The Role of Recruitment Limitation and Resource Limitation in Spatial Dynamics of Pogonomyrmex Occidentalis

9509312科尔在整个北美西部，收割机蚂蚁，西方波格诺梅克斯，是优势动物物种之一；它是沙漠景观的重要组成部分。目前这项研究的目标是确定这些生物体的密度和分布是如何调节的。两种可能的机制影响人口密度：新兵的可用性和殖民地的食物和空间的可用性。这两个不一定是相互排斥的。食物和空间的可获得性以及新兵的数量都将进行试验性修改，以衡量对人口密度的影响。关于种群密度和种群分布调节的实验研究将与测量招募模式的时间和空间变化相结合，以将对当地进程的了解扩大到大的地理范围。在一个脆弱的生态系统中，西方Pogonomyrmex是种子的主要传播者，但受到多种用途的影响。通过确定控制这种重要物种种群数量和分布的因素，这项研究可能阐明控制范围质量和栖息地保护的机制。

9509312 Cole Throughout western North America the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, is one of the dominant animal species; it is an important component of the desert landscape. The goal of the current research is to determine how the density and distribution of these organisms are regulated. Two possible mechanisms influence population density: the availability of recruits and the availability of food and space for the colonies. These two need not be mutually exclusive. Both the availability of food and space and the numbers of recruits will be experimentally modified to measure the effect on population density. The experimental studies on the regulation of population density and colony distribution will be combined with measurement of temporal and spatial variation in the patterns of recruitment to extend the understanding of local processes to large geographical scales. Pogonomyrmex occidentalis is the primary disperser of seeds in a fragile ecosystem subject to multiple uses. By determining the factors that govern the population size and distribution in this important species, this research may elucidate the mechanisms that govern range quality and habitat preservation.