Direct and Indirect Effects of Antagonists on Mutualism

物种之间有利于两个物种的相互作用被称为互惠。 互利主义是许多社区的组成部分，直接或间接地参与创造地球的生物多样性。 尽管它们的重要性和广泛的发生，仍然有必要了解如何相互作用的影响，他们存在的地方社区。 互利主义被认为是仔细平衡的互动，互动的收益超过成本。 这个项目将实证检验理论预测社区成员如何影响成本和收益收到的互助。 著名的丝兰和它们的授粉蛾之间的授粉互惠关系将被用来测试这些预测。 研究人员将在自然种群中进行实验，并对植物繁殖进行遗传评估，以研究其他物种的存在如何影响这种互利共生的成本效益比。研究结果将为互利共生者同时与各种物种互动时互利共生如何持续提供重要测试。 这项研究还将把社区的观点纳入一个众所周知的相互作用，这是生物教科书中常用的互利共生和授粉的例子。 此外，该研究将支持旨在为3 - 5年级学生创建基于网络的教学模块的教育推广项目，并将为教育工作者提供佛罗里达综合评估测试格式材料。

Interactions between species that benefit both species are known as mutualisms. Mutualisms are integral components of many communities and have been directly and indirectly involved in creating earth's biodiversity. Despite their importance and widespread occurrence, there is still a need to understand how mutualisms are influenced by the local community in which they exist. Mutualisms are thought to be carefully balanced interactions where the benefits of the interaction exceed the costs. This project will empirically test theoretical predictions concerning how community members affect the costs and benefits received by mutualists. The well-known pollination mutualism between yuccas and their pollinating moths will be used to test these predictions. Researchers will conduct experiments in natural populations and make genetic estimates of plant reproduction to examine how the presence of other species influences the cost-benefit ratio of this mutualism.Results from the study will provide important tests of how mutualisms persist when mutualists simultaneously interact with a variety of species. The research will also incorporate a community perspective into a well-known interaction that is commonly used in biology textbooks as an example of mutualism and pollination. Furthermore, the research will support an educational outreach project aimed at creating a web-based teaching module for 3rd-5th grade students and will provide Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test format material for educators.