Going against the flow: The effects of non-Gaussian dispersal kernels

16 Our previous studies discuss when populations and gradients in allele fre17 quency can persist in the presence of a mean downstream dispersal of propag18 ules from the parents’ location. These studies assume that reproduction is 19 uniform over the lifetime of the adult, and that the larval dispersal kernel 20 is “nearly” Gaussian in shape. These results are extended below to include 21 variable reproduction over the lifetime of an adult and non-Gaussian dispersal 22 kernels. It is found that persistence is governed by the lifetime reproductive 23 output of the adults. The impact of non-Gaussian dispersal kernels is quan24 tified in terms of the excess kurtosis of the dispersal kernel. 25 26