The distributions of animals and plants do not respect national boundaries. Very few
European species are restricted to only one country, though there are often striking
differences in the environmental conditions under which populations of the same species
live in different parts of Europe. At present, the main threats to long-term survival of
populations and species in Europe are habitat loss and fragmentation, the rate and degree
of which vary greatly from one part of EU to another.
The ecology, genetics, and evolution of remnant populations in fragmented landscapes
have become topical issues in population biology and conservation, and a new field of
biology - metapopulation biology - has been established. Metapopulations are assemblages
of local populations inhabiting networks of more or less discrete habitat patches.
Metapopulation biology is a strong field in Europe, with links to landscape ecology and
conservation biology. Staff in the seven centres joining forces in this TMR network proposal
have unrivalled expertise in the empirical study of metapopulation ecology, genetics and
dynamics, in metapopulation modelling, and in many questions about metapopulation
conservation. The most up-to-date and comprehensive text book on metapopulation biology was
recently edited by the coordinator of this network (Hanski, I.A. & Gilpin, M.E., eds.
1997).
The major aim of the network is to develop a sound framework for the conservation of
species and biodiversity in fragmented landscapes. The network includes complementary research skills from basic population biology
to genetics and mathematical modelling, which are required for succesful accomplishment of
the ultimate aim of the network. |
