DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Eco-Evolutionary Effects of an Aquatic Consumer: Linking Phenotypic Diversity to Community and Ecosystem Responses

论文研究：水产消费者的生态进化效应：将表型多样性与群落和生态系统响应联系起来

• 批准号: 1011267
• 负责人: Kevin Simon
• 金额: $ 1.22万
• 依托单位: University of Maine
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2012-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1011267&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Eco; Evolutionary; Effects

This research addresses the interaction between ecological and evolutionary processes by examining the recent evolution of a common invasive fish species, the white perch, in lakes and the consequences of this evolution for community and ecosystem dynamics. White perch have successfully invaded lakes spanning a productivity gradient, which provides diverse selective pressures that may result in altered fish morphology, physiology and ecological role. Adaptation by these fish may, in turn, feed back to affect lake productivity and community structure through several ecological and chemical pathways. This project tests the hypothesis that this rapid evolutionary divergence within a single species has resulted in ecological effects that are large relative to longer term divergence between different species of fish. The research will use controlled rearing of fish from differing lakes to establish the genetic nature of the relationship between lake productivity and fish traits that include body chemistry, body shape, and feeding morphology. In additional, mesocosm experiments will be used to determine the effects of fish trait variation on plankton community structure and ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling and productivity. By using mesocosms seeded with plankton and fish from different source ponds, fish and plankton source treatments will be crossed and the relative impact of fish invasion into novel habitats will be compared to longer term evolutionary divergence. This research tests an ecological-evolutionary framework that is a recent synthesis between evolutionary biology and ecology. This framework has the potential to provide general insight into the causes and consequences of biodiversity and a better understanding of the pace at which evolution and ecology interact. This theoretical framework and research that uses a common fish invader informs practical issues involving management and conservation of biodiversity and maintenance of water quality in lakes. This project will enhance the doctoral thesis of a graduate student and provide several undergraduate students with research experience.

本研究通过研究湖泊中常见的入侵鱼类白色鲈鱼的近期进化以及这种进化对群落和生态系统动态的影响，探讨了生态和进化过程之间的相互作用。 白色鲈鱼已经成功地侵入湖泊跨越生产力梯度，这提供了不同的选择压力，可能会导致改变鱼类形态，生理和生态作用。 这些鱼类的适应可能反过来通过几种生态和化学途径反馈影响湖泊生产力和群落结构。 该项目测试的假设，这种快速的进化分歧在一个单一的物种，导致生态影响是大相对于长期分歧不同的鱼类物种。 该研究将使用来自不同湖泊的鱼类的控制饲养来建立湖泊生产力与鱼类性状之间关系的遗传性质，包括身体化学，体形和摄食形态。 此外，还将利用围隔实验来确定鱼类性状变化对浮游生物群落结构和生态系统过程（如营养循环和生产力）的影响。 通过使用与浮游生物和鱼类从不同的源池塘，鱼类和浮游生物源处理播种的中型生态系统将交叉和鱼类入侵到新的栖息地的相对影响将进行比较，长期的进化分歧。 这项研究测试了一个生态进化框架，这是进化生物学和生态学之间的最新综合。 这一框架有可能为生物多样性的原因和后果提供一般性的见解，并更好地了解进化和生态相互作用的速度。 这种理论框架和研究，使用一个共同的鱼类入侵者通知涉及管理和保护生物多样性和维护湖泊水质的实际问题。这个项目将提高一个研究生的博士论文，并提供几个本科生的研究经验。