whereas metapopulations in the green regions are likely to be persistent. The yellow region decreases in range with increasing $L/N$. That is, the transition between threatened and persistent metapopulation sharpens with increasing $L/N$.

![\[fig:E50-replicate\]Extreme example of the variation in the number of viable replicates between the different samples (here: $\gamma=0.3$, $L/N=10$, $c=0.15$). In particular sample $98$ deviates strongly from the general mean. Since we can assume that the main source of variations is the stochastic simulation procedure rather than qualitative differences between the random dispersal patterns relevant for the present study, we do not investigate the within-sample variations further within the scope of this work.](E50-replicate.eps){width=".5\textwidth"}

The $10$ replicate simulations performed for each parameter set and each dispersal pattern in addition allow to investigate and to discuss the variability within the sample of $100$ dispersal patterns. In the regions marked red and green by definition all samples show the same behaviour. Detailed analysis of the yellow regions shows only very few cases of large variability of the number of extinct replicates between the samples. One example of rather high variability is depicted in Figure \[fig:E50-replicate\]. Overall the differences between the random dispersal patterns generated for each scenario do not seem to 