NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2013

栖息地破碎化如何影响营养结构，物种生态位和灭绝风险的大规模实验测试种群和群落的基本特性受到栖息地丧失和破碎化的影响-对许多生态系统的普遍威胁。由于景观改变的影响是复杂的和相互交织的，景观生态学的一个中心目标是梳理除了种群和群落的栖息地斑块的变化改变的机制。操纵实验提供了一种达到这一目的的手段。该研究员将在澳大利亚的Wog Wog栖息地破碎化实验中评估破碎化对甲虫多样性社区的影响。具体而言，该项目的重点是确定：1）碎片化如何影响营养结构和2）甲虫物种的生态位空间; 3）是否一个给定的甲虫物种？生态位空间预测其在片段中的灭绝风险。该研究员将使用甲虫的碳和氮稳定同位素比率（13 C和15 N）来解决这些问题。除了提供一个机械的碎片化如何影响一个不同的节肢动物群落的理解，这些结果将通过预测哪些物种是最危险的碎片化保护生物学。该研究员将接受定量技能、稳定同位素分析、教学和指导方面的培训。该研究员致力于教育和提供研究机会，本科生，特别是那些来自代表性不足的群体，并在课堂上，实验室和现场的榜样。该项目的教学内容将包括与科罗拉多大学科学教育倡议（STEM倡议）的科学教学研究员合作开发课程材料，并与本科生合作开发K-12材料。

A large-scale, experimental test of how habitat fragmentation affects trophic structure, species niches, and extinction risk Fundamental properties of populations and communities are affected by habitat loss and fragmentation--pervasive threats to many ecosystems. Because effects of landscape alteration are complex and intertwined, a central goal of landscape ecology is to tease apart the mechanisms through which populations and communities are altered by changes of habitat patches. Manipulative experiments provide a means to this end. The fellow will assess impacts of fragmentation on a diverse community of beetles in a large-scale experiment, the Wog Wog Habitat Fragmentation Experiment in Australia. Specifically the project focuses on determining: 1) How fragmentation affects trophic structure and 2) the niche space of beetle species; 3) Whether a given beetle species? niche space predicts its extinction risk in fragments. The fellow will use beetle carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (ä13C and ä15N) to address these questions. In addition to providing a mechanistic understanding of how fragmentation affects a diverse arthropod community, these results will serve conservation biology by predicting which species are most at risk by fragmentation. This fellow will be trained in quantitative skills, stable isotope analysis, teaching, and mentoring. The fellow is committed to education and providing research opportunities to undergraduate students, especially those from underrepresented groups, and to being a role model in the classroom, laboratory, and field. The teaching components of this project will include developing course material in collaboration with Science Teaching Fellows in University of Colorado's Science Education Initiative (a STEM initiative) and developing K-12 material in collaboration with undergraduates.