The range-resident logistic model: a new framework to formalize the population-dynamics consequences of range residency

Abstract

Abstract Individual movement is critical in shaping population dynamics. However, existing frameworks linking these two processes often rely on unrealistic assumptions or numerical simulations. To address this gap, we introduce the range-resident logistic model, an easy-to-simulate and mathematically tractable extension of the spatial logistic model that incorporates empirically supported range-resident movement. Our framework unifies non-spatial and (sessile) spatial formulations of the logistic model as limiting cases. Between these regimes, the long-term population size depends nonlinearly on home-range size and spatial distribution. Neglecting range residency can hence lead to under- or overestimating population carrying capacity. To better understand these results, we also introduce a novel crowding index that depends on movement parameters and can be estimated from tracking data. This index captures the influence of spatial structure on population size, and serves as a robust predictor of abundance. The range-resident logistic model is thus a unifying framework bridging movement and population ecology.