U.S.-Finland Cooperative Research on a Model Relating Predation Rate and Habitat Structural Complexity

美国-芬兰关于捕食率和栖息地结构复杂性模型的合作研究

• 批准号: 8712670
• 负责人: Walter Nelson
• 金额: $ 0.6万
• 依托单位: Florida Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1988
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1988-05-01 至 1989-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8712670&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: U.S.; Finland; Cooperative; Research; Model

This award will enable Dr. Walter G. Nelson of the Florida Institute of Technology to collaborate with Dr. Erik Bonsdorff of the Abo Akademi, Finland in a study of the relationship between habitat complexity and prey vulnerability to predation. Specifically, they will carry out rigorous laboratory experiments with fish and amphipods to determine whether there is a threshold level of spatial complexity below which variations in complexity have no effect on prey survivorship. The researchers will perform their laboratory experiments at the Huso Biological Station where Dr. Bonsdorff has done extensive field data collection and experiments on shallow water interactions between fish predators and benthic prey. The basic biology of the local organisms is well known. The reed beds in the Aland Islands of Finland near this laboratory are a simple enough system, due to low species diversity, for trophic relationships to be modelled realistically in laboratory experiments. The laboratory studies will lead to hypotheses concerning prey distribution and abundance within the reed beds which can be tested by future field experiments. Dr. Nelson has experience in studies of predator-prey relationships and disturbance among the fauna of complex seagrass communities in the eastern U.S. He will benefit from access to a field system that is particularly well suited to modelling these types of ecological relationships. The collaboration will allow the researchers to combine their expertise and insights in an effort to advance understanding of predator-prey relationships. Recent work by Dr. Nelson and others has suggested that prey vulnerability does not have a simple linear relationship to substrate complexity, but rather, it is better described by a step function, at least at the low end of the complexity spectrum. However, this hypothesis has not yet been carefully tested experimentally. If the concept of a threshold of spatial complexity in predator-prey interactions can be confirmed (or refuted), this will provide a valuable insight into the effect of habitat on biotic interactions. If the hypothesis is substantiated, the knowledge will improve prediction of the potential impact of certain kinds of human disturbance on natural systems, and will improve efforts to restore damaged habitats or create artificial habitats.

该奖项将使沃尔特·G博士。佛罗里达研究所的纳尔逊 技术合作与埃里克博士Bonsdorff的ABO 芬兰Akademi在一项研究中， 复杂性和猎物对捕食的脆弱性。 具体而言，它们 将对鱼类进行严格的实验室实验， 端足类动物，以确定是否有一个阈值水平的空间 复杂度低于此值时，复杂度的变化对 猎物存活率 研究人员将在他们的实验室 在Huso生物站进行的实验中，Bonsdorff博士 在浅水区进行了广泛的野外数据收集和实验 鱼类捕食者和底栖猎物之间的相互作用。 基本 当地生物的生物学是众所周知的。 芦苇床在 这个实验室附近的芬兰奥兰群岛是一个足够简单的 系统，由于物种多样性低，营养关系， 在实验室实验中逼真地模拟。 实验室 研究将导致关于猎物分布的假设， 丰富的芦苇床内，可以测试未来的领域 实验 纳尔逊博士有研究捕食者和猎物的经验 复合型海草区系间的相互关系和干扰 他将受益于获得一个 现场系统，特别适合模拟这些 生态关系的类型。 此次合作将使 研究人员联合收割机结合他们的专业知识和见解， 增进对捕食者与猎物关系的理解。 纳尔逊博士和其他人最近的研究表明， 易损性与基质之间不存在简单的线性关系 复杂性，但更确切地说，它是更好地描述了一个阶梯函数，在 至少在复杂度谱的低端。 但这 这一假设尚未经过仔细的实验检验。 如果 捕食者-被捕食者空间复杂性阈值概念 相互作用可以被证实（或反驳），这将提供一个 对栖息地对生物相互作用的影响有价值的见解。 如果假设得到证实，知识就会增加 预测某些种类的人类的潜在影响 对自然系统的干扰，并将加强努力，恢复 破坏栖息地或创造人工栖息地。