Collaborative Research: Disturbance and the Structure of River Food

小行星9318003 本项目研究了水流对 对水生食物链长度的干扰。 生态学理论表明，食物链应该是 但初步观察显示 表明北方加州冬季周期性冲刷 河流实际上可能会延长食物链。 的相互作用 干扰和营养动力学的研究， 实验室试验，以确定敏感性的关键 无脊椎动物类群捕食，实地实验，以评估 干扰对物种强度的影响 人工冲刷对底栖生物的影响， 捕食性鱼类的摄食率，并进行实地调查， 调节（低干扰）的营养结构， 自然（高干扰）河流。 这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。 首先 是测试（和修改）基本 关于食物网结构和 群落结构紊乱。 的结果 这项研究对大坝泄水时间表和防洪工程的影响具有重要意义。 河流生物多样性和群落生态学。 结果 这项研究将为河流的研究提供重要的信息 河流管理和恢复。 ***

9318003 Power This project investigates the effect of stream disturbance on the length of aquatic food chains. Ecological theory indicates that food chains should be shortened by disturbance, but preliminary observations suggest that periodic winter scouring in northern California rivers may actually lengthen food chains. The interplay of disturbance and trophic dynamics is investigated by laboratory trials to establish susceptibility of key invertebrate taxa to predation, field experiments to assess the effect of disturbance on the strength of species interactions and of artificial scouring on the benthos and feeding rates of predatory fish, and field surveys comparing the trophic structure of regulated (low disturbance) and natural (high-disturbance) rivers. %%% This research is important for several reasons. First, this is an ideal system for testing (and revising) fundamental theories on the stucture of food webs and the role of disturbance in community structure. The results of this study have important implications for the effects of dam- release schedules and flood control projects on the biodiversity and community ecology of rivers. Results from this research will provide important information for stream and river management and restoration. ***