A reaction-diffusion model for the evolution of dispersal
rates is
considered in which there is both spatial heterogeneity
and temporal
periodicity. The model is restricted to two
phenotypes because of
technical difficulties, but a wide range of mathematical
techniques
and computational effort are needed to obtain useful answers.
We find
that the question of selection is a great deal
richer than in the
autonomous case, where the phenotype with the
lowest diffusion is
selected for. In the current model
either the lower or higher
diffuser rate may be selected, or there
may be coexistence of
phenotypes. The paper raises several open questions
and suggests in
particular that a mutation-selection multi-phenotypic
model would
repay study.