metapopulasjon

Metapopulation is a concept in ecology and population biology that refers to a group of spatially separated populations of the same species that are connected by occasional dispersal of individuals between them. This concept is particularly relevant in understanding the dynamics of species that are not continuously distributed across their habitat but are instead patchily distributed.

The term "metapopulation" was first introduced by the British ecologist George Evelyn Hutchinson in 1947. It is often used to describe species that inhabit fragmented habitats, such as islands, forest patches, or other discrete habitat units. In a metapopulation, each local population can go extinct due to stochastic events or environmental changes, but the species as a whole can persist due to the occasional immigration of individuals from other populations.

The dynamics of metapopulations are influenced by several factors, including the size and quality of habitat patches, the rate of dispersal between patches, and the rate of local extinction. The concept of metapopulations has important implications for conservation biology, as it highlights the importance of maintaining connectivity between habitat patches to ensure the long-term survival of species in fragmented landscapes.