DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Diversity and invasion within a predator community: impacts on herbivore suppression

论文研究：捕食者群落内的多样性和入侵：对食草动物抑制的影响

• 批准号: 0710434
• 负责人: Kent Daane
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 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: 2007-07-01 至 2009-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0710434&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Diversity; invasion; within

Human activities are causing widespread declines in biodiversity through both habitat destruction and the spread of invasive species. Predators are particularly vulnerable to population changes and even extinction. The resulting changes in predator species composition may, in turn, decrease or increase herbivore population densities, depending on whether predators act synergistically to reduce herbivores, or whether they compete with and/or eat each other. Hunting strategies of predators may be important in determining how they interact. In laboratory and field experiments different combinations of spider species, including the invasive spider Cheiracanthium mildei, will be manipulated to compare outcomes of interactions between predator species with similar and different hunting strategies. In addition, this research will assess whether the often spectacular success of invasive predators in species-poor managed ecosystems is due to the absence of ecologically similar native predator species. This study addresses two issues that are important in conservation: 1) biodiversity and 2) invasive species. By assessing the impact of predator diversity in the food web, it may be possible to identify species, or assemblages of species, that are important for preserving important ecosystem functions. This study will also examine the value of natural ecosystems in mitigating the spread of invasive species in nearby managed ecosystems. Results will have a direct impact on conservation efforts in the immediate area of study (Napa and Sonoma Counties, CA), but could have wide-reaching implications on how ecologists view the relationship between biodiversity and invasion.

人类活动通过破坏生境和入侵物种的扩散，正在造成生物多样性的普遍下降。捕食者特别容易受到种群变化甚至灭绝的影响。由此产生的变化，在捕食者的物种组成可能会反过来，减少或增加食草动物的人口密度，这取决于捕食者是否协同作用，以减少食草动物，或者他们是否竞争和/或吃对方。捕食者的狩猎策略可能在决定它们如何相互作用方面很重要。在实验室和野外实验中，将操纵不同组合的蜘蛛物种，包括入侵蜘蛛Cheiracanthium mildei，以比较具有相似和不同狩猎策略的捕食者物种之间相互作用的结果。此外，这项研究将评估是否经常壮观的成功，入侵捕食者在物种管理不善的生态系统是由于缺乏生态相似的本地捕食者物种。 这项研究涉及两个重要的保护问题：1）生物多样性和2）入侵物种。通过评估捕食者多样性对食物网的影响，有可能确定对保护重要生态系统功能至关重要的物种或物种组合。这项研究还将研究自然生态系统在减轻入侵物种在附近管理的生态系统中的传播方面的价值。研究结果将对研究区域（纳帕和索诺马县）的保护工作产生直接影响，但可能对生态学家如何看待生物多样性和入侵之间的关系产生广泛的影响。