Collaborative research: Interactive effects of predation and ecosystem size on arthropod food webs in Hawaiian forests fragmented by lava flows

该项目将调查顶级捕食者和生态系统规模对食物网中物种共存的综合影响。研究人员将利用夏威夷熔岩流自然形成的大量大小不一的森林碎片，验证这样一个假设：作为顶级捕食者，非本地老鼠会改变由本地鸟类、昆虫和蜘蛛组成的食物网，对较小的森林碎片产生更大的影响。这项研究将包括实验性地去除老鼠，实验性地排除鸟类，节肢动物的稳定同位素分析，以及森林大小、复杂性和生产力的遥感分析，所有这些都将在森林碎片大小的100倍梯度上进行。世界各地的许多森林因开发和畜牧用地而支离破碎，还受到老鼠和其他非本地捕食者的入侵。这个项目将改善作出管理决定的科学基础，特别是关于如何利用清除非本地物种来恢复本地森林以及其效果如何取决于森林的大小。该项目还将使研究人员通过参与研究培养一批本科生、研究生和博士后。学生将通过斯坦福大学（Stanford University）和夏威夷大学希洛分校（University of hawaii, Hilo）的实习项目被招募。夏威夷大学希洛分校在培养环境科学领域代表性不足的学生方面有着成功的记录。

This project will investigate the combined effects of top predators and ecosystem size on the coexistence of species in food webs. Using numerous forest fragments of varying size that have been naturally created by lava flows in Hawai'i, the researchers will test the hypothesis that, as top predators, non-native rats alter food webs consisting of native birds, insects and spiders, with greater effects in smaller forest fragments. The study will involve experimental removal of rats, experimental exclusion of birds, stable isotope analysis of arthropods, and remote sensing analysis of forest size, complexity and productivity, all across a 100-fold gradient of forest fragment size.Many forests around the world have been fragmented by development and pastoral land use, and also invaded by rats and other non-native predators. This project will improve the scientific basis for making management decisions, especially with regard to how non-native species removal can be used to restore native forests and how the effect may depend on forest size. This project will also enable the researchers to train a number of undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows through their participation in research. Students will be recruited through internship programs at Stanford University and the University of Hawai'i, Hilo, which has a successful record of training under-represented students in environmental sciences.