7. Regulation of Species Range I.

What will you learn in this lecture:

• Ability to list the principle factors that limit species ranges.
• How transplant experiments can be used to determine the importance of these mechanisms.
• To understand how 'false positive' and 'false negative' results can complicate interpretation of such experiments.
• The main types of dispersal, Beijerinck’s Law, and what is meant by 'dispersal limitation'.

Enrolled students of fall 2024 should watch this lecture before October 8.

What questions should you be able to answer now?

• What is your opinion of Beijerinck's Law? What organisms are most likely to follow it?
• How can you test whether some organism is behaving according to the law? What are the possible problems with the testing?
• What is dispersal limitation and how is it important? How do different organisms overcome such limitations?
• What would happen if we would remove all dispersal limitations among organisms?

Useful links and materials:
Chapter 4 in: Krebs, Charles J. Ecology: The Experimental Analysis of Distribution and Abundance.

Featured image: "Pride Comes Before the Fall", 1597. Marcus Gheeraert ca. 1597. This magnificent print shows a long-standing appreciation of the importance of passive dispersal.