DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Assessing the relative effects of diversity, invader identity, nutrient input and disturbance on invasibility in low vs. high fertility grassland communities

论文研究：评估低肥力草地群落与高肥力草地群落中多样性、入侵者身份、养分输入和干扰对入侵性的相对影响

• 批准号: 0710274
• 负责人: Heather Reynolds
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: Indiana University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-06-15 至 2009-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0710274&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Assessing; relative; effects

Invasions of non-native organisms are ecologically disruptive and economically costly, and understanding the factors that promote biological invasions is an important area of ecological research. The variety of existing native species, the traits of invasive species, disturbances such as grazing, and nutrient inputs are all widely recognized as potentially important determinants of whether an ecosystem will be invaded. Yet there is much debate, and conflicting evidence, over which of these factors are most important. The debate stems in part from the tendency to study these factors independently of one another. This study will assist in advancing our understanding of biological invasions by examining all of these factors together, and asking how their relative importance changes with soil fertility, which is a major environmental gradient in nature. The study will be conducted using experimentally constructed plant communities modeled on native mid-western prairie grasslands of low and high soil fertility. Native plant diversity, disturbance and nutrient inputs will be systematically manipulated in these communities, and the communities will be exposed to an array of functionally diverse invasive species. This study will directly address a gap in knowledge of biological invasions by providing insights into the relative importance of key factors in promoting invasions. The insights gained from this study may enhance both the ability to predict and to manage invasions of grasslands and other communities. Furthermore, this study will be conducted at the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve, a resource that offers excellent opportunities for fostering both undergraduate research activity and communicating science to the local community.

外来生物的入侵具有生态破坏性和经济代价，了解促进生物入侵的因素是生态学研究的一个重要领域。现有本地物种的多样性、入侵物种的特征、放牧等干扰以及养分输入都被广泛认为是生态系统是否会受到入侵的潜在重要决定因素。 然而，关于这些因素中哪些是最重要的，存在着许多争论和相互矛盾的证据。 这场争论的部分原因是，人们倾向于将这些因素相互独立地进行研究。 这项研究将有助于推进我们对生物入侵的理解，通过一起检查所有这些因素，并询问它们的相对重要性如何随着土壤肥力而变化，这是自然界中的一个主要环境梯度。 这项研究将使用实验构建的植物群落模拟本土中西部草原草原的低和高土壤肥力。本地植物多样性，干扰和养分输入将系统地操纵这些社区，社区将暴露于一系列功能多样的入侵物种。 这项研究将直接解决生物入侵知识的差距，通过提供对促进入侵的关键因素的相对重要性的见解。 从这项研究中获得的见解可能会提高预测和管理草原和其他社区入侵的能力。此外，本研究将在印第安纳州大学研究和教学保护区进行，该资源为促进本科生研究活动和向当地社区传播科学提供了极好的机会。