Abstract Evidence of selection on spider mite dispersal rates in relation to habitat persistence in agroecosystems. D.C. Margolies Variation in habitat suitability is presumed to be the major selective factor in the evolution of dispersal. Adaptation by a population to the structure of its environment will depend largely on the genetic flexibility of the population and the intensity of selection imposed. Previous work documented intrapopulation genetic variation for a dispersal behavior in spider mites. This allows the possibility that mite dispersal behavior can evolve in response to variation in habitat structure.
Habitat persistence is one definable component of habitat structure.
Evalutation of dispersal behavior in hybrids of reciprocal crosses between populations from corn and from apple indicated that dispersal differences among populations were based on genetic differences. These results provide strong evidence that dispersal in spider mites evolved in response to different degrees of host persistence in each agroecosystem.