CAREER: Colonization, dispersal, and foraging ecology of native bees in human-altered landscapes

职业：本地蜜蜂在人类改变的景观中的殖民、扩散和觅食生态

• 批准号: 1148679
• 负责人: Shalene Jha
• 金额: $ 69.04万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-09-01 至 2018-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1148679&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Colonization; dispersal; foraging; ecology

Given widespread declines in managed and native pollinators and increasing global reliance on pollinator-dependent crops, there is an acute need to develop a mechanistic understanding of pollinator population dynamics. The proposed research utilizes population genetics, foraging ecology, and geospatial tools to develop the first spatially and temporally explicit population model for native pollinators. This is the type of fundamental research that will increase our understanding of ecosystem services provided by pollinators. Specifically, the research objectives of this project are: 1) measurement of land-use impacts on the nesting dynamics and effective population sizes of four critical pollinator species, 2) calculation of exact dispersal distances made by reproductive pollinators and resulting gene flow, 3) computation of maximum and average foraging range of pollinator species across time periods and resource distributions, and 4) creation of a spatially and temporally explicit pollinator population model. A diverse suite of tools will be utilized in the proposed research, including genetic-based and pollen-based foraging reconstruction, yielding one of the first methodologically comparative estimates of resource use and movement dynamics for pollinators.The proposed research provides a unique opportunity to build a highly relevant public outreach and education program in the heart of a rapidly urbanizing and agriculturally-dependent region in central Texas. The program will be carried out through a synergistic integration of research and teaching activities, including enhanced undergraduate involvement in the lab and field, collaboration with K-12 teachers, and development of a graduate-level course in landscape genetics. The proposed outreach efforts are oriented towards developing long-term connections between the university and community members, and include a Pollinator Biology public seminar series and a Citizen Science Pollinator Monitoring Workshop. The Principal Investigator of this award has experience in Citizen Science and will use the Monitoring Workshop as an opportunity to build science literacy within local urban and agricultural communities that are typically underrepresented in the STEM fields. The broader restoration-orientation application of this research is the development of mechanistically-informed land management strategies for improved conservation of pollinators and their critical role as ecosystem service providers.

鉴于管理传粉者和本地传粉者的普遍下降以及全球对传粉者依赖作物的日益依赖，迫切需要对传粉者种群动态进行机械性的理解。这项拟议的研究利用种群遗传学、觅食生态学和地理空间工具，为本地传粉者开发了第一个空间和时间上明确的种群模型。这是一种基础研究，将增加我们对传粉者提供的生态系统服务的了解。具体地说，该项目的研究目标是：1)测量土地利用对四个关键传粉者物种筑巢动态和有效种群大小的影响，2)计算生殖传粉者进行的准确扩散距离和由此产生的基因流动，3)计算传粉者物种跨时间段和资源分布的最大和平均觅食范围，以及4)建立空间和时间上明确的传粉者种群模型。这项拟议的研究将使用多种工具，包括基于遗传和基于花粉的觅食重建，从而产生对传粉者资源使用和运动动态的第一批方法比较估计之一。拟议的研究提供了一个独特的机会，在德克萨斯州中部一个快速城市化和依赖农业的地区的中心建立一个高度相关的公共宣传和教育项目。该计划将通过研究和教学活动的协同整合来实施，包括加强本科生对实验室和实地的参与，与K-12教师合作，以及开发一门研究生级别的景观遗传学课程。拟议的外联工作旨在发展大学与社区成员之间的长期联系，包括传粉者生物学公共研讨会系列和公民科学传粉者监测讲习班。该奖项的首席调查员具有公民科学方面的经验，并将利用监测讲习班作为在STEM领域典型代表性不足的地方城市和农业社区培养科学素养的机会。这项研究更广泛的以恢复为导向的应用是制定机械知情的土地管理战略，以改进传粉者的保护及其作为生态系统服务提供者的关键作用。