Herbivore Interactions in Heterogeneous Environments -- Role of Context-Dependency and Functional Redundancy

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N. LeRoy PoffColorado State UniversityDEB - 9806504Ecologists are increasingly recognizing that the nature of species interactions may vary depending upon the environmental context in which they occur. This project would test the notion that the behavior of herbivores in stream communities and their interactions with autotrophic organisms will vary as environmental conditions change. It will examine this phenomenon in streams as a key environmental feature , current velocity, varies distinctly in a quantifiable manner. Interactions between herbivores and producers will be evaluated under a range of current conditions. Experiments will be conducted in streamside channels and in instream situations where current conditions and the density of herbivores can be manipulated and responses by autotrophs can be evaluated. Results from this project will have general applications to diverse ecological systems. It will provide insights into the evaluation of context dependency in an array of situations taking advantage of a situation where distinct environmental features can be quantified and incorporated into assessments of the functioning of an ecosystem.