The interaction between the spatial distribution of resource patches and population density: consequences for intra-specific growth and morphology

1. How individuals within a population distribute themselves across resource patches of varying quality has been an important focus of ecological theory. The ideal free distribution predicts equal fitness amongst individuals in a 1 : 1 ratio with resources, whereas resource defence theory predicts different degrees of monopolization (fitness variance) as a function of temporal and spatial resource clumping and population density. 2. One overlooked landscape characteristic is the spatial distribution of resource patches, altering the equitability of resource accessibility and thereby the effective number of competitors. While much work has investigated the influence of morphology on competitive ability for different resource types, less is known regarding the phenotypic characteristics conferring relative ability for a single resource type, particularly when exploitative competition predominates. 3. Here we used young-of-the-year rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to test whether and ho...

1. 种群内个体在不同质量资源斑块间的分布格局，长期以来都是生态学理论的核心研究议题之一。理想自由分布（ideal free distribution）理论预测，个体间的适合度（fitness）将与资源量呈现1:1的均等比例；而资源防御理论则指出，垄断程度（即适合度方差）会随资源的时空聚集性与种群密度呈现差异化变化。
2. 此前未受足够关注的一类景观特征，是资源斑块的空间分布模式——它可通过改变资源获取的公平性，进而影响实际竞争者的有效数量。尽管已有大量研究探讨了形态特征对不同资源类型竞争能力的影响，但针对单一资源类型下决定个体相对竞争能力的表型特征，现有认知仍较为匮乏，尤其是在利用型竞争（exploitative competition）占主导的场景中。
3. 本研究以当年生虹鳟（Oncorhynchus mykiss）为实验对象，检验其是否及如何……（原文表述未完整）