To what degree does phylogenetic relatedness between species predict ecological similarity?

物种之间的系统发育相关性在多大程度上预测了生态相似性？

• 批准号: 1120387
• 负责人: Sharon Strauss
• 金额: $ 55万
• 依托单位: University of California-Davis
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-08-01 至 2018-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1120387&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: what; degree; does; phylogenetic; relatedness

A primary goal of ecology is to understand the processes maintaining species diversity and coexistence in natural communities (also called community assembly). Models of this process suggest that stable coexistence requires competitors to differ in their niches, and that species that are too ecologically similar cannot coexist. Intersecting with this discussion of ecological similarity and coexistence is the degree to which the evolutionary or phylogenetic relatedness between species reflects their ecological similarity, and can thus be used to understand coexistence and community assembly. Several hypotheses to explain community assembly predict a link between ecological similarity and phylogenetic relatedness. Darwin argued that closely related species compete intensely because they have similar morphologies and niches, and thus should not coexist. The proposed study will combine an explicitly experimental field approach across a large diversity of plant species, coupled with extensive observational data, to explore community assembly and the mechanisms underlying species coexistence in a phylogenetic context. Nineteen species of native plants will be placed into the habitats of close and distant relatives and plant performance will be assessed across these habitats both in the presence and absence of herbivores (experimentally manipulated). In addition, species will be planted into sterilized, field-collected soils in the greenhouse and will be inoculated with live or sterilized soil biota communities from these soils. This experiment will indicate the degree to which soil biota collected under relatives influences patterns of competition and coexistence among relatives. Observational data will be collected in the field to document soil biota, soil mineral properties and patterns of coexistence in the field of close and distant relatives, along with functional traits of these species in the field. Ultimately, the study will contribute to strategies aimed at restoring and maintaining natural communities of high biodiversity, communities that often provide greater ecosystem services than species-poor communities. The data will be made available to other researchers. In addition, these activities will support a public lecture series on current topics in ecology and evolution, as well as train undergraduates, post-doctoral associates and students between undergraduate and graduate schools. A new female Assistant Professor will be supported by the grant and mentored by the PI.

生态学的一个主要目标是了解维持自然群落物种多样性和共存的过程（也称为群落组装）。这一过程的模型表明，稳定共存需要竞争对手在生态位上有所不同，而生态环境过于相似的物种无法共存。与生态相似性和共存的讨论相交的是物种之间的进化或系统发育相关性反映其生态相似性的程度，因此可以用来理解共存和群落组装。解释群落聚集的几个假设预测了生态相似性和系统发育亲缘关系之间的联系。达尔文认为近亲物种竞争激烈，因为它们有相似的形态和生态位，因此不应该共存。该研究将结合明确的实验领域方法，跨越大量的植物物种多样性，结合广泛的观测数据，探索系统发育背景下的群落组装和物种共存机制。19种本地植物将被放置在近亲和远亲的栖息地中，并在存在和不存在食草动物的情况下评估这些栖息地中的植物性能（实验操纵）。此外，物种将被种植在温室中经过消毒的田间土壤中，并将从这些土壤中接种活的或消毒的土壤生物群群落。本实验将揭示亲缘关系下收集的土壤生物群对亲缘关系中竞争和共存模式的影响程度。将在野外收集观测数据，记录土壤生物区系、土壤矿物性质、近缘和远亲在野外的共存模式以及这些物种在野外的功能特征。最终，这项研究将有助于制定旨在恢复和维持高生物多样性自然群落的战略，这些群落往往比物种贫乏的群落提供更大的生态系统服务。这些数据将提供给其他研究人员。此外，这些活动将支持关于当前生态学和进化主题的一系列公开讲座，以及培训本科生、博士后助理和本科生和研究生院之间的学生。一名新的女助理教授将获得资助，并由PI指导。