Dissertation Research: The Effect of Seaweed Subsidy on an Ant-plant Mutualism

有证据表明，由于全球气候变化，飓风等大型风暴正变得越来越频繁。 风暴活动增加的一个后果是，更多的海洋物质最终落在陆地上，例如，沉积在海滩上的海藻。 生物量的这种转移是资源从海洋生态系统流向陆地生态系统。 了解这种海洋资源流动的生态反应有助于预测飓风频率增加将如何影响沿海生态系统。 该研究项目调查了风暴中大量沉积在陆地上的海藻如何影响岛上蚂蚁和树木之间具有重要生态意义的相互作用。 在这种互惠互利的互动中，树木以花蜜的形式为蚂蚁提供食物，作为回报，蚂蚁保护树木免受攻击。 如果没有蚂蚁的保护，树木就会被各种其他昆虫吃掉，这可能会带来毁灭性的后果。 蚂蚁将被排除在添加或去除海藻的岛屿上的树木之外，以确定海洋资源如何影响蚂蚁对植物的积极影响。 研究人员将在这项研究中包括一组不同的本科生，并与代表各种种族背景的男女本科生一起工作。 该项目还将支持一名社区生态学博士生的研究。

There is evidence that large storms, such as hurricanes, are becoming more frequent due to global climate change. One consequence of increased storm activity is that more material from the ocean ends up on land, for example, seaweed deposited onto beaches. This transfer of biomass represents a flow of resources from the marine to the terrestrial ecosystem. Understanding the ecological responses to this flux of marine resources can help predict how increasing hurricane frequencies will affect coastal ecosystems. This research project investigates how seaweed, which is deposited on land in large amounts by storms, influences an ecologically important interaction between ants and trees on islands. In this mutually beneficial interaction the trees provide food in the form of nectar for the ants, and in return the ants protect the trees from attack. Without their ant guards, trees are eaten by a variety of other insects, with potentially devastating consequences. Ants will be excluded from trees on islands with seaweed added or removed to determine how marine resources influence the positive effect of ants on plants. The investigators will include a diverse group of undergraduate students in this research and have a strong record of working with both male and female undergraduates representing a variety of ethnic backgrounds. This project will also support the research of a doctoral student in community ecology.