Using Physiological Structure to Model Individual Production: Determinants of Female Reproductive Effort

目前预测的环境变化情景提出了关于动物种群对当地气候和食物可获得性变化的预期反应的根本问题。动物对环境的反应受新陈代谢、消化、生长和繁殖等生理功能的调节。利用并行模拟建模和实验室和自然界中的实验研究，PI将调查食物供应对阿肯色州西北部木材响尾蛇(Crotalusscredus)繁殖的影响。响尾蛇是这些研究的极佳对象，因为它们数量丰富，体型庞大，可以使用无线电发射器(用于定位和体温信息)。模拟模型基于上一次资助(IBN 9728470)中发现的木材响尾蛇能量流动的信息。新的研究将建立在以前工作的基础上，并对其进行补充。实验室将在三种饲养方式下保持蛇的数量，以便在繁殖过程中产生变化。在自然界中，一项实验性的食物操纵将通过比较补充喂养的雌性毒蛇和对照组之间的繁殖来测试模型预测。从这些实验中收集的信息将被用来检验模拟模型先前做出的预测，然后改进和改进模拟。这项研究的结果将提高预测动物种群对环境变化的反应的可信度。上述研究还将提供提高科学素养的多种机会，并让学生(从小学到研究生院)参与科学进程。

Current scenarios of predicted environmental change raise fundamentalquestions about the expected responses of animal populations to changes inlocal climate and food availability. Animal responses to environment aremediated by physiological functions such as metabolism, digestion, growthand reproduction. Using parallel simulation modeling and experimentalstudies in the laboratory and in nature, the PI will investigate the effectof food availability on reproduction in the timber rattlesnake (Crotalushorridus) in northwest Arkansas. Rattlesnakes are excellent subjects forthese studies because of their abundance and large size which allows theuse of radio-transmitters (for location and body temperature information).The simulation model is based on information about energy flow throughtimber rattlesnakes discovered under a previous grant (IBN 9728470). Newstudies will build upon and complement previous work. A laboratorypopulation of snakes will be maintained under three feeding regimesdesigned to produce variation in reproduction. In nature, an experimentalfood manipulation will test model predictions by comparing reproductionbetween supplementally fed and control groups of radio-tagged femalerattlesnakes. Information gathered from these experiments will be used totest previous predictions made by the simulation model, and then to refineand improve the simulation. The results of this study will enhance ourability to predict the responses of animal populations to environmentalchange. The described studies will also provide multiple opportunities toenhance science literacy and involve students (from grade school tograduate school) in the process of science.