Dispersal–diversity feedbacks and their consequences for macroecological patterns

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, vol. 379, pp. 20230131

Abstract

Dispersal is a key process in ecology and evolution. While the effects of dispersal on diversity are broadly acknowledged, our understanding of the influence of diversity on dispersal remains limited. This arises from the dynamic, context-dependent, nonlinear and ubiquitous nature of dispersal. Diversity outcomes, such as competition, mutualism, parasitism and trophic interactions can feed back on dispersal, thereby influencing biodiversity patterns at several spatio-temporal scales. Here, we shed light on the dispersal-diversity causal links by discussing how dispersal-diversity ecological and evolutionary feedbacks can impact macroecological patterns. We highlight the importance of dispersal-diversity feedbacks for advancing our understanding of macro-eco-evolutionary patterns and their challenges, such as establishing a unified framework for dispersal terminology and methodologies across various disciplines and scales. This article is part of the theme issue 'Diversity-dependence of dispersal: interspecific interactions determine spatial dynamics'.

Authors 2

1. Adriana Alzate corresponding Aachen Naturalis Biodiversity Center

   Wageningen University & Research · Naturalis Biodiversity Center

   Affiliation as printed

   Aquaculture and Fisheries Group, Wageningen University and Research

   Naturalis Biodiversity Center

   Aquaculture and Fisheries Group, Wageningen University and Research , Wageningen, The Netherlands

   Naturalis Biodiversity Center , Leiden, The Netherlands

2. Oskar Hagen

   Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research · German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ

   German Centre For Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig

   Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ , Leipzig, Germany

   German Centre For Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig , Leipzig, Germany