Extinction-colonization dynamics upon a survival-dispersal trade-off

•We study the evolution of dispersal under a trade-off between dispersal and survival.•We assume a metapopulation that follows an extinction-colonization dynamics.•The strength of the trade-off plays a key role on the dynamics.•There is a critical trade-off strength determining population extinction. Dispersal is a key mechanism shaping observed ecological and evolutionary processes. Owing to its inherent costs, dispersal incur trade-offs with many life-history traits. Here we propose and investigate a metapopulation model that follows an extinction-colonization dynamics. The problem is investigated within an evolutionary perspective in which individuals are constrained by a trade-off relationship between survival and dispersal. The dependence of the evolved levels of dispersal on local extinction rates, mortality, and other selective pressures, as well as on the shape of the trade-off relationship and its strength is investigated. The influence of dispersal costs on the evolutionary outcome is dependent on the shape of the trade-off relationship: while for strong trade-offs increased dispersal mortality leads to reduced levels of dispersal, higher mobility is found when the trade-off is weak. Among the main findings is the existence of a critical trade-off strength beyond that the metapopulation is no longer viable, i.e., it is doomed to extinction. These features are not qualitatively changed as local adaptation is taken into account.