Collaborative Research: Response of Tropical Stream Ecosystem Structure and Function to Amphibian Extinctions

合作研究：热带溪流生态系统结构和功能对两栖动物灭绝的响应

• 批准号: 0234149
• 负责人: Susan Kilham
• 金额: $ 20万
• 依托单位: Drexel University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-04-01 至 2007-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0234149&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Response; Tropical; Stream

Abstract. Amphibians represent an important energetic link between aquatic and terrestrial habitats, particularly in the tropics where diversity and abundance are very high. Tadpoles feed on algae and organic materials and transfer energy and nutrients from aquatic to terrestrial habitats when they emerge as frogs, and frogs transfer energy and materials back when they return to water to breed. However, amphibian populations have declined dramatically around the world, including massive losses in 13 Latin American countries in the last 20 years. Most declines involve disappearances of over 75% of amphibians at a given site. This research will examine the consequences of amphibian declines on tropical streams by investigating how losses alter stream biodiversity, energy flow in streams, in-stream and streamside food webs, and energy exchange between streams and terrestrial habitats. This will be accomplished through intensive comparisons of stream communities, food webs, and energy flow patterns in Panamanian highland streams with natural amphibian populations and nearby streams where amphibians have recently disappeared. Preliminary studies suggest that amphibian declines will have large-scale effects on streams, including changes in community structure, shifts to increased importance of algal energy sources, reduced downstream transport of organic materials, and reduced energy transfer from streams to terrestrial habitats. Broader impacts. The broader implications of this research are that findings will be relevant to an urgent problem (i.e. amphibian declines) influencing many regions. The proposed research will also provide opportunities for students from Latin America and the U.S. to work on an important, large-scale environmental issue and will further collaboration between the 3 institutions involved and other scientists researching related issues in the tropics.

抽象的。 两栖动物代表了水生栖息地之间重要的能量联系，尤其是在多样性和丰度非常高的热带地区。 t以藻类和有机材料为食，并将能量和养分从水生栖息地转移到陆生栖息地，当它们作为青蛙出现时，青蛙在回到水中繁殖时将能量和材料转移回。 然而，两栖动物的人口在世界各地急剧下降，包括过去20年中13个拉丁美洲国家的巨大损失。 大多数下降涉及在给定站点上超过75％的两栖动物消失。 这项研究将通过研究损失如何改变溪流生物多样性，溪流中的能量流，河流和溪流食物网以及溪流和陆地栖息地之间的能量交换来研究两栖动物在热带流的后果。 这将通过对溪流社区，食物网和能源流量模式进行密集的比较来实现，该溪流具有天然的两栖动物人群以及最近消失的两栖动物的附近溪流。 初步研究表明，两栖动物的下降将对溪流产生大规模影响，包括社区结构的变化，转向藻类能源的重要性，减少有机材料的下游运输以及从溪流到陆生栖息地的能量转移减少。更广泛的影响。 这项研究的更广泛的含义是，发现将与影响许多地区的紧急问题（即两栖动物的下降）有关。拟议的研究还将为来自拉丁美洲和美国的学生提供一个重要的大规模环境问题的机会，并将进一步合作，参与其中的3个机构与其他研究热带地区相关问题的科学家之间的合作。