Dissertation Research: Preference and performance in plant-herbivore interactions across latitutde

研究物种多样性和物种相互作用的纬度格局具有重要意义，因为它可以揭示地理和气候对生态过程的基本影响。研究表明，高纬度地区的植物更适合食草动物。然而，植物适口性的提高是否会导致食草动物生产性能的提高尚不清楚。如果是这样，那么更好的食草动物性能是否可以用更好的植物营养质量来解释？为了回答这些问题，这个项目使用了美国大西洋沿岸16个盐沼地区的植物和相关食草动物，从佛罗里达州到缅因州。这个项目在田间测量植物性状和食草动物的大小，在实验室测量食草动物的表现。初步数据表明，来自高纬度地区的植物更有利于草食动物的生长。由该提案资助的化学分析正在研究高纬度植物是否更有营养。该项目将有助于更大规模地了解生态过程，这对于人类面临全球变化和其他大规模人为影响的后果非常重要。此外，它将支持一名研究生的博士研究。

Studying latitudinal patterns in diversity and species interactions is important because it can reveal fundamental effects of geography and climate on ecological processes. Research has shown that plants at higher latitudes are more palatable to herbivores. However, it is unknown if increased palatability of plants will lead to increased performance of herbivores. If it does, is better herbivore performance explained by better plant nutritional quality? To answer these questions, this project is using plants and associated herbivores from 16 salt marsh sites along the U.S. Atlantic Coast, from Florida to Maine. This project is measuring plant traits and herbivore sizes in the field, and herbivore performance in the laboratory. Preliminary data indicated that plants from high latitudes supported better herbivore growth. Whether high latitude plants are more nutritious is being investigated by chemical analyses funded by this proposal.This project will help develop a larger-scale understanding of ecological process, which is important as humans face the consequences of global change and other anthropogenic impacts that act at large scales. In addition, it will support the Ph.D. research of one graduate student.