Collaborative Research: Vulnerable host stages, development time and host-parasitoid stability - The first experimental test

一千多年来，生态学家、哲学家和经济学家一直对捕食者和猎物的繁荣和萧条周期感兴趣。令人惊讶的是，导致周期的原因，或者更广泛地说，使捕食者和猎物在自然界中长时间共存的原因仍然没有完全弄清楚。在这项合作提案中，生态学家和数学家联合起来实现两个目标。第一个目标涉及两个实验，旨在测试相对于未经操纵的(控制)种群，使特定的猎物生活史阶段更长或更可变是否会影响捕食者和猎物种群的长期共存或周期性行为。第二个目标涉及将数学和经验数据相结合，以开发更现实的捕食者-猎物模型，该模型可以普遍适用于不同的捕食者-猎物相互作用。这项研究的结果将表明捕食者和猎物共存的程度与这两个物种的生命周期密切相关。这将强化理论家的观点，即种群模型应该包含关于每个物种不同生命阶段的发育时间的信息。这项研究的结果直接适用于农业，在天敌被释放或被操纵以控制植物害虫的情况下。通过选择具有特定阶段发育时间的捕食者，可以加强对害虫的抑制。PIS将为路易斯安那州立大学和南伊利诺伊州大学的3名研究生、1名技术员和最多6名本科生提供研究经验、指导和培训。PI将参加各种促进研究的本科生研究计划，其中大多数优先考虑招募少数族裔。

For more than a millennium, ecologists, philosophers and economists have been intrigued by boom and bust cycles of predators and their prey. Surprisingly, the cause for cycles, or more generally, what enables predators and prey to coexist in nature for long periods of time is still not fully understood. In this collaborative proposal, ecologists and mathematicians combine forces to achieve two objectives. The first objective involves a pair of experiments designed to test whether making a particular prey life history stage longer or more variable in length, relative to unmanipulated (control) populations, affects the long-term coexistence or cyclical behavior of predator and prey populations. The second objective involves combining mathematics and empirical data to develop more realistic predator-prey models that can be generally applicable to diverse predator-prey interactions. Results from this research will indicate the extent to which predator-prey coexistence is closely tied to the life cycle of the two species. It will strengthen the viewpoint of theorists that population models should incorporate information about the development times of the various life stages of each species.Results from this research apply directly to agriculture in cases where predators are released or manipulated to control plant pests. Pest suppression may be enhanced by selecting predators with certain stage-specific development times. The PIs will provide research experience, mentorship and training for 3 graduate students, 1 technician and up to 6 undergraduates at Louisiana State and Southern Illinois Universities. The PIs will participate in a variety of undergraduate research programs that promote research, most of which place a priority on recruiting minorities.