Beta diversity of plant-insect food webs along an altitudinal gradient in the tropics

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)提供资金的。食物网描述了通过生态系统从生产者(植物)到初级消费者(草食动物)再到次级消费者(捕食者)的资源流动。在种类繁多的热带雨林中，食物网尤其复杂，因为许多物种共享共同的资源。植物-昆虫食物网是地球生物多样性的主要组成部分，但人们对热带雨林相互关联的网络知之甚少，因为它们比更简单的生态系统更难研究。新几内亚岛上刀耕火种的农业做法为理清复杂的食物网提供了独特的机会。与在受保护的自然区域进行生态研究不同，科学家可以在新几内亚农民扩大花园时，从原始森林中提取活的植物和昆虫用于实验目的。之前的一个项目对害虫的取食习性进行了实验测试，这些害虫攻击了大约250种低地热带森林树木。本项目建立在早期工作的基础上，通过研究高海拔的森林，可以评估对复杂食物网形状的预测。这项研究旨在识别影响木材害虫包括树皮甲虫和毛虫的摄食限制的捕食者和寄生虫。通过对植物-昆虫食物网的研究，可以帮助管理林从害虫暴发中恢复过来。最近在美国西部爆发的山松甲虫疫情是该地区以前记录的任何疫情的十倍，其经济影响以数十亿美元衡量。不同森林的食物网，如在新几内亚岛，提供了无与伦比的机会，以了解限制木材害虫的饮食和范围的因素。新几内亚也是世界上剩余的第三大热带森林荒野的所在地，并正在国际上考虑开发温室气体减排市场。该项目支持培训青年科学家，包括几名研究生，并在一个具有全球重要性的区域发展自然资源专门知识。此外，物种发现和生态信息将为今后监测森林对持续全球变化的反应建立一个基线。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Food webs describe the flow of resources through ecosystems from producers (plants) to primary consumers (herbivores) and on to secondary consumers (predators). Food webs are especially complex in diverse tropical rainforests where numerous species share common resources. Plant-insect food webs are a major component of Earth's biodiversity, but little is known about the interconnected webs of tropical rain forests because they are more difficult to study than simpler ecosystems. Slash-and-burn agricultural practices on the island of New Guinea provide a unique opportunity to disentangle complex food webs. Unlike ecological research in protected natural areas, scientists can extract living plants and insects from pristine forests for experimental purposes when New Guinea farmers expand their gardens. A previous project experimentally tested the feeding habits of insect pests attacking approximately 250 species of lowland tropical forest trees. The present project builds upon the earlier work by examining forests at higher elevations where predictions about the shape of complex food webs can be evaluated. This research aims to identify predators and parasites influencing the dietary limits of timber pests including bark beetles and caterpillars.Recovery of managed forests from outbreaks of damaging insects can be informed by studies of plant-insect food webs. The recent mountain pine beetle outbreak in the western U.S. is ten times larger than any previously recorded in the region, with an economic impact that is measured in billions of dollars. Food webs of diverse forests, as on the island of New Guinea, offer unparalleled opportunities to understand the factors limiting the diet and range of timber pests. New Guinea is also home to the world's third largest remaining tropical forest wilderness and is under international consideration for markets in greenhouse gas mitigation. This project supports the training of young scientists including several graduate students and develops natural resource expertise in a region of global importance. In addition, species discovery and ecological information will establish a baseline for future monitoring of forest response to continuing global change.