Dissertation Research: The effects of invasive plant species on biodiversity across spatial scales

论文研究：入侵植物物种对空间尺度生物多样性的影响

• 批准号: 1110629
• 负责人: Tiffany Knight
• 金额: $ 1.39万
• 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=1110629&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; effects; invasive; plant

Humans are intentionally and unintentionally transporting species around the globe at an increasing rate. Some of these transported species become highly invasive and cause large declines in the diversity of native species. At the same time, some researchers note that invasive species, specifically invasive plant species, rarely cause native species to go extinct and are rather harmless. These contrasting views have prompted people to question the environmental harm caused by invasive plants. This research aims to synthesize these seemingly conflicting ideas about the effects of invasive plants on biodiversity. The hypothesis of this research is that the effect of invasive plants on biodiversity changes depending on spatial scale. Specifically, invasive plants have larger negative effects on diversity at small scales than broad scales. Scale-dependent effects are expected if invasive plants have larger negative effects on the abundance of common plant species than rare plant species in a community. This proposal tests the hypothesis of scale-dependence by conducting (1) a quantitative review of studies that examine the effect of invasive plants at different spatial scales, (2) field surveys of plant-invaded communities across the U.S., (3) demography of common and rare plant species that are affected by invasive plants, and (4) experiments to test which mechanisms cause differences in the effect of invasive plants at different spatial scales. This research integrates studies on communities and populations to understand the effects of invasive plants on native communities and provides a framework for how to understand current and future loss of biodiversity.Broader impacts: This proposal will provide research and mentoring opportunities for undergraduate women and high school students during the data collection for this research. Further educational outreach will involve teaching ecology and invasive species modules at urban schools and day-long workshops for teachers and high school students. This research will continue to provide opportunities for undergraduates and K-12 students, particularly students from underrepresented backgrounds. Public education will continue to be important through public articles and recommendations for restoration and invasive species management at local natural areas.

人类正有意或无意地以越来越快的速度将物种运送到地球仪各地。 其中一些被迁移的物种成为高度入侵性的物种，并导致本地物种多样性的大幅下降。 与此同时，一些研究人员指出，入侵物种，特别是入侵植物物种，很少导致本地物种灭绝，而且相当无害。这些截然不同的观点促使人们质疑入侵植物对环境的危害。 本研究旨在综合这些关于入侵植物对生物多样性影响的看似矛盾的观点。本研究的假设是，入侵植物对生物多样性的影响依赖于空间尺度的变化。 具体而言，入侵植物在小尺度上对多样性的负面影响大于大尺度。 如果入侵植物对群落中常见植物物种丰度的负面影响大于稀有植物物种，则预计会产生尺度依赖效应。该提案通过以下方式测试规模依赖性假设：（1）对研究入侵植物在不同空间尺度上的影响的研究进行定量审查，（2）对美国各地的植物入侵群落进行实地调查，(3)受入侵植物影响的常见和稀有植物物种的人口统计学，以及（4）实验以测试哪些机制导致入侵植物在不同空间尺度上的影响差异。这项研究整合了对社区和人口的研究，以了解入侵植物对本地社区的影响，并为如何了解当前和未来的生物多样性丧失提供了一个框架。更广泛的影响：这项建议将在本研究的数据收集期间为本科妇女和高中学生提供研究和指导的机会。进一步的教育推广将涉及在城市学校教授生态学和入侵物种模块，以及为教师和高中学生举办为期一天的讲习班。这项研究将继续为本科生和K-12学生提供机会，特别是来自代表性不足背景的学生。 公众教育将继续通过公共文章和建议在当地自然区恢复和入侵物种管理的重要性。