Analysis of dispersal effects in metapopulation models.

The interplay between local dynamics and dispersal rates in discrete metapopulation models for homogeneous landscapes is studied. We introduce an approach based on scalar dynamics to study global attraction of equilibria and periodic orbits. This approach applies for any number of patches, dispersal rates, or landscape structure. The existence of chaos in metapopulation models is also discussed. We analyze issues such as sensitive dependence on the initial conditions or short/intermediate/long term behaviours of chaotic orbits.