Research advances on dispersal in metapopulations

Metapopulation is one of the hotspots in the researches of landscape ecology and conservation biology. However, the field studies on metapopulation are largely focused on the effects of habitat area and isolation, and a few are concerned with the factors affecting the dynamics of metapopulation. In fact, there are many factors affecting metapopulation, e.g., connectivity, dispersal, and habitat quality. This paper reviewed the recent research advances on the dispersal in metapopulation, with the focus on (1) factors that affect dispersal, e.g., habitat quality, patch connectivity, and population density, (2) dispersal directionality, which is nonrandom and often determined with microsatellite markers, (3) dispersal distance, which is affected not only by species characteristics, but also by the presence of stepping stones and many other factors, and (4) effects of dispersal on metapopulation dynamics. Dispersal is affected by the spatial structure of metapopulation and habitat quality, and in return, affects the metapopulation dynamics, which should be attached importance to for biological conservation.