Metapopulation Structure of the Water-strider, Limnoporus esakii (Insecta: Gerridae) in the Kinokawa River Watershed

Abstract

To detect the metapopulation structure of a vulnerable species of the water-strider, Limnoporus esakii, in the basin of Kinokawa River, we registered the presence or absence of the water-strider on 104 patchs of wetlands in the regions of more than 2,000 ha in two successive years. Dispersal distance was assumed about 400 to 500 m in general. We recognized three clusters of habitats used by independent populations in the research area, and used a patch occupancy model to describe dynamics for one of the populations. A spatially realistic model considering habitat quality and patch size seemd to be in good agreement with the real spatial distribution.