The Response of Insects to Climate Change in the Eocene through Oligocene of Colorado

科罗拉多大学BoulderEAR-1123802 BoulderEAR-1123802ABSTRACT科罗拉多大学渐新世昆虫对气候变化的反应这个项目将利用化石记录来研究始新世至最早渐新世期间发生的戏剧性气候变冷事件的影响，以了解昆虫群落如何对气候变化做出反应。在本研究审查的大约2300万年的时间间隔内，区域气温估计下降了约15.5摄氏度，而海洋温度估计下降了约10摄氏度。这项研究将确定昆虫对气候变化的反应的时间和幅度是更类似于大陆记录中的植物和哺乳动物的反应(表明大陆气候变化的滞后)，还是与海洋类群的变化一致(为海洋和大陆系统的相关变化提供支持)。具体地说，PI将审查多样性变化(物种丰富度水平)和组成变化(周转水平)的时间和幅度。Pi还将研究气候变化的速度如何影响昆虫群落的反应，她将调查昆虫的哪些特征将影响它们的反应。也就是说，生态变量，如饮食偏好和气候耐受性，对昆虫对气候变化的敏感度有多大影响？通过使用化石记录来记录气候变化对生物体的影响，我们可以更好地了解最近和预期的气候变化将如何影响单个类群及其整个群落。虽然拟议的研究重点是昆虫，但这些昆虫对气候变化的反应将更广泛地适用于我们对大陆和海洋生物物种反应的时间和幅度可能存在差异的理解。此外，这项研究还说明了科学家和业余爱好者之间合作的巨大价值。因此，将为专业人员、教育工作者、公民科学家和普通公众开发一个地方网站。该网站将包括一个交互式关键字，用于识别最常见的昆虫化石类群和模块，这些模块将用于加强科罗拉多大学S的古生物学教师培训计划。该网站还将突出公民科学家的贡献，并将提供一个加强合作的论坛。让研究生和本科生参与实地研究，并提供昆虫生态学和分类学、管理和科学教育方面的培训，也将是拟议项目的重要方面。

The Response of Insects to Climate Change in the Eocene through Oligocene of ColoradoDena Smith, University of Colorado, BoulderEAR-1123802ABSTRACTThis project will use the fossil record to examine the effects of a dramatic climatic cooling event that occurred during the Eocene through the earliest Oligocene, to understand how insect communities respond to climate change. During the approximately 23 million year time interval examined in this study, regional temperatures are estimated to have decreased by approximately 15.5oC, while marine temperatures are estimated to have declined by approximately 10oC. This study will determine whether the timing and magnitude of insect response to climate change is more similar to the response seen in the continental record of plants and mammals (suggesting a lag in continental climate change) or in keeping with changes seen in marine taxa (providing support for correlated change in marine and continental systems). Specifically, PI will examine the timing and magnitude of diversity change (levels of species richness) and compositional change (levels of turnover). PI also will examine how the rate of climate change affects insect community response and she will investigate which characteristics of insects will affect their response. That is, how strongly do ecological variables, such as dietary preference and climate tolerance affect the sensitivity of an insect to climate changes?By using the fossil record to document the effects of climate change on organisms, we can gain a better understanding of how recent and expected climate change will affect individual taxa and their overall communities. Although the proposed study focuses on insects, how these insects responded to climate change will be more broadly applicable to our understanding of how the timing and magnitude of species response of continental and marine organisms may differ. In addition, this study illustrates the great value of collaboration between scientists and amateurs. As such, a local website will be developed for professionals, educators, citizen scientists and the general public. Included on the site will be an interactive key to identify the most common fossil insect groups and modules that will be used to enhance the University of Colorado?s teacher training programs in paleontology. The site will also highlight the contributions made by citizen scientists and will provide a forum for greater collaboration. Engaging graduate and undergraduate students in field based research and providing training in insect ecology and taxonomy, curation and science education also will be important aspects of the proposed project.