Station d'Ecologie Expérimentale du CNRS à Moulis, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, USR 2936, Moulis, France.
Nat Methods. 2012 Jul 15;9(8):828-33. doi: 10.1038/nmeth.2104.
Dispersal of organisms generates gene flow between populations. Identifying factors that influence dispersal will help predict how species will cope with rapid environmental change. We developed an innovative infrastructure, the Metatron, composed of 48 interconnected patches, designed for the study of terrestrial organism movement as a model for dispersal. Corridors between patches can be flexibly open or closed. Temperature, humidity and illuminance can be independently controlled within each patch. The modularity and adaptability of the Metatron provide the opportunity for robust experimental design for the study of 'meta-systems'. We describe a pilot experiment on populations of the butterfly Pieris brassicae and the lizard Zootoca vivipara in the Metatron. Both species survived and showed both disperser and resident phenotypes. The Metatron offers the opportunity to test theoretical models in spatial ecology.
生物的扩散会在种群之间产生基因流动。确定影响扩散的因素将有助于预测物种如何应对快速的环境变化。我们开发了一种创新的基础设施，称为 Metatron，由 48 个相互连接的斑块组成，旨在研究陆地生物的运动，作为扩散的模型。斑块之间的通道可以灵活地打开或关闭。每个斑块内的温度、湿度和光照度都可以独立控制。Metatron 的模块化和适应性为“元系统”的研究提供了进行稳健实验设计的机会。我们描述了在 Metatron 中对蝴蝶 Pieris brassicae 和蜥蜴 Zootoca vivipara 的种群进行的一项试点实验。两种物种都存活了下来，并表现出了扩散者和定居者的表型。Metatron 提供了在空间生态学中测试理论模型的机会。
