QEIB: Multitrophic Diversity Maintenance Theory

群落生态学的一个主要挑战是了解在任何特定地点维持物种多样性的机制。掠食者的存在可以改变通常基于资源竞争和资源需求的预测，传统观点认为掠食者减少了竞争，允许了更高的多样性。然而，数学模型表明，捕食对物种多样性的影响可以增加、减少，也可以不影响，这取决于环境。尽管掠食者的潜在影响很大，但人们对这些情况知之甚少。因此，这一建议是通过发展捕食在多样性维持中的作用的综合数学理论，创造一个更好的理论理解，具有可测试的预测。人类对环境的影响对捕食者物种产生了重大影响，可能对多样性维持产生重大影响。此外，捕食在外来物种入侵和影响中的作用备受争议。因此，该工作将为保护和管理入侵物种提供更有力的理论依据，同时为生态学的实证研究提供更有力的预测。这项工作还将包括一个重要的训练内容，即特别是妇女和少数民族在生态学中应用数学。

A major challenge in community ecology is understanding the mechanisms that maintain the diversity of species in any given locality. The presence of predators can modify the usual predictions based on competition for resources and resource needs alone, with the conventional wisdom being that predation reduces competition and allows higher diversity. However, mathematical models imply that predation can increase, decrease, or have no effect on species diversity depending on the circumstances. These circumstances are poorly understood, even though the potential effects of predators are large. Thus, this proposal is to create a better theoretical understanding, with testable predictions, by developing a comprehensive mathematical theory of the role of predation in diversity maintenance. Human impacts on the environment have had major effects on predator species, with the potential for large consequences for diversity maintenance. Moreover, predation has a much debated role in the invasion and impacts of nonnative species. Thus, this work will provide a stronger theoretical basis for conservation and invasive species management, while providing stronger predictions for empirical studies in ecology. This work will also have an important training component in the application of mathematics in ecology, especially by women and minorities.