LTREB - Understanding Food Web Complexity by Linking Long Term Data, Multiple Causes and a Spatial Approach

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Ecologists work to understand population dynamics of important species. A common working model used by many ecologists considers food available to a focal species and the focal species as food for other species. This model has been inadequate to explain many field observations, including the 1000-fold differences in numbers of wooly bear caterpillars at Bodega Marine Reserve over the past 20 years. One possible solution is to make simple tritrophic models more realistic by including additional species interactions or by including spatial dynamics. The objective of this study is to provide a first field test of this these new models by conducting field experiments and surveys evaluating additional complexity at each trophic level. This research will evaluate the relative importance of: 1) added species at the resource (plant) level, 2) added species at the herbivore/omnivore level, and 3) movement and spatial dynamics at the predator level. Most ecological research is conducted for up to three years in a single location. A longer perspective over a larger area is essential to capture a realistic view of how and why populations change. This project will provide tests of current general theories about factors that organize and stabilize terrestrial communities. This information will allow management of undesirable species and evaluations of anthropogenic changes to useful species and ecosystems.