Ontogenetic Changes in Trophic and Competitive Relationshipsand Their Control of the Development of Benthic Communities

底栖生物蜕变和定居后的紧随时间对它们成为现有群落的一部分的能力至关重要。由于它们体型小，形态简单，幼虫与更广泛的物种之间的相互作用更强烈。此外，物种间生态关系的巨大变化可能发生在生活史阶段之间，而这些个体发育关系变化的重要性尚不清楚。本项目将重点研究新英格兰南部沿海潮下海洋生物群落中7个优势物种的定居和幼体阶段。所选择的研究地点在幼虫定居方面表现出极大的差异(1至2个数量级)，每个地点都有一组不同的优势物种。将进行实验，以测试已证明有可能改变捕食对招募的重要性的过程，即幼虫定居和涉及幼虫的竞争性互动的差异。最后，我们将研究人际关系如何随着人生阶段的变化而变化。在幼虫生活史阶段发生的任何事件的重要性将根据幼虫定居期间和成虫群落内发生的现象来判断。

The time immediately following the metamorphosis and settlement of benthic organisms is critical to their ability to become part of the existing community. Because of their small size and simpler morphology, juveniles endure more intense interactions with a wider spectrum of species. In addition, tremendous changes in the ecological relationships between species can occur between life-history stages and the importance of these ontogenetic changes in relationships is unknown. This project will focus on the settling and juvenile stages of 7 dominant species within subtidal marine epifaunal communities along the coast of southern New England. The study sites chosen exhibit extreme (1 to 2 orders of magnitude) differences in larval settlement, and each has a distinct group of dominant species. Experiments will be conducted to test processes that have the demonstrated potential to alter the importance of predation to recruitment, i.e. differences in larval settlement and competitive interactions involving juveniles. Finally, we will examine how relationships change with life-stage. The importance of any event occurring during juvenile life-history stages will be judged relative to phenomena occurring during larval settlement and within the adult community.