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自然群落中维持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，稳定的共存需要竞争者在他们的生态位不同，而物种在生态上太相似，不能共存。 与生态相似性和共存性的讨论相交叉的是物种之间的进化或系统发育相关性在多大程度上反映了它们的生态相似性，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相关性之间的联系。 达尔文认为，亲缘关系密切的物种竞争激烈，因为它们具有相似的形态和生态位，因此不应该共存。 拟议的研究将结合联合收割机明确的实验领域的方法在一个大的植物物种的多样性，加上广泛的观测数据，探索社区组装和机制的物种共存的系统发育背景下。将19种本地植物放入近亲和远亲的栖息地，并在存在和不存在食草动物（实验操作）的情况下评估这些栖息地的植物性能。此外，物种将被种植到温室中的无菌、现场收集的土壤中，并将接种来自这些土壤的活的或无菌的土壤生物群。这个实验将表明在亲缘关系下收集的土壤生物群在多大程度上影响亲缘关系之间的竞争和共存模式。将在实地收集观测数据，以记录土壤生物群、土壤矿物特性和近亲和远亲在实地的共存模式，沿着这些物种在实地的功能特征。最终，这项研究将有助于旨在恢复和维持生物多样性高的自然社区的战略，这些社区往往比物种贫乏的社区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生态学和进化的当前主题的公开讲座系列，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得到赠款的支持，并由PI指导。