Corridors are expected to increase species dispersal in fragmented habitats. However, it remains unclear how the quality of corridors influences the dispersal process, and how it interacts with corridor length and width. Here we investigate these factors using a small-scale laboratory system where we track the dispersal of the model organism Collembola Folsomia candida. Using this system, we study the effects of corridor length, width, and quality on the probability of dispersal, net movement, body size of dispersers, and the rate of change in population size after colonization. We show that corridor quality positively affected dispersal probability, net movement, and the rate of change in population size in colonised patches. Moreover, corridor quality significantly affected the size of dispersers, with only larger individuals dispersing through poor quality corridors. The length and width of corridors affected both the rate at which populations increased in colonised patches and the net number of individuals which dispersed, suggesting that these physical properties may be important in maintaining the flow of individuals in space. Our results thus suggest that corridor quality can have an important role in determining not only the probability of dispersal occurs but also the phenotypes of the individuals which disperse, with concomitant effects on the net movement of individuals and the rate of change in population size in the colonised patches.

预计走廊会增加物种在支离破碎的栖息地的扩散。然而，尚不清楚走廊的质量如何影响扩散过程，以及它如何与走廊的长度和宽度相互作用。在这里，我们使用一个小型实验室系统研究这些因素，在该系统中我们跟踪模式生物 Collembola Folsomia candida的扩散. 使用该系统，我们研究了走廊长度、宽度和质量对散布概率、净移动、散布者的体型以及殖民后人口规模变化率的影响。我们表明，走廊质量对殖民斑块的扩散概率、净移动和人口规模变化率有积极影响。此外，走廊质量显着影响分散器的大小，只有较大的个体通过质量差的走廊分散。走廊的长度和宽度影响了殖民斑块中人口增加的速度和分散的个体的净数量，这表明这些物理特性对于维持个体在空间中的流动可能很重要。