Collaborative Research: Moths, Ants, And Carnivorous Plants: The Spatial Dimension Of Species Interactions

合作研究：飞蛾、蚂蚁和食虫植物：物种相互作用的空间维度

• 批准号: 0541936
• 负责人: Nicholas Gotelli
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Vermont & State Agricultural College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-04-01 至 2010-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0541936&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Moths; Ants; Carnivorous

Ecologists have long recognized that coexistence of interacting species depends on a diversity of separate, but linked habitats. Most models of species coexistence treat these habitat "patches" as unchanging elements of the landscape, but in reality, they are constantly changing in size and shape. The structure and dynamics of the food webs that inhabit them both control and depend on these changes. This collaborative project between investigators at Harvard University and the University of Vermont seeks to understand how species interactions change the spatial distribution of dynamic habitat patches across the landscape, and to determine how food webs are structured within and among these patches. The experimental system for this five-year research project is the Sarracenia "microecosystem": the northern pitcher-plant Sarracenia purpurea; the unique food web of bacteria, protozoa, rotifers, mites, and fly larvae that live within its rainwater-filled leaves; three species of bog-inhabiting ants that are the primary prey for this carnivorous plant; and larvae of the pitcher-plant moth, Exyra fax, which cut and drain pitchers and remove food web habitat. Results from surveys of 50 New England bogs and three field experiments conducted at the Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research site will parameterize a simulation model to predict changes in spatial structure of ant, moth, and plant populations, and the structure and composition of the aquatic food web associated with the plant. There are three broad impacts to this research project. First, the research engages undergraduates, graduate students, K-12 teachers, research assistants, and a post-doc in collaborative research. Second, this research will yield a generally applicable framework for understanding how complex assemblages of organisms assemble, disassemble, and reassemble in spatially-structured changing environments. Third, the use of a model ecological system - the Sarracenia microecosystem - will be expanded to encompass landscape-level dynamics of food webs.

生态学家早就认识到，相互作用的物种的共存取决于不同但相互联系的栖息地的多样性。大多数物种共存的模型将这些栖息地“斑块”视为景观中不变的元素，但实际上，它们的大小和形状不断变化。栖息在它们身上的食物网的结构和动态都控制并依赖于这些变化。哈佛大学和佛蒙特大学的研究人员之间的这个合作项目旨在了解物种相互作用如何改变景观中动态栖息地斑块的空间分布，并确定食物网如何在这些斑块内和斑块之间构建。这个为期五年的研究项目的实验系统是瓶子草的“微生态系统”：北方的猪笼草--紫色瓶子草;生活在它充满雨水的叶子里的细菌、原生动物、轮虫、螨和蝇幼虫的独特食物网;三种生活在沼泽里的蚂蚁，它们是这种食肉植物的主要猎物;和猪笼草蛾的幼虫，Exyra fax，它们切割和排水猪笼草并移除食物网栖息地。从50新英格兰沼泽和三个现场实验进行的调查结果在哈佛森林长期生态研究网站将parameterized模拟模型，以预测蚂蚁，蛾，植物种群的空间结构的变化，以及与植物相关的水生食物网的结构和组成。这个研究项目有三个广泛的影响。首先，这项研究吸引了本科生、研究生、K-12教师、研究助理和博士后参与合作研究。其次，这项研究将产生一个普遍适用的框架，了解复杂的组合生物体组装，拆卸，并在空间结构变化的环境中重新组装。第三，将扩大使用一个模型生态系统-瓶子草微生态系统-以包括食物网的群落级动态。