Long and Medium-Term Research: Population Ecology of Marine Specialist Herbivores on New Zealand Rocky Shores

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Long & Medium-Term Research: Population Ecology of Marine Specialist Herbivores on New Zealand Rocky Shores This award is under the Long and Medium-Term Research at Foreign Centers of Excellence Program, which enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twelve months of research abroad at research centers of proven excellence. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad. This award will support a twelve-month postdoctoral research visit by Dr. Cynthia D. Trowbridge to visit Dr. Robert Creese at the University of Auckland, Leigh Marine Laboratory. Dr. Trowbridge proposed to study the population ecology of oligophagous ascoglossan sea slugs (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia). She has already documented the population ecology of several species of intertidal ascoglossans in the N.E. Pacific. She now proposes to collect complementary information for three ecologically similar species in the Hauraki Gulf region of the North Island of New Zealand to address the following three questions. First, do ascoglossans seasonally reduce algal host abundances? Second, does interspecific competition among generalist and specialist herbivores reduce the effect of ascoglossan herbivory? Third, do fish and crab predators significantly reduce ascoglossan densities in the field? This study will provide valuable information about the role of marine specialists on temperate rocky shores. The award recommendation provides funds to cover international travel, a stipend for twelve months, and a dependent allowance.