I performed mark-recapture studies to quantify the movement of a planthopper, Prokelisia crocea, among discrete patches of its host plant, prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata). Planthopper emigration was density dependent and non-linearly affected by patch size. During the emigration process, female planthoppers redistributed themselves in a way that was well described by a simple diffusion process. Planthopper spread in a heterogeneous habitat was significantly faster than their spread within a homogeneous habitat. Finally, immigration was an increasing function of patch size, but was independent of patch isolation. The natural distribution of planthoppers among cordgrass patches fit the predictions of these dispersal experiments. Extinction and recolonization rates among natural patches were approximately balanced and the dynamics of local planthopper populations were asynchronous. Overall, P. crocea exhibits a mainland-island population structure.
Species 1: Homoptera Delphacidae Prokelisia crocea
Species 2: Graminaceae Poaceae Spartina pectinata (prairie cordgrass)
Keywords: metapopulation, extinction-recolonization
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