XVI International Botanical Congess

A metapopulation of a given species inhabits a landscape which can be defined through a set of parameters such as probability of disturbance of a given type of sites, nutritionnal quality of each site, speed of succession (etc.). Within such a landscape, the metapopulation will evolve a migration rate which can be derived through game theory modelling. In return, the migration rate will determine the fate of the species in such a landscape, which can then be predicted through demographic models. The present paper explores these models in relation to the effect of environmental heterogeneity. It is shown that cetain types of heterogeneity can lead the species to extinction in a given landscape. These results could have important consequences regarding conservation biology.