Density Dependent dispersals

Context

Scientists at the Pune-based Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) carried out experiments to study the phenomenon of ‘density-dependent dispersal’ by observing around 29,000 fruit flies to see if evolution had modified their tendency to move towards or away from crowded regions.

Study findings:

While females had been dispersing more than the males initially, the males overtook females in movement after evolution.
This finding is perhaps the first evidence of an evolutionary reversal in the dispersal of the two sexes.

Significance:

The study of biological dispersal finds applications in epidemiology, conservation of biodiversity as well as control of agricultural pests.
‘Density-dependent dispersal’ is central to our understanding of which life forms occur where.
Some species live in large groups while others are solitary.
Similarly, movement occurs away from a crowd in some species and towards it in others. This pattern is termed ‘density-dependent dispersal’.
The study highlights the need to frequently assess movement patterns of ecologically relevant species.

Source: TH

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