Alternative Stable States on Rocky Intertidal Shores

岩石潮间带海岸的替代稳定状态

• 批准号: 9529564
• 负责人: Peter Petraitis
• 金额: $ 29.47万
• 依托单位: University of Pennsylvania
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1996
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1996-04-15 至 2001-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9529564&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Alternative; Stable; States; Rocky; Intertidal

9529564 Petraitis The goal of this proposal is to determine the ecological mechanisms that maintain stands of algae and beds of mussels and barnacles in the Gulf of Maine as distinct, self-sustaining communities. Mussels, barnacles, and macroalgae are the most common species on the rocky intertidal shores of sheltered bays. As the major structural components of the natural communities that line the shore, these species are the home for many species of fish and invertebrates. Stands of rockweed and beds of mussels and barnacles are distinct and rarely overlap even though they occupy very similar places on the shore. Currently, it is thought that local site-specific differences in ecological processes such as predation, competition, and recruitment, control the species composition of these two communities. This research project will test the idea that the origins of algal stands and mussel-barnacle beds are historical events and that once established, the two distinctive communities are maintained by positive-feedback mechanisms within each. Thus local site- specific differences are the result of positive-feedbacks and not the cause of community differences. In ecology, this idea is generally known as "alternative stable states." This project will be the first large-scale test of this idea in a coastal marine ecosystem.

9529564 Petraitis 该提案的目标是确定将缅因湾的藻类、贻贝和藤壶床维持为独特的、自给自足的群落的生态机制。 贻贝、藤壶和大型藻类是庇护海湾岩石潮间带海岸最常见的物种。 作为海岸自然群落的主要结构组成部分，这些物种是许多鱼类和无脊椎动物的家园。岩藻丛、贻贝和藤壶的床是截然不同的，很少重叠，尽管它们在海岸上占据的位置非常相似。 目前，人们认为捕食、竞争和补充等生态过程中当地特定地点的差异控制着这两个群落的物种组成。 该研究项目将检验这样一种观点，即藻类和贻贝藤壶床的起源是历史事件，一旦建立，这两个独特的群落就会通过各自内部的正反馈机制来维持。 因此，当地特定地点的差异是正反馈的结果，而不是社区差异的原因。 在生态学中，这种想法通常被称为“替代稳定状态”。 该项目将是这一想法在沿海海洋生态系统中的首次大规模测试。