Collaborative Research: Species Diversity and Abundance in Insular Systems

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This grant uses small islands as a model system to understand how ecological systems work. Small islands are simple and numerous, facilitating interpretation and statistical replication. A major goal is to determine the effects of a large predatory species, concentrating on how that species affects an intermediate predatory species, and through it,lower levels of the food web such as other predators, herbivores and plants. While many kinds of effects will be studied, a particular focus is how natural selection changes traits of the intermediate predator, in turn modifying how the latter affects lower levels. Models of extinction will continue to be developed and tested with field data. The speed and extent of recovery from hurricanes will be ascertained for the animals, plants and habitat in our study sites. Results of this grant, which seeks in part to establish broad ecological principles, also have important applications. These include improving yield from agroecosystems, predicting consequences of biological invasions, assessing hurricane damage and potential for recovery, and preserving species and habitat. The grant contributes importantly to educational outreach, particularly of undergraduates, by making possible their direct participation in field and laboratory studies.