RUI: Behavioral Indirect Effects in Food Webs: Experiments with Freshwater Snails, their Predators, and their Resources

RUI：食物网中的行为间接影响：淡水蜗牛、其捕食者及其资源的实验

• 批准号: 9982196
• 负责人: Andrew Turner
• 金额: $ 10.13万
• 依托单位: Clarion University of Pennsylvania
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-05-15 至 2004-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9982196&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Behavioral; Indirect; Effects; Food

A large number of studies show that animals respond to predation risk by lowering their activity or moving into safer habitats, but little is known about the ecological consequences of these behavioral shifts. This research project will evaluate the role of behavioral flexibility in mediating species interactions in the food web of ponds and marshes. Freshwater snails move under cover or to the water's surface when confronted with fish or crayfish predators. This habitat shift may affect the outcome of competition among different species or sizes of snails, force more snails into habitats with other predators, or lead to higher resource levels in dangerous habitats. Chemical cues can be used to present snails with the perception of risk without affecting snail density, thereby separating the lethal and non-lethal effects of predators on prey. This approach will be used in a series of field experiments, and field observations to measure the non-lethal effects of predators on species interactions. This project will help establish whether induced behavioral responses are generally important in shaping communities. The results will further our understanding of how natural communities function, thereby enhancing our ability to manage natural resources and conserve biological diversity.

大量研究表明，动物通过降低活动或进入更安全的栖息地来应对捕食风险，但对这些行为转移的生态后果知之甚少。 该研究项目将评估行为灵活性在介导池塘和沼泽食品网络中物种相互作用中的作用。面对鱼或小龙虾捕食者时，淡水蜗牛在盖子下或水面移动到水面。 这种栖息地的转变可能会影响不同物种或蜗牛尺寸的竞争结果，将更多的蜗牛逼入与其他掠食者的栖息地，或者在危险栖息地中导致更高的资源水平。 化学提示可用于呈现蜗牛，并在不影响蜗牛密度的情况下感知风险，从而将掠食者对猎物的致命和非致命作用分开。该方法将用于一系列现场实验，以及测量捕食者对物种相互作用的非致命作用的现场观测。 该项目将有助于确定诱导的行为反应是否通常在塑造社区中很重要。 结果将进一步了解自然社区的运作方式，从而增强我们管理自然资源并保护生物多样性的能力。