Question

The persistence of metapopulations increases when

A) heterogeneity of habitat increases.
B) isolation of local populations increases.
C) environmental stochasticity increases.
D) the size of local populations decreases.

Answer 1

The persistence of metapopulations increases when heterogeneity of habitat increases, isolation of local populations increases, and the size of local populations decreases.

Step-by-step explanation:

The persistence of metapopulations increases when the heterogeneity of habitat increases, the isolation of local populations increases, and the size of local populations decreases.

A metapopulation is a set of subdivided populations that are interconnected by occasional movements of individuals among them. Different factors contribute to the persistence of metapopulations, including the availability of diverse habitats, the presence of nearby source populations, and the ability to recolonize through emigration from larger populations.

For example, in a metapopulation of the Bay checkerspot butterfly, populations in topographically heterogeneous fragments were less likely to go extinct than those in topographically uniform ones, suggesting that heterogeneity of habitat contributes to metapopulation persistence.