be used to inform the design of protected areas and the reintroduction of threatened species (Groombridge & Jenkins, 2002).
In conclusion, dispersal is an important and complex process that has been studied in many different taxa. Observational and experimental studies have been used to improve our understanding of dispersal, and this information has important implications for conservation and management.
References
Bierzychudek, P. (1982). Dispersal in plants. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 13(1), 479-506.
Cain, M. L., & Sheppard, A. W. (2002). Dispersal and its effects on populations and communities. Ecology Letters, 5(5), 527-539.
Groombridge, B., & Jenkins, M. D. (2002). World atlas of biodiversity. University of California Press.
Harrison, S. (1975). The dispersal of animals. London: Methuen.
Kareiva, P., & Wennergren, U. (1995). Dispersal and the metapopulation paradigm: implications for conservation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 10(11), 424-427.
McGill, B. J. (2003). Plant dispersal and the geography of species richness. Nature, 421(6922), 525-530.
McNab, B. K. (1983). Dispersal of vertebrates. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 14(1), 69-90.
Sutherland, W. J., Armstrong, A., Calow, P., Hicks, C. C., Holt, R. D., Squire, G. R., & Woodroffe, R. (2004). Dispersal. In R. B. Primack & P. F. Sillero-Zubiri (Eds.), The ecology of wildlife conservation (pp. 175-202). Blackwell Publishing.
Stamp, N. E., & Bugg, R. L. (1991). Dispersal behavior of desert arthropods. Annual Review of Entomology, 36(1), 61-81.
Taylor, P. D., & Taylor, L. H. (2001). Dispersal in fragmented landscapes: implications for conservation. In M. A. Burgman, R. Keith, & P. Calow (Eds.), Risk Assessment in Conservation Biology (pp. 215-238). Oxford University Press.