U.S.-Brazil Collaborative Research: Seed Predation and Herbivory in Neotropical Savannas: Are There Demographic Consequences for Plants?

在这个由国际科学与工程办公室美洲项目支持的美巴合作项目中，佛罗里达大学的埃米利奥·M·布鲁纳博士将继续开展一个项目，研究草食动物(切叶蚂蚁)、食草动物(啮齿动物)及其相互作用对巴西塞拉多热带生态系统中多样化植物群落的影响。布鲁纳博士将与乌伯兰迪亚联邦大学的美国同事和巴西同事一起进行一项多方面的实验，以独立和协同的方式研究去除不同营养水平对这个生态系统中幼苗招募的影响。他们不仅希望了解象牙和草食因子的相对重要性，还希望了解它们如何相互作用来影响植物种群和群落动态。该项目专注于一个对生态学研究相当重要的主题。通过这项研究，研究人员希望回答植物种群生态学中的一个基本问题。该项目还为美国学生提供了国际研究经验，并将加强与巴西科学家的发展合作。

In this U.S.-Brazil collaborative project supported by the Americas Program of the Office of International Science and Engineering, Dr. Emilio M. Bruna,of the University of Florida will pursue a program to examine the effects of herbivores (leaf cutter ants), granivores (rodents), and their interaction on a diverse plant community in an understudied tropical ecosystem, the cerrado of Brazil. Together with U.S. coworkers and Brazilian colleagues from the Federal University of Uberlandia, Dr. Bruna will perform a multifaceted experiment to examine the effect of the removal of different trophic levels on seedling recruitment in this ecosystem, both independently and synergistically. They expect to learn not only the relative importance of granivory and herbivory factors, but also how they interact to influence plant population and community dynamics.The project focuses on a topic of considerable importance to ecological research. Through this research the investigators hope to answer a fundamental question in plant population ecology. This project also provides international research experience for U.S. students and will strengthen a developing collaboration with the Brazilian scientists.