INVESTIGADORES
MORALES juan manuel
artículos
Título:
Scaling up movements in heterogeneous landscapes: the importance of behavior
Autor/es:
MORALES, J. M.; ELLNER, S. P.
Revista:
Ecology
Editorial:
Allen Press
Referencias:
Año: 2002 vol. 83 p. 2240 - 2247
ISSN:
0012-9658
Resumen:
Two major challenges of spatial ecology are understanding the effects of landscape heterogeneity on movement, and translating observations taken at small spatial and temporal scales into expected patterns at greater scales. Using a combination of computer simulations and micro-landscape experiments with Tribolium confusum beetles we found that conventional correlated random walk models with constant parameters severely underestimated spatial spread because organisms changed movement behaviors over time. However, a model incorporating behavioral heterogeneity between individuals, and within individuals over time, was able to account for observed patterns of spread. Our results suggest that the main challenge for scaling up movement patterns resides in the complexities of individual behavior rather than in the spatial structure of the landscape.