Skip to main content
metapopulation

metapopulation

1 9.9
A group of separate populations of the same animal or plant that live and interact in one area
  • noun
  • /ˌmɛtəˈpɒpjʊleɪʃən/
  • Specialized
: metapoblación
  • So a metapopulation is a set of local populations that are linked by movement.
  • wolf metapopulation
  • metapopulation dynamics
  • metapopulation and populations

Examples

  • Although 1,600 wolves may possibly allow adequate connectivity and genetic exchange to sustain the metapopulation, the population numbers proposed under Idaho and Montana's management plans do not.

    Academic text (2009)
  • New scientific understanding of species recovery argues for a higher delisting threshold for the NRM gray wolf metapopulation.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Reserve design should be developed in the context of metapopulation dynamics discussed earlier.

    Academic text (1997)
  • With management, a metapopulation with some nested subpopulations would be established.

    Academic text (2011)
  • However, if pinyon-juniper encroachment also leads to a reduction in individual survival, the negative effects experienced by the metapopulation could be greater.

    Academic text (2016)
  • A good portion of this pack's territory is in British Columbia, so they're well-connected to the Canadian metapopulation.

    Blog text (17)
  • The case of L. equestris raises interesting questions concerning the role of movements in the dynamics of subdivided populations or metapopulations.

    Academic text (2007)
  • For example, natural metapopulation dynamics often include local, temporary extinctions balanced by recolonizations via dispersal (Hanski and Gilpin 1991).

    Academic text (1994)
  • Beginning in 2002—and in every year since—the NRM wolf metapopulation exceeded the population threshold specified for removal from ESA protections.

    Academic text (2010)
  • A metapopulation consists of several local groups of wolves that share genetic information through occasional interbreeding.

Surface Forms

Morphology

metapopulation = population (semi-transparent) = meta + population

The word is built from the scientific prefix 'meta-' plus 'population', but the ecological sense is specialized and not fully predictable for an average learner.

Etymology

Metapopulation joins the prefix meta- meaning 'between' and population meaning a group of animals or people. So a metapopulation is a collection of separate local groups that are linked because individuals move 'between' them, which helps the whole system survive even if some local groups die out.