Collaborative Research:Plant-herbivore interactions mediated by toxin-determined functional response

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。这项跨学科的研究结合了数学家和生态学家的努力，以开发更合适的模型和建模方法，解决生态学家和资源管理者都感兴趣的问题。该项目的具体目标有三个方面。第一个目标是扩展建模方法的数学发展，以评估多种植物物种和食草动物之间毒素介导的相互作用的影响。第二个目标是将毒素介导的浏览动态整合到现有的北方森林群落动态理论中。最终目的是探讨景观干扰、斑块模式和适应性浏览在植物群落形成中的作用。这些模型的建立是为了反映植物-食草动物系统的生物复杂性，并将为食草动物因素、植物因素和环境因素如何影响自然系统中有毒植物的建立和传播提供独特的见解。由于驼鹿和其他食草动物在北方森林的土著社会中发挥着关键作用，因此本项目的建模研究具有重要的社会意义。驼鹿是阿拉斯加最大的食草动物，是阿拉斯加内陆居民的主要蛋白质来源。阿萨巴斯坎印第安人世世代代都在收获驼鹿，驼鹿提供了宝贵的营养和文化资源，因此驼鹿数量和分布的变化会对维持生计的人产生重大影响。这在农村地区尤其如此，因为可获得的替代资源可能有限，缺乏就业机会和高度贫穷使维持生计的收获成为农村经济的一个重要组成部分。已知植物中的毒素会影响食草动物的摄入和植物选择，从而影响演替等生态系统过程。演代反过来影响驼鹿栖息地的质量、分布和最终的收获。该研究项目将提高对毒素如何影响北方森林演替过程中驼鹿对植物选择的理解。开发的模型将探索未来的植被、食草动物及其对生存的影响。此外，对最近气候变暖和野火增加对驼鹿数量和分布的影响的基于过程的理解将得到改善，从而为阿拉斯加土著居民提供生存机会。最后，这些信息可以帮助野生动物管理者更好地了解情况，并制定更积极主动的管理政策。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This interdisciplinary study combines efforts from mathematicians and ecologists to develop more suitable models and modeling approaches that address issues of interest to both ecologists and resource managers. The specific objectives of this project are threefold. The first objective is to extend mathematical development of a modeling approach for assessing the impact of toxin-mediated interactions between multiple plant species and herbivores. The second objective is to integrate toxin-mediated browsing dynamics into the existent theory of boreal forest community dynamics. The final objective is to explore the roles that landscape disturbance, patterns of patchiness, and adaptive browsing play in shaping the plant community. These models are developed to reflect the biological complexity of plant-herbivore systems and will provide unique insight into how herbivore factors, plant factors, and environmental factors impact the establishment and spread of toxic plants in natural systems.The modeling studies in this project have critical societal importance because of the key role that moose and other herbivores play in indigenous societies in the boreal forest. Moose, the largest herbivore in Alaska, are a major source of protein for residents in interior Alaska. For generations, Athabascan Indians have harvested moose, which provide a valuable nutritional and cultural resource, so changes in moose abundance and distribution can have large impacts on subsistence users. This is especially true in rural areas where availability of alternative resources can be limited, and lack of job opportunities and high poverty levels make subsistence harvest an essential component of rural economies. Toxins in plants are known to affect intake and plant selection in herbivores which in turn can influence ecosystem processes such as succession. Succession in turn influences the quality of moose habitat, distribution, and ultimately harvest. This research project will improve understanding of how toxins influence plant selectivity by moose during succession in the boreal forest. Models developed will explore future scenarios of vegetation, herbivores, and their consequences for subsistence. Additionally, process-based understanding of the impacts of recent climate warming and increases in wildfire on moose abundance and distribution will be improved, and therefore subsistence opportunities for indigenous residents of Alaska. Lastly, such information can help better inform wildlife managers and allow for more proactive management policies.