REU: Collaborative Research: Spatial Scaling and the Effects of Patch Mosaic Structure in Semiarid Ecosystems

REU：合作研究：半干旱生态系统中的空间尺度和斑块马赛克结构的影响

• 批准号: 8805829
• 负责人: John Wiens
• 金额: $ 31.97万
• 依托单位: Colorado State University
• 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: 1988-08-01 至 1993-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8805829&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: REU; Collaborative; Research; Spatial; Scaling

Ecosystems consist of mosaics of landscape elements or patches, and this patchiness is evident at many spatial scales. This research will answer two general questions: (1) Are landscape patterns repetitive over different spatial scales?, and (2) How does the patch structure of a landscape mosaic affect ecosystem dynamics and functions? The first question will be addressed by determining the patterns of distribution of patches (vegetation and disturbed areas as well as distributions of arthropod populations) at nested spatial scales ranging from 1 m2 to 10 km2 in semiarid ecosystems. By determining the degree of repetitiveness of mosaic patterns over ranges of scales in both Euclidean and fractal dimensions, one can assess the domains in which ecological patterns and processes operate independently of scale. These domains set the limits within which results from studies at any particular scale can be extrapolated to other scales. Establishing these limits is of critical importance to any attempts to derive generalizations about ecological patterns or processes in landscape mosaics or to compare the results of investigations of different ecological systems. To address the second question, the movement patterns of biotic vectors (ants and beetles) will be studied at fine to intermediate scales to determine how they relate to the patch- mosaic structure of the landscapes. By experimentally altering the patch structure of local environments or the movement patterns of animals, the roles that these organisms may play in the redistribution of materials or energy among patches in these ecosystems will be estimated. To the extent that the investigations indicate repetitiveness of patterns over a range of spatial scales, the studies conducted at fine scales may serve as a "microcosm" representing larger-scale landscape mosaics. Thus, although micro and macro-scale systems may differ biologically, they may share statistical similarities in patterns, allowing the development of procedures for experimentally investigating the movement of materials among elements in a landscape by focusing on fine-scale analogs of macro-landscapes. Research of this nature may be of fundamental importance in promoting the better management of the natural resources of arid lands. Additionally, there could be heretofore unrecognized benefits that would derive from the use of new mathematical approaches to the analysis of ecological data.

生态系统由景观元素或斑块的马赛克组成，这种斑块在许多空间尺度上都很明显。 这项研究将回答两个一般性问题：（1）景观格局在不同空间尺度上是否重复？（2）景观镶嵌的斑块结构如何影响生态系统动态和功能？ 第一个问题将通过确定半干旱生态系统中 1 m2 至 10 km2 嵌套空间尺度的斑块分布模式（植被和受干扰区域以及节肢动物种群的分布）来解决。 通过确定欧几里德维和分形维中尺度范围内马赛克图案的重复程度，人们可以评估生态模式和过程独立于尺度运行的领域。 这些领域设定了限制，在这些限制内，任何特定规模的研究结果都可以外推到其他规模。 建立这些限制对于任何尝试得出关于景观镶嵌中的生态模式或过程的概括或比较不同生态系统的调查结果的尝试都至关重要。 为了解决第二个问题，将在精细到中等尺度上研究生物载体（蚂蚁和甲虫）的运动模式，以确定它们与景观的斑块马赛克结构之间的关系。 通过实验改变当地环境的斑块结构或动物的运动模式，这些生物体在这些生态系统斑块之间物质或能量的重新分配中可能发挥的作用将被估计。 就调查表明一系列空间尺度上的模式重复性而言，在精细尺度上进行的研究可以作为代表更大规模景观马赛克的“缩影”。 因此，尽管微观和宏观尺度系统可能在生物学上有所不同，但它们在模式上可能具有统计相似性，从而允许通过关注宏观景观的精细尺度模拟来开发实验研究景观中元素之间物质运动的程序。 这种性质的研究对于促进更好地管理干旱地区的自然资源可能具有根本重要性。 此外，使用新的数学方法来分析生态数据可能会带来迄今为止未被认识到的好处。