DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Enemy release and nutrient enrichment: Population- and community-level effects in experimental wetland plant communities

论文研究：敌害释放和养分富集：实验湿地植物群落中种群和群落水平的影响

• 批准号: 0807817
• 负责人: Chris Peterson
• 金额: $ 1.17万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 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: 2008-07-01 至 2009-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0807817&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Enemy; release; nutrient

Invasive species can have detrimental effects on native species and ecosystems. It has been argued that exotic species are problematic because they have left behind the pathogens, predators, or herbivores (enemies) that suppressed them in their native range. However, many exotic plants seem to become invasive only when essential resources such as soil nitrogen are abundant. This work will test the hypothesis that an invasive wetland plant species, which escaped from its enemies, will gain a progressively larger competitive advantage and have a progressively greater suppressive effect on native species as soil nitrogen becomes more abundant. The broader implications of this research are twofold. Terrestrial ecosystems are experiencing increased nitrogen enrichment, but the implication of this to plant species invasions are poorly known. An understanding of the interaction of enrichment and enemy release is necessary for effective management of invasive species Second, specialized pathogens or herbivores are often introduced to control the worst invaders (i.e., biological control), but the effectiveness of such programs has been sporadic. If a biological control is inherently dependent on soil fertility then land managers can better prioritize release sites for biological control agents and increase the likelihood of success for those programs. Additional broader impacts of this project include training undergraduates in field ecology, and conducting community education programs through partner organizations. This project also will support the thesis research of a doctoral student.

入侵物种可能对本地物种和生态系统产生有害影响。 有人认为，外来物种是有问题的，因为他们留下了病原体，捕食者，或食草动物（敌人），抑制他们在他们的本地范围。 然而，许多外来植物似乎只有在土壤氮等必需资源丰富时才会成为入侵植物。 这项工作将测试的假设，一个入侵的湿地植物物种，从它的敌人逃脱，将获得一个渐进的更大的竞争优势，并有一个渐进的更大的抑制作用，对本地物种的土壤氮变得更加丰富。 这项研究的更广泛的影响是双重的。陆地生态系统正在经历氮富集增加，但这对植物物种入侵的影响知之甚少。 了解富集和敌人释放的相互作用对于有效管理入侵物种是必要的。其次，经常引入专门的病原体或食草动物来控制最严重的入侵者（即，生物控制），但这些计划的有效性一直是零星的。如果生物防治本质上依赖于土壤肥力，那么土地管理者可以更好地优先考虑生物防治剂的释放地点，并增加这些计划成功的可能性。 该项目的其他更广泛的影响包括培训野外生态学的本科生，并通过合作伙伴组织开展社区教育计划。 该项目还将支持博士生的论文研究。