Experimental Field Tests of the Effect of Biotic Neighborhoods on Zooplankton Dispersal

P.I.计划通过实验检验生物群落的三个方面对浮游动物扩散速率、密度、一个人所经历的邻居的质量和类型。扩散可能强烈影响浮游动物斑块的信息和持久性。将用几种方法来分析扩散，包括个别浮游动物在特定时间内的净水平位移。实验将在大型野外围场（10,000）中进行，利用浮游生物的自然组合。最近的研究表明，物理因素本身并不能解释所有观测到的小尺度斑块。然而，人们对生物因素（如：细菌）的影响知之甚少。与其他动物或食物的相互作用)。三个特定因素(食物浓度，将在围场内测试食物质量和浮游动物的密度对它们扩散的影响。所有这三个因素都被证明会影响一些浮游动物的摄食、生长、繁殖、行为和健康，因此可能会影响个体留在或离开斑块的趋势。

The P.I. proposes to experimentally examine the influence of three apsects of the biotic neighborhood on zooplankton dispersal rates, the density, quality and type of neighbors experienced by an individual. Dispersal is likely to influence strongly the information and persistence of zooplankton patches. Dispersal will be analyzed with several measures including the net horizontal displacement of individual zooplankton over a specified time. Experiments will be conducted in large field enclosures (10,000) using the natural assemblage of plankton. Recent studies indicate that physical factors alone can not explain all of the of the observed small scale patchiness. However, very little is known of the influence of biotic factors (ie. interactions with other animals or food) on patchiness. The effect of three specific factors (food concentration, food quality and the density of cannibalistics) on zooplankton dispersal will be tested in the enclosures. All three factors have been shown t affect feeding, growth, reproduction, behavior, and fitness of some zooplankton, and thus are likely to influence the tendency if individuals to remain in or to leave a patch.