The Relative Importance of Population Size, Colonist Quality, and Colonist Arrival Frequency for Population Success
Loading...
Authors
Sinclair, James
Date
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Colonization , Population Size , Propagule Pressure , Quality , Arrival Frequency , Condition , Propagule Size , Propagule Number , Establishment , Extinction , Founding , Small Population , Invasion , Non Native , Human-Mediated Dispersal , Allee Effect , Colonist , Daphnia , Zooplankton , Framework , Synthesis , Movement Ecology , Genetic Diversity , Identity , Sampling Effect
Alternative Title
Abstract
Successful population establishment, subsequent population dynamics, and extinction have all repeatedly been shown to be affected by the quantity of initial colonists. However, there are other, less studied factors that could determine population success, including the physiological condition in which colonists arrive (‘quality’), and the frequency with which they arrive (‘arrival frequency’). While all of these factors can individually drive the dynamics and extinction of new populations, we do not understand which has the strongest influence, nor the circumstances under which their relative importance may change. In this thesis, I examined the importance of different combinations of colonizer characteristics for population success, and how their importance varied between species and individuals. In my first experiment, I showed that population size, not arrival frequency, was the primary factor determining the survival and performance of introduced populations of Hemimysis anomala. In my second experiment, I found that the population dynamics of Daphnia pulicaria were only influenced by colonist quality, while the establishment of Skistodiaptomus oregonensis was more strongly influenced by arrival frequency. Finally, I showed that the benefits of increasing colonist quantity and genetic diversity can change based on colonist identity. For some Daphnia pulex colonists, higher quantities or genetic diversities improved their success, while in others there was little effect. I also conducted an additional project that examined the mechanisms driving human-mediated dispersal. Colonization is a shared and integral process across ecological disciplines, and our current understanding of the mechanisms involved is founded on research of both ‘natural’ and ‘human-mediated’ colonization. This project integrates the biological- and human-based processes involved in human-mediated dispersal, and develops a general framework outlining the mechanisms that determine which individuals enter, survive, and exit from human vectors. Overall, my work highlights the necessity of considering multiple colonist characteristics, and pre-arrival processes, to understand, predict, and control colonization, and that the value of particular characteristics is not necessarily consistent across species and individuals.
Description
Citation
Publisher
License
CC0 1.0 Universal
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.