Collaborative Research: Stage-structured Interactions in Lake Communities

虽然大小和阶段结构的种群在自然群落中普遍存在，但很少有研究调查它们的生态后果。蓝鳃鱼是北美许多小湖泊中最常见的鱼类，它们的种群在功能上是分阶段结构的，幼鱼以软体的沿海无脊椎动物为食，成年鱼以滨海浮游动物为食。拟议的研究将测试蓝鳃鱼种群通过其阶段结构的栖息地使用将沿海和沼泽栖息地的动态联系起来的假设，从而为其他鱼类群落的组织提供一个中心焦点。该研究将研究大水蚤（成年蓝鳃鱼的主要来源）产量在湖泊间变化的过程，以及解释蓝鳃鱼密度和生长在湖泊间变化的因素。幼蓝鳃鱼和包括大口黑鲈在内的一系列沿岸鱼类之间的竞争将通过比较湖泊调查和实验测试相结合的方式进行研究。这项研究将提供对阶段结构相互作用的机制和后果的一般理解，并有助于指导制定温水渔业的具体管理战略。

Although size and stage-structured populations are ubiquitous in natural communities few studies have examined their ecological consequences. Bluegill, the most common fish species in many small lakes throughout North America, have populations that are functionally stage-structured, with juveniles feeding on soft-bodied littoral invertebrates and adults feeding on limnetic zooplankton. The proposed research will test the hypothesis that bluegill populations link dynamics of littoral and limnetic habitats via their stage-structured habitat use and thus provide a central focus about which the rest of the fish community is organized. The research will examine processes responsible for among-lake variation in the production of large Daphnia, the primary resource of adult bluegill and the factor that explains among-lake variation in bluegill density and growth. Competition between juvenile bluegill and a suite of littoral fish species, including largemouth bass, will be examined using a combination of comparative lake surveys and experimental tests. The research will provide general understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of stage-structured interactions, and can help guide the development of specific management strategies for warm-water fisheries.