DISSERATION RESEARCH: The Effects of Habitat Variability on Host Plant-Herbivore

论文研究：栖息地变异对寄主植物-草食动物的影响

• 批准号: 9623127
• 负责人: Michael Bowers
• 金额: $ 0.88万
• 依托单位: University of Virginia Main Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1996
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1996-06-01 至 1998-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9623127&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERATION; RESEARCH; Effects; Habitat; Variability

BOWERS DEB-9623127 Most studies examining population dynamics in a spatial context assume that the size, quality, and number of habitat patches within a landscape do not vary over time. Such an assumption may be biologically unrealistic. In many cases habitat patches are biological units, such as host plants, which may change in size or number over similar time frames as the populations residing within these patches. This research will investigate the effects of changes in the size and number of habitat patches on the abundance and dynamics of an insect herbivore, the red milkweed beetle, Tetraopes tetraophthalmus, and its host plant common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca. Of particular interest is the degree to which herbivory by the beetles is responsible for variation in milkweed patch size and number. Field observations will examine year to year changes in the number and size of milkweed patches as well as beetle abundance. Controlled experiments will be used to examine the effects of herbivory by adult and larval beetles on milkweed growth and sexual reproduction. Simulation modelling will be used to synthesize the results from the observations and experiments and investigate the long-term consequences of habitat variability for insect herbivores and their host-plants. Knowledge gained from this research will extend our understanding of the effects of spatial processes, and aid in conservation situations where habitat change is a factor.

大多数在空间背景下研究种群动态的研究都假设景观中栖息地斑块的大小、质量和数量不随时间而变化。 这种假设在生物学上可能是不现实的。 在许多情况下，栖息地斑块是生物单位，如宿主植物，其大小或数量可能会随着居住在这些斑块内的人口在类似的时间框架内发生变化。 本研究将调查的影响的大小和数量的变化的栖息地斑块的昆虫食草动物，红色马利筋甲虫，Tetraopes tetraophthalmus，其宿主植物常见马利筋，马利筋的丰度和动态。 特别感兴趣的是在何种程度上由甲虫的植食性是负责马利筋补丁的大小和数量的变化。 实地观察将检查乳草斑块数量和大小以及甲虫丰度的逐年变化。 对照实验将被用来检查成虫和幼虫的植食性对马利筋生长和有性繁殖的影响。 模拟模型将用于综合观察和实验的结果，并调查食草昆虫及其寄主植物生境变异的长期后果。 从这项研究中获得的知识将扩展我们对空间过程影响的理解，并有助于栖息地变化是一个因素的保护情况。