CAREER: Phenology, ontogeny and the consequences of shifts in the relative timing of milkweed-monarch interactions

职业：物候、个体发育以及马利筋-君主相互作用相对时间变化的后果

• 批准号: 1253101
• 负责人: Louie Yang
• 金额: $ 60万
• 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: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-10-01 至 2019-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1253101&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Phenology; ontogeny; consequences; shifts

Ecologists have long recognized that species interactions change over time due to the progression of seasons and changes in the life stages of organisms. However, our understanding of how species interactions are coordinated in time and of the potential implications of disrupting this coordination remains limited. Better understanding of this is particularly important because climate change has the potential to disrupt the timing of species interactions in ecological communities; detailed studies in real-world, ecological communities are necessary to understand the consequences of these changes. This project will study the consequences of changes in the relative timing of interactions between monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), their host plants (Asclepias spp., or milkweeds), and the associated community of other plants and arthropod. Field experiments, observational studies, historic datasets, and computer simulation models will be used to test: 1) how shifts in the relative timing of milkweed-monarch interactions affect the growth and survival of monarch caterpillars, 2) how the timing of milkweed-monarch interactions has changed over the past four decades, and 3) how the evolutionary history of a community affects the incidence and impacts of shifts in the timing of interactions. This study will create new knowledge about how ecological communities respond to shifts in the timing of species interactions in order to better understand the vulnerability and resilience of complex natural systems.The broader impacts of this work will include a combined research and education project, the Monitoring Milkweed-Monarch Interactions for Learning and Conservation (MMMILC) Project. Under the guidance of faculty and graduate students, undergraduate students in the MMMILC Project will mentor local high school students while they collect long-term observational data on milkweed-monarch interactions. These high school students will include students from groups that are currently under-represented in science. By combining a large-scale, long-term observational research study with a multi-level mentorship program, the MMMILC Project aims to make a lasting contribution to both science and education.

生态学家早就认识到，物种间的相互作用会随着时间的推移而变化，这是由于季节的推移和生物生命阶段的变化。然而，我们对物种相互作用是如何及时协调的，以及破坏这种协调的潜在影响的理解仍然有限。更好地理解这一点尤其重要，因为气候变化有可能扰乱生态群落中物种相互作用的时机；有必要在现实世界中进行详细的研究，以了解这些变化的后果。这个项目将研究帝王蝶(Danaus Plexippus)、它们的寄主植物(Asclepias spp.)以及相关的其他植物和节肢动物群落之间相互作用的相对时间变化的后果。将使用野外实验、观测研究、历史数据集和计算机模拟模型来测试：1)乳草和帝王相互作用的相对时间的变化如何影响帝王毛虫的生长和存活；2)乳草和帝王相互作用的时间在过去40年里是如何变化的；3)群落的进化历史如何影响相互作用时间变化的发生率和影响。这项研究将创造关于生态群落如何对物种相互作用时间的变化做出反应的新知识，以更好地了解复杂自然系统的脆弱性和复原力。这项工作的更广泛影响将包括一个综合的研究和教育项目，即监测乳草与帝王相互作用以促进学习和保护(MMMILC)项目。在教职员工和研究生的指导下，MMMILC项目的本科生将指导当地的高中生，同时收集关于马利筋与帝王相互作用的长期观察数据。这些高中生将包括来自目前在科学领域代表性不足的群体的学生。通过将大规模、长期的观察性研究研究与多层次的指导计划相结合，MMMILC项目旨在为科学和教育做出持久的贡献。