Dissertation Research: Effects of Habitat Complexity and Host Dominance on Ant-Parasitoid Interactions

论文研究：栖息地复杂性和寄主优势对蚂蚁与拟寄生物相互作用的影响

• 批准号: 0508851
• 负责人: Donald Feener
• 金额: $ 0.6万
• 依托单位: University of Utah
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-06-15 至 2006-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0508851&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Effects; Habitat; Complexity

EFFECTS OF HABITAT COMPLEXITY AND HOST DOMINANCE ON ANT-PARASITOID INTERACTIONSPROJECT ABSTRACTSpecies that are subject to predation or parasitism must balance the conflicting demands of escaping from their predators/parasites while still competing for limited resources. Physical attributes of habitats may affect the ability of species to balance these demands, but this possibility remains unexplored. The goal of this project is to examine how habitat structural complexity modifies the ability of host ants to escape from their specialist parasitoids while still competing effectively for resources. By using hosts that differ in their competitive ability within the ant community, we will also explore whether consequences of habitat complexity for host-parasitoid interactions depend on host dominance level. Experiments will be implemented on ant colonies in the field using portable foraging bins to manipulate levels of habitat complexity (leaf litter), competition and parasitism. Habitat complexity provides refuge for prey, and in doing so, may allow prey to escape from predators/parasites but still compete effectively. However, disturbance events such as fire and grazing that are common in the Southwestern United States alter habitat complexity. Such disturbance events therefore have the potential to affect the composition of natural communities by modifying species interactions. Not only will this project be conducted in the context of an initiative to preserve Chihuahuan desert lands along the U.S.-Mexican border, it will also provide valuable training for biology students from both U.S. and Mexican institutions.

栖息地复杂性和寄主优势对蚂蚁与寄生蜂相互作用的影响项目摘要遭受捕食或寄生的物种必须平衡逃离捕食者/寄生虫的相互冲突的需求，同时仍然争夺有限的资源。栖息地的物理属性可能会影响物种平衡这些需求的能力，但这种可能性仍未得到探索。该项目的目标是研究栖息地结构的复杂性如何改变寄主蚂蚁逃离其专业寄生蜂的能力，同时仍然有效竞争资源。通过使用蚂蚁群落内竞争能力不同的宿主，我们还将探讨栖息地复杂性对宿主与寄生生物相互作用的影响是否取决于宿主的优势水平。实验将在野外的蚁群上进行，使用便携式觅食箱来控制栖息地的复杂性（落叶）、竞争和寄生水平。栖息地的复杂性为猎物提供了庇护所，这样做可能会让猎物逃离捕食者/寄生虫，但仍能有效竞争。然而，美国西南部常见的火灾和放牧等干扰事件改变了栖息地的复杂性。因此，此类干扰事件有可能通过改变物种相互作用来影响自然群落的组成。该项目不仅是在保护美墨边境奇瓦瓦沙漠土地的倡议背景下进行的，还将为美国和墨西哥院校的生物学学生提供宝贵的培训。