REU: Patch Size, Herbivory, and Secondary Succession: An Experimental Study

REU：斑块大小、草食和二次演替：实验研究

• 批准号: 8718088
• 负责人: Robert Holt
• 金额: $ 27.08万
• 依托单位: University of Kansas Main Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1988
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1988-01-01 至 1991-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8718088&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: REU; Patch; Size; Herbivory; Secondary

The study of secondary succession in old fields has largely emphasized the causal role of life history strategies and interspecific competition. Yet the rate or pattern of succession may be influenced by the size of the area undergoing succession and herbivory. Given that herbivory is important, the intensity of herbivory should also vary systematically with successional patch size. A conceptual model will be tested which predicts that given a trade-off between colonizing and competitive abilities, succession should be slower on small patches and that mammal herbivores should be less abundant and diverse on small patches, and biased toward small-bodied species. The experimental study will use an archipelago of successional patches in eastern Kansas. The patches span two orders of magnitude in area and are kept isolated through regular mowing. Immigration, population growth or decline, spatial patterns, and species turnover for plants and small mammals will be documented. The effects of small mammals on plant succession will be gauged using exclosures. Patch size may also indirectly affect plant and animal succession through effects on resource availability (e.g., small patches are relatively more wind-exposed and may be drier than large patches). The availability of water and nitrogen in the system will be monitored.

老领域次生演替的研究在很大程度上强调了生活史、策略和种间竞争的因果作用。然而，演替的速度或模式可能会受到演替区域的大小和草食的影响。鉴于草食的重要性，草食的强度也应该随着演替斑块的大小而有系统地变化。将测试一个概念模型，该模型预测，考虑到殖民能力和竞争能力之间的权衡，在小块土地上的演替应该会较慢，哺乳动物草食动物在小块土地上的丰富度和多样性应该较低，并偏向小体物种。这项实验研究将使用堪萨斯州东部的一个连续斑块群岛。这些斑块跨越两个数量级的面积，并通过定期修剪保持隔离。将记录植物和小型哺乳动物的移民、种群增长或下降、空间格局和物种周转。小型哺乳动物对植物演替的影响将通过圈闭来衡量。斑块大小也可能通过对资源可用性的影响间接影响动植物演替(例如，小斑块相对更容易受到风的影响，可能比大斑块更干燥)。将监测系统中水和氮的可获得性。