S. Masier

Genetically diverse populations spread faster in benign but not in challenging environments

The paper experiments with genetically diverse and inbred mite populations to assess their spread rates in different habitats, finding that genetic diversity enhances spread in benign but not challenging environments.

Individual heterogeneity and its importance for metapopulation dynamics.

The paper tests how landscape connectedness and phenotypic spatial organization affect metapopulation dynamics in spider mites, finding that self-organizing phenotypic structures improve persistence despite theoretical expectations.

Evolutionary history determines population spread rate in a stochastic, rather than in a deterministic way

The study shows that population spread rates in spider mites are influenced more by evolutionary history than by habitat connectedness.

Life history and dispersal timing evolve in response to metapopulation connectedness

The paper shows that lower metapopulation connectedness leads to increased starvation resistance and delayed dispersal in spiders, with local selection shaping intrinsic growth rates through transgenerational plasticity or epigenetics.

The distinct phenotypic signatures of dispersal and stress in an arthropod model: from physiology to life history

The paper examines metabolic and life-history differences between dispersing and resident spider mites under stress, finding no interaction between dispersal and stress exposure.