DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Coexistence or extinction: The coevolutionary dynamics of mutualists and exploiters

论文研究：共存或灭绝：互利共生者和剥削者的共同进化动力

• 批准号: 0806836
• 负责人: Regis Ferriere
• 金额: $ 1.18万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-06-01 至 2010-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0806836&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Coexistence; extinction; coevolutionary

Mutualisms, the exchange of resources or services between species for a mutual net benefit, play a critical role in the survival and reproduction of many species. However, the very existence of mutualisms is puzzling, since these interactions are often exploited by other, non-rewarding species. In this research project, computer simulations will be used to address the question of how mutualist and exploiter species can coexist as each species evolves. The focus will be on analyzing whether mutualists can restrict the costs of exploitation and even select for less harmful exploiters by increasing the strength of competition for rewards. The evolution and persistence of cooperation, especially between species, is one of the largest mysteries in biology. This work will advance our understanding of the persistence of cooperation between species, by investigating its ecological and evolutionary dynamics and testing an intriguing mechanism that has been proposed to prevent exploitation from extinguishing cooperation. Furthermore, analysis of the sensitivity of simulation results to different environmental conditions will generate predictions about the effects of factors such as environmental change and species invasion on mutualism persistence. The project provides training at the interface of biology, mathematics, and computer science for graduate and undergraduate students, and fosters collaboration between researchers at the University of Arizona and Duke University.

互惠，即物种之间为了相互的净利益而交换资源或服务，在许多物种的生存和繁殖中发挥着关键作用。 然而，互惠的存在本身令人困惑，因为这些相互作用经常被其他非回报物种利用。 在这个研究项目中，计算机模拟将被用来解决互惠和剥削物种如何共存的问题，因为每个物种的进化。 重点将是分析互惠主义者是否可以限制剥削的成本，甚至通过增加竞争的强度来选择危害较小的剥削者。 合作的进化和持续，特别是物种之间的合作，是生物学中最大的谜团之一。 这项工作将通过调查其生态和进化动力学，并测试一种有趣的机制，以防止剥削灭绝合作，从而促进我们对物种之间合作持久性的理解。 此外，分析模拟结果对不同环境条件的敏感性，将预测环境变化和物种入侵等因素对互利共生持续性的影响。该项目为研究生和本科生提供生物学、数学和计算机科学方面的培训，并促进亚利桑那大学和杜克大学研究人员之间的合作。