[en] Dispersal is a central biological process tightly integrated into life-histories, morphology, physiology and behaviour. Such associations, or syndromes, are anticipated to impact the eco-evolutionary dynamics of spatially structured populations, and cascade into ecosystem processes. As for dispersal on its own, these syndromes are likely neither fixed nor random, but conditional on the experienced environment. We experimentally studied how dispersal propensity varies with individuals' phenotype and local environmental harshness using 15 species ranging from protists to vertebrates. We reveal a general phenotypic dispersal syndrome across studied species, with dispersers being larger, more active and having a marked locomotion-oriented morphology and a strengthening of the link between dispersal and some phenotypic traits with environmental harshness. Our proof-of-concept metacommunity model further reveals cascading effects of context-dependent syndromes on the local and regional organisation of functional diversity. Our study opens new avenues to advance our understanding of the functioning of spatially structured populations, communities and ecosystems.
Disciplines :
Environmental sciences & ecology
Author, co-author :
Cote, Julien ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paul Sabatier, UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique), Toulouse Cedex, France
Dahirel, Maxime; Univ Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO (Ecosystèmes, Biodiversité, Évolution)-UMR6553, Rennes, France ; Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Schtickzelle, Nicolas; Univ. Catholique de Louvain, Earth and Life Institute, Biodiversity Research Centre, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Altermatt, Florian; Eawag: Department of Aquatic Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland ; Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
Blanchet, Simon ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale (UAR2029), Moulis, France
Chaine, Alexis S; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale (UAR2029), Moulis, France ; Institute for Advanced Studies in Toulouse, Toulouse School of Economics, Toulouse, France
De Laender, Frederik ; Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Namur Institute of Complex Systems, and the Institute of Life, Earth, and Environment, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
De Raedt, Jonathan; Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Namur Institute of Complex Systems, and the Institute of Life, Earth, and Environment, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium ; Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Applied Ecology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Haegeman, Bart; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale (UAR2029), Moulis, France
Jacob, Staffan ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale (UAR2029), Moulis, France
Kaltz, Oliver; ISEM, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
Laurent, Estelle; Univ. Catholique de Louvain, Earth and Life Institute, Biodiversity Research Centre, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Little, Chelsea J; Eawag: Department of Aquatic Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland ; Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland ; School of Environmental Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Manzi, Florent; ISEM, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France ; Department of Ecosystem Research, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
Masier, Stefano ; Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Pellerin, Felix ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paul Sabatier, UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique), Toulouse Cedex, France
Pennekamp, Frank; Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
Therry, Lieven; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paul Sabatier, UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique), Toulouse Cedex, France ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale (UAR2029), Moulis, France
Vong, Alexandre; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale (UAR2029), Moulis, France
Winandy, Laurane ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Freshwater and OCeanic science Unit of reSearch (FOCUS) ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paul Sabatier, UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique), Toulouse Cedex, France ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale (UAR2029), Moulis, France
Bonte, Dries ; Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Fronhofer, Emanuel A; Eawag: Department of Aquatic Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland ; Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland ; ISEM, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
Legrand, Delphine; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale (UAR2029), Moulis, France
ANR - Agence Nationale de la Recherche Fondation Fyssen FWO - Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Vlaanderen ERC - European Research Council SNF - Schweizerische Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung
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