Plant Population Regulation: Analysis of a Long-Term Data Set

小行星9615136 这项研究解决了种群生物学的核心问题之一：在自然或半自然生态系统中，是什么决定了一个物种的个体数量？ 使用现有的15年的数据集，一组分析和模拟模型将被构建，验证和分析，以回答这个问题的本土植物物种，得克萨斯州gramagrass。 回答这个更广泛的问题的一部分将是确定人口规模和结构受到有效监管的程度;另一部分将是确定监管运作的方式。 这些模型将包括相邻植物之间的相互影响、植物的空间排列、植物大小的差异以及所有变量随时间的变化， 因为所有这些因素都很重要。 虽然只有一个单一的物种将被研究，该物种的种群动态所获得的信息将提供洞察到许多其他植物物种的种群动态，其中一些是入侵杂草，濒危物种，或像研究物种，经济上重要的牧场草。 更好地理解植物种群调节将 有助于努力管理杂草，保护稀有和濒危物种，预测食草动物和食草昆虫对特定植物物种的影响，并在一般情况下了解和管理植物物种和群落。 此外，在这项研究中开发的人口模型可以很容易地修改为通用。

9615136 Fowler This study addresses one of the core questions of population biology: What determines the numbers of individuals of a species in a natural or semi-natural ecosystem? Using an existing 15-year data set, a set of analytical and simulation models will be constructed, validated, and analyzed to answer this question for a native plant species, Texas gramagrass. Part of answering the broader question will be determining the extent to which population size and structure is effectively regulated; another part will be determining the way in which that regulation operates. The models will incorporate the effects of neighboring plants on each other, the spatial arrangement of the plants, differences in plant size, and variation over time in all variables, as all of these factors are likely to be important. Although only a single species will be studied, the information obtained about this species' population dynamics will provide insights into the population dynamics of many other plant species, some of which are invasive weeds, endangered species, or, like the study species, economically important range grasses. A better understanding of plant population regulation will contribute to efforts to manage weeds, to preserve rare and endangered species, to predict the effects of grazers and herbivorous insects upon particular plant species, and in general to understand and manage plant species and communities. In addition, the population models to be developed in this study can be easily modified to be of general use.