Theoretical and Empirical Studies of Seed and Pollen Dispersal in Tropical Trees

关于自然植物种群内和种群间种子和花粉传播的频率、模式和机制的数据相当缺乏。 研究的目标是整合经验和理论方法的测量分散在大距离。 该项目利用分子遗传标记、巴拿马的一个大型热带森林地图和几个长期环境数据集来解决有关五种热带树种种子和花粉传播的模式、过程和机制的基本问题。随着人类不断改变和破碎热带森林景观，了解这些调节种群和维持多样性社区的过程，对于预测这些种群今后如何应对至关重要。 决定生态和遗传反应随时间和空间变化的主要种群过程是扩散。 据我们所知，这项研究是第一次也是最全面的尝试，以获得直接测量种子和花粉传播距离使用遗传技术。 这项研究将直接告知自然资源保护者和土地管理者，根据种子和花粉运动的空间范围，维持热带树木种群所需的栖息地的适当大小。

There is a considerable void of data on the frequency, patterns, and mechanisms of seed and pollen dispersal within and among natural plant populations. The goal of the research is to integrate empirical and theoretical approaches to the measurement dispersal over large distances. The project uses molecular genetic markers, a large mapped tropical forest plot in Panama, and several long-term environmental data sets to address fundamental questions about the patterns, processes, and mechanisms of seed and pollen dispersal in five tropical tree species.As humans continue to alter and fragment tropical forest landscapes, knowledge of those processes that regulate populations and maintain diverse communities is critical for predicting how these populations will respond in the future. Chief among the population processes that will determine the ecological and genetic response over time and space is dispersal. To our knowledge, this study is among the first and most comprehensive attempts to obtain direct measurements of both seed and pollen dispersal distances using genetic techniques. This study will directly inform conservationists and land managers as to the appropriate size of habitat required to maintain populations of tropical trees in light of the spatial extent of seed and pollen movement.