Dissertation Research: The influence of metacommunity size and habitat destruction on the scaling of species diversity

论文研究：元群落规模和栖息地破坏对物种多样性规模的影响

• 批准号: 1110578
• 负责人: Tiffany Knight
• 金额: $ 1.44万
• 依托单位: Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-06-01 至 2014-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1110578&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; influence; metacommunity; size

Habitat destruction is a leading cause of species extinctions, and thus a serious conservation concern. The amount of remaining suitable habitat within a landscape, as well as the isolation of these habitat patches from one another, can have profound effects on biodiversity across a landscape. This research strives to predict how habitat destruction will alter landscape biodiversity through its effects on patch area and isolation, as well as the consequent influence on the resilience of biodiversity following habitat disturbance. Simulation modeling provides two opposing predictions for the effect of habitat destruction on landscape biodiversity. Depending on how habitat destruction alters species' immigration and extinction rates, habitat destruction can have either more severe or less severe effects on biodiversity than expected from a random-extinction model based upon the pre-destruction habitat area. Freshwater ecosystems are subject to both habitat destruction (e.g. draining of wetlands) and disturbances (e.g. contaminants), which can interact to alter patterns of their biodiversity, and are the focus of the empirical part of this study. Preliminary results from surveys of pond amphibian and invertebrate biodiversity indicate that habitat destruction will have more severe effects on biodiversity loss than expected by a random extinction model. To identify a biological mechanism behind this pattern, an experiment using artificial ponds will examine how habitat destruction can alter species immigration and extinction rates and influence the severity of landscape biodiversity loss. A second experiment will investigate how habitat destruction can affect the recovery of aquatic biodiversity following a habitat disturbance. This project provides many opportunities to incorporate outreach to the general public, as well as to provide young scientists with genuine research experiences. Thus far, 6 undergraduate and 6 high school student interns have had hands-on field research experiences as part of this project. In addition to gaining experience in the field, students learn how to disseminate what they have learned to others. Undergraduate students have opportunities to a write senior honors thesis, while high school students act as science outreach ambassadors to their communities through formal and informal settings.

栖息地破坏是物种灭绝的主要原因，因此是一个严重的保护问题。景观中剩余的合适栖息地的数量，以及这些栖息地斑块彼此之间的隔离，可以对整个景观的生物多样性产生深远的影响。 本研究致力于预测栖息地破坏将如何通过其对斑块面积和隔离的影响来改变景观生物多样性，以及栖息地干扰后对生物多样性恢复力的影响。 模拟模型提供了两个相反的预测栖息地破坏景观生物多样性的影响。 根据栖息地破坏如何改变物种的移民和灭绝率，栖息地破坏可能对生物多样性产生比基于破坏前栖息地面积的随机灭绝模型预期的更严重或不太严重的影响。 淡水生态系统受到生境破坏（例如湿地排水）和干扰（例如污染物）的影响，它们可以相互作用，改变其生物多样性的模式，是本研究经验部分的重点。 池塘两栖动物和无脊椎动物的生物多样性调查的初步结果表明，栖息地的破坏将有更严重的影响，生物多样性的损失比预期的随机灭绝模型。 为了确定这种模式背后的生物学机制，一项使用人工池塘的实验将研究栖息地破坏如何改变物种迁移和灭绝率，并影响景观生物多样性丧失的严重程度。 第二个实验将调查栖息地破坏如何影响栖息地干扰后水生生物多样性的恢复。 该项目提供了许多机会来向公众进行宣传，并为年轻科学家提供真正的研究经验。 到目前为止，作为该项目的一部分，6名本科生和6名高中生实习生已经获得了实地研究经验。 除了获得在该领域的经验，学生学习如何传播他们所学到的东西给别人。 本科生有机会写高级荣誉论文，而高中生通过正式和非正式的设置作为科学推广大使到他们的社区。