Date of Award

2011

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Program

Applied Mathematics

Supervisor

Dr. Geoff Wild

Abstract

We build on the work of El Mouden and Gardner (2008) and consider the evolution of natal dispersal conditioned upon an individual’s ‘migration status’. In particular, we look to compare the evolution of this kind of conditional dispersal with the evolution of its un­ conditional counterpart. Our goal is to determine the extent to which dispersal conditional upon migration status changes predictions about population-wide levels of dispersal. Sim­ ply we ask: what weight should the possibility of this kind of conditional dispersal be given by an evolutionary biologist? We find the stable dispersal rates of natives and non­ natives, respectively, are predicted to vary with changing parameter values, and the stable dispersal rates of natives and non-natives are predicted to differ from one another in a way consistent with inclusive-fitness theory. We also find differencs between Taylor’s (1988) unconditional dispersal rate, and the population-average dispersal rate predicted by our model.

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