Simultaneous evolution of multiple dispersal components and kernel

Global climate is changing rapidly and is accompanied by large-scale fragmentation and destruction of habitats. Since dispersal is the first line of defense for mobile organisms to cope with such adversities in their environment, it is important to understand the causes and consequences of evolution of dispersal. Although dispersal is a complex phenomenon involving multiple dispersal-components like propensity (tendency to leave the natal patch) and ability (to travel long distances), the relationship between these traits is not always straight-forward, it is not clear whether these traits can evolve simultaneously or not, and how their interactions affect the overall dispersal profile. To investigate these issues, we subjected four large (n ∼ 2400) outbred populations of Drosophila melanogaster to artificial selection for increased dispersal, in a setup that mimicked increasing habitat fragmentation over 33 generations. The propensity and ability of the selected populations were signif...