Many marine and freshwater species inhabit a patchy world, where populations are connected to one another through the migration and dispersal of individuals at particular life history stages. A large amount of research has focused on the connectivity of metapopulations, both theoretically and empirically, in an attempt to address applied management issues such as the design of spatially explicit reserves. Much of this work has focused on quantifying the strength and direction of dispersal pathways. This research has included the use of radiotelemetry, chemical tagging, genetic assignment and coupled bio-physical modeling to identify origins and trajectories of individuals. In parallel, management strategies have focused on preserving spatial arrangement of habitats that will maximize population resilience. In order to identify those habitats that are of maximal importance, the influence of habitat quality on population dynamics of mobile species must be understood. This session will bring together scientists from both applied and basic research lines in an attempt to generate a synthetic approach that may inform management strategies that seek to preserve ecosystem services. The present proposal contributes to ecological understanding by incorporating variability of source populations in population dynamics and then extrapolating these advances into policy and management. Presentations will include case studies from marine and freshwater ecosystems including broad taxonomic groups (vertebrates and invertebrates) with mobile phases at different life histories (larval, juvenile, and adult). Source habitats may include those that serve as nurseries, refuges, or spawning grounds. We begin the session with theoretical approaches that highlight variation in quality of source habitats. Next, case studies from various taxonomic groups, including vertebrates and invertebrates, will be used as examples. These presentations will also address a range of different management perspectives. The last talk will summarize the objectives of the session and synthesize the knowledge gained and future challenges for studying spatially structured populations. While presentations will be diverse in terms of systems or approaches, all will address the central theme: how does the quality of the source affect population dynamics of mobile species?