How the spatial expansion of a species changes at a human time scale is a process difficult to determine. We studied the dispersal pattern of the French white stork population, using a 21-year ringing/resighting dataset. We used the graph-theory to investigate the strength of links between 5 populations (North-East, North-West, Centre, West, and South) and to determine factors important for the birds’ movements. Two clusters of populations were identified within the metapopulation, with most frequent movements of individuals between North-Eastern and Centre populations, and between North-Western and Western populations. Exchanges of individuals between populations were asymmetrical, where North-Eastern and North-Western populations provided more emigrants than they received immigrants. Neither the geographical distance between populations, nor the difference in densities influenced the number of individuals exchanging between populations. The graph-theory approach provides a dynamic view of individual movements within a metapopulation and might be useful for future population studies in the context of conservation.
IPHC, UNISTRA, CNRS, Strasbourg, France;IPHC, UNISTRA, CNRS, Strasbourg, France;Mécanismes adaptatifs et Evolution (MECADEV UMR7179), Sorbonne Universités, MNHN, CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 1 avenue du Petit Château, Brunoy, France;Centre de Recherches sur la Biologie des Populations d’Oiseaux (CRBPO), Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO UMR7204), Sorbonne Universités, MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France;UMR CNRS 5558 –LBBE,;Groupe Cigognes France & APRECIAL, Colmar, France;Centre de Recherches sur la Biologie des Populations d’Oiseaux (CRBPO), Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO UMR7204), Sorbonne Universités, MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France;IPHC, UNISTRA, CNRS, Strasbourg, France;Groupe Cigognes France & APRECIAL, Colmar, France
Recommended Citation:
Emilio R. Rojas,Cédric Sueur,Pierre-Yves Henry,et al. Network Analysis Shows Asymmetrical Flows within a Bird Metapopulation[J]. PLOS ONE,2016-01-01,11(11)