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How mutation shapes the rate of population spread in the presence of a mate-finding Allee effect

  • SI: Integro-Difference Equation Models in Ecology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Although past work has considered how evolution and Allee effects each shape population spread, these factors have rarely been considered together. We develop an integrodifference equation model that tracks individuals of multiple dispersal types (i.e., short- and long-distance dispersers) of male and female individuals subject to a strong Allee effect due to mate-finding process. We use our model to explore how mutation between different dispersal types affects the rate of population spread, since this evolutionary mechanism has been shown to lead to both faster and slower spread in a previous individual-based model. We ask, under what conditions does mutation cause the population to spread faster (or slower) than it spreads without mutation (from the same initial conditions)? We find that mutation can both speed up and slow down invasions. Speeding up occurs in a relatively small range of parameter space near the Allee threshold of the population. Slowing down occurs across a broad range of parameters.

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Availability of data and material

Not applicable.

Code Availability

Code is available from https://github.com/FrithjofL/LPS_Theoretical_Ecology.

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Acknowledgements

FL is grateful for teaching release through the UOttawa–CRM membership agreement (Fall 2020). AKS is grateful for a sabbatical leave from the University of Minnesota to l’Université de Montréal with support from Fulbright Canada.

Funding

FL and LP are funded by Discovery Grants program from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RGPIN-2016-0495 and RGPIN-2015-06573).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Frithjof Lutscher

  2. Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Frithjof Lutscher

  3. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Lea Popovic

  4. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Allison K. Shaw

Authors
  1. Frithjof Lutscher
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  2. Lea Popovic
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  3. Allison K. Shaw
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Contributions

AKS conceived of the topic; FL derived the model and performed the analysis; all authors discussed the results; FL and AKS wrote the initial draft; all authors discussed and edited the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Frithjof Lutscher.

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Lutscher, F., Popovic, L. & Shaw, A.K. How mutation shapes the rate of population spread in the presence of a mate-finding Allee effect. Theor Ecol 16, 255–269 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12080-022-00540-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12080-022-00540-2

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