Collaborative Research: Stage-structured Interactions in Lake Communities

尽管大小和阶段结构的种群在自然群落中随处可见，但很少有研究检查它们的生态后果。蓝鳍金枪鱼是北美许多小湖泊中最常见的鱼种，其种群具有功能阶段性结构，幼体以软体的滨海无脊椎动物为食，成体以湖泊浮游动物为食。拟议的研究将检验这样一种假设，即蓝鳍金枪鱼种群通过其阶段结构的栖息地利用将滨海和湖泊生境的动态联系起来，从而提供了一个中心焦点，以此来组织鱼类群落的其余部分。这项研究将研究大型水蚤产生湖间差异的过程，大型水蚤是成鱼的主要来源，也是解释湖间蓝鳍金枪鱼密度和生长差异的因素。通过比较湖泊调查和实验测试相结合的方法，将考察幼鱼和包括大口黑鱼在内的一系列滨海鱼类之间的竞争。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了解，并有助于指导制定暖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.