EFFECT OF CORRIDOR WIDTH ON ANIMAL DISPERSAL - A SIMULATION STUDY

The effect of corridor width on dispersal speed was examined in an animal which is repelled by unfavourable habitat at the corridor's edges. Using data on the movement pattern of the land snail, Arianta arbustorum, from a natural population, we simulated snail dispersal over periods of 120 days in corridors of different widths and in an unlimited plane. In corridors, we assumed that snails which reached the edge of the favourable habitat chose a new direction for moving the remaining part of the daily distance within the corridor (this behaviour was observed under natural conditions). The simulations showed that snail dispersal decreased with decreasing corridor width and never reached distances recorded in unlimited planes. This result is supported by field data. The finding that dispersal is inhibited in corridors is discussed in the context of conservation biology.