The often complex spatial patterns of propagule dispersal across a metapopulation present a challenge for species management, motivating efforts to represent the connectivity in simpler but meaningful ways. The reduction of complexity may be achieved by partitioning the metapopulation into groups of highly connected patches called “subpopulations.” To have relevance for management, these subunits must be defined from ecological or evolutionary principles. The probabilities of dispersal-mediated propagule interchange between sites, commonly organized into a connectivity matrix, entail a timescale that is usually ignored in subpopulation analyses, limiting their utility and possibly leading to misinterpretation and wrong management decisions. Recognition of the essentially dynamical role played by metapopulation connectivity naturally leads to the incorporation of the generational timescale into the partitioning analysis. An algorithm is proposed to determine the subpopulations—both their cardinality and their composition—as a function of the generational timescale and of a limiting probability of connection, illustrated with a novel empirical estimate of mesopelagic connectivity. The proposed framework allows the unambiguous determination of the timescales corresponding to dispersal barriers and the identification of effective ecological units across the spectrum of management-relevant time horizons.

中文翻译：

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将连接时间尺度纳入元种群分区中。

繁殖体在整个种群中散布的通常复杂的空间格局对物种管理提出了挑战，促使人们努力以更简单但有意义的方式来表示连通性。降低复杂性可以通过将超群划分为称为“亚群”的高连通性斑块的组来实现。为了与管理相关，必须从生态或进化原理中定义这些亚基。通常在一个连接性矩阵中组织的，站点之间散布介导的繁殖体互换的概率需要一个时间尺度，该时间尺度在子种群分析中通常被忽略，限制了它们的效用，并可能导致误解和错误的管理决策。认识到由种群种群连通性所起的基本动力学作用，自然会导致将世代时间尺度纳入分区分析中。提出了一种算法来确定子种群（包括其基数和组成），这些子种群是世代时间尺度和连接的限制概率的函数，并以近中生连通性的新型经验估计来说明。拟议的框架允许明确确定与分散障碍相对应的时间尺度，并在与管理有关的时间范围内确定有效的生态单位。提出了一种算法来确定子种群（包括其基数和组成），这些子种群是世代时间尺度和连接的限制概率的函数，并以近中生连通性的新型经验估计来说明。拟议的框架允许明确确定与分散障碍相对应的时间尺度，并在与管理有关的时间范围内确定有效的生态单位。提出了一种算法来确定子种群（包括其基数和组成），这些子种群是世代时间尺度和连接的限制概率的函数，并以近中生连通性的新的经验估计来说明。拟议的框架允许明确确定与分散障碍相对应的时间尺度，并在与管理有关的时间范围内确定有效的生态单位。