DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Connectivty and ecosystem function in experimental microcosm landscapes

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In nature, ecosystem function varies extensively across space. Some ecosystems are extremely diverse while others support only a few species. Ecological theory suggests that dispersal of individuals across space is critical to the persistence of functional ecosystems and predicts that, at some intermediate level of dispersal, individuals can colonize favorable habitat patches and maintain functional ecosystems. The proposed research will be the first to test these theoretical predictions in complex communities. Researchers will construct communities of micro-organisms in laboratory petri dishes to implement a robust experimental design that includes patches of favorable and unfavorable habitats and that measures multiple ecosystem functions (productivity, respiration, abundance). In these controlled microcosms, the researchers can impose a wide range of dispersal levels. The experiments incorporate the complexity common in natural communities, will test the importance of dispersal and sorting dynamics, and will produce data necessary to revise existing theory.Humans are causing major changes to the movement of organisms across ecosystems. Some ecosystems are declining in connectivity through the fragmentation of habitat, while others are becoming more connected under increased rates of trade and habitat homogenization. Understanding the impacts of these changes on biodiversity and the provisioning of ecosystem services requires the robust testing of ecological theory. In parallel, the research will inform pest control and conservation in agro-ecosystems. The co-PI plans interactive lectures in Austin public schools to link science with management and will train undergraduate students in all aspects of his research. Finally, the experiments are part of a strong international collaboration among eight researchers who study metacommunity ecology from different perspectives.