ideal free pike: 50 years of fitness-maximizing dispersal in Windermere

The ideal free distribution (IFD) theory is one of the most influential theories in evolutionary ecology. It predicts how animals ought to distribute themselves within a heterogeneous habitat in order to maximize lifetime fitness. We test the population level consequence of the IFD theory using 40-y...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2006-12, Vol.273 (1604), p.2917-2924
Main Authors:	Haugen, T.O, Winfield, I.J, Vøllestad, L.A, Fletcher, J.M, James, J.B, Stenseth, N.C
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Animals Biological Evolution Density Dependence Density estimation Dispersal Ecological competition Ecological genetics Ecological modeling Ecology Ecosystem Esocidae - growth & development Esox lucius evolution Fecundity Female Fertility - physiology Food Chain Fresh Water Habitat selection Habitat Use ideal free distribution Male Models, Biological Population Density Population Dynamics Population estimates Predator-Prey Interaction predator-prey relationships Spatial distribution Survival - physiology Wildlife habitats zoogeography
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	The ideal free distribution (IFD) theory is one of the most influential theories in evolutionary ecology. It predicts how animals ought to distribute themselves within a heterogeneous habitat in order to maximize lifetime fitness. We test the population level consequence of the IFD theory using 40-year worth data on pike (Esox lucius) living in a natural lake divided into two basins. We do so by employing empirically derived density-dependent survival, dispersal and fecundity functions in the estimation of basin-specific density-dependent fitness surfaces. The intersection of the fitness surfaces for the two basins is used for deriving expected spatial distributions of pike. Comparing the derived expected spatial distributions with 50 years data of the actual spatial distribution demonstrated that pike is ideal free distributed within the lake. In general, there was a net migration from the less productive north basin to the more productive south basin. However, a pike density-manipulation experiment imposing shifting pike density gradients between the two basins managed to switch the net migration direction and hence clearly demonstrated that the Windermere pike choose their habitat in an ideal free manner. Demonstration of ideal free habitat selection on an operational field scale like this has never been undertaken before.
ISSN:	0962-8452 1471-2954