RPGW: Incorporating Structural Response into the Prediction of Disturbance of a Competitive Dominant on Wave-Swept Rocky Shores

RPGW：将结构响应纳入对波浪席卷岩石海岸竞争优势的干扰的预测中

• 批准号: 9711893
• 负责人: Emily Carrington
• 金额: $ 1.64万
• 依托单位: University of Rhode Island
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-01-01 至 1999-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9711893&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RPGW; Incorporating; Structural; Response; into

Natural disturbances play a fundamental role in the structuring of ecosystems by altering resources, substrate availability, or the physical environment. Because the effects of disturbance are typically heterogeneous and patchy, non equilibrium states prevail in most ecosystems. The rocky intertidal zone has proven to be an excellent model system for the exploration of how disturbance and patch dynamics influence non equilibrium ecosystems. This is in part due to the fact that disturbance in the rocky intertidal is typically dominated by a single physical factor, the hydrodynamic forces generated by breaking waves. Recently, a biomechanical approach has been developed that predicts physical disturbance on rocky shores as a function of time and the `waviness` of the sea offshore. Preliminary tests of this mechanistic approach are promising, suggesting that such an approach can be a valuable tool for understanding the ecological consequences of seasonal and year to year variability in wave exposure. A critical parameter in the biomechanical approach is the strength of an organism relative to the hydrodynamic forces it encounters. There are numerous studies indicating that the ability of an organism to withstand wave action is modified in response to the flow environment. Such modifications must be taken into account in order to accurately predict rates of disturbance in changing environments. This study will provide a detailed understanding of the mechanics which allows this species to dominate wave swept shores, and will enhance our ability to predict the rate of disturbance of this ecologically important species. Furthermore, this study allows for the prediction of the quantitative response of mussels to any future shifts in wave climate. Given current evidence that increases in wave exposure may be common in the near future, these estimations are likely to form a valuable test of our ability to predict the ecological consequences of climate change.

自然干扰通过改变资源，底物可用性或物理环境来在生态系统的结构中起基本作用。由于干扰的影响通常是异质和斑驳的，因此在大多数生态系统中占上风的非平衡状态。岩石的潮间带已被证明是探索干扰和斑块动态如何影响非平衡生态系统的出色模型系统。这部分是由于以下事实：岩石间带中的干扰通常由单个物理因子（通过断裂波产生的流体动力）主导。 最近，已经开发了一种生物力学方法，该方法可以预测岩石海岸的身体干扰，这是时间的函数和海上海洋的“浪潮”。 这种机械方法的初步测试很有希望，这表明这种方法可以成为理解波浪暴露季节性和年份变异性的生态后果的宝贵工具。 生物力学方法中的关键参数是相对于它遇到的流体动力的强度。 有许多研究表明，有机体能够响应流动环境而改变了波浪作用的能力。 必须考虑此类修改，以准确预测不断变化的环境中的干扰率。 这项研究将对该物种能够占主导地位的机械师提供详细的理解，并增强我们预测该生态重要物种干扰率的能力。 此外，这项研究允许预测贻贝对波气候中任何未来变化的定量响应。鉴于当前的证据表明，波浪暴露的增加可能在不久的将来很常见，因此这些估计可能会对我们预测气候变化的生态后果的能力产生有价值的检验。