DISSERTATION RESEARCH:Ecological interactions mediate the effects of climatic stress on populations: dissecting the direct and indirect effects of climate on plants

论文研究：生态相互作用介导气候胁迫对种群的影响：剖析气候对植物的直接和间接影响

• 批准号: 1311394
• 负责人: Daniel Doak
• 金额: $ 1.84万
• 依托单位: University of Wyoming
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-05-01 至 2015-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1311394&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Ecological; interactions; mediate

Most projections of shifts in species distributions with climate change assume that geographic ranges are strongly determined by abiotic stresses including temperature and precipitation. However, ecologists have generally thought that species ranges in areas where such stresses are relatively low are strongly influenced by biotic interactions such as predation or parasitism. Though this long-standing hypothesis contradicts the assumptions behind most projections of future species distributions, there are few tests of the relative strength of abiotic and biotic interactions across meaningful portions of species ranges or along stress gradients. This project will use field and greenhouse experiments to assess the effect of pollination on performance of the common, understory plant Hibiscus meyeri along an aridity gradient in East Africa, adding to on-going studies of herbivory and interactions between plants in the same system. The work will help develop species distribution modeling by using H. meyeri to construct predictive distribution models that vary in their incorporation of multiple biotic interactions. Results will help to show when biotic interactions must be included to understand how species will be influenced by changes in temperature and precipitation.The broader impacts of this research include provision of scientific information for the conservation of biodiversity and national and international training for students and outreach to resource managers and users. Many pollinators and large herbivores are threatened in Africa and around the globe, and this work will help show the potential effects of their extirpation on the functioning of ecological systems. The project will train U.S. and Kenyan undergraduate students and a U.S. Ph.D. student, and collaborate with the National Museums and the Mpala Research Centre in Kenya.

大多数关于物种分布随气候变化而变化的预测都假定，地理分布范围在很大程度上取决于包括温度和降水在内的非生物压力。然而，生态学家普遍认为，在这种压力相对较低的地区，物种范围受到生物相互作用的强烈影响，如捕食或寄生。虽然这一长期存在的假设与大多数未来物种分布预测背后的假设相矛盾，但在物种分布范围的有意义部分或沿着应力梯度上，几乎没有对非生物和生物相互作用的相对强度进行测试。该项目将利用田间和温室实验，评估授粉对东非干旱梯度上常见的林下植物Hibiscus meyeri沿着表现的影响，以补充正在进行的食草动物和同一系统中植物之间相互作用的研究。这一工作将有助于利用H. meyeri构建预测分布模型，这些模型在纳入多种生物相互作用方面有所不同。研究结果将有助于表明，为了了解物种将如何受到温度和降水变化的影响，何时必须考虑生物相互作用，这项研究的更广泛影响包括为保护生物多样性提供科学信息，为学生提供国家和国际培训，以及向资源管理人员和用户提供宣传。 在非洲和地球仪周围，许多传粉者和大型食草动物受到威胁，这项工作将有助于显示它们的灭绝对生态系统功能的潜在影响。该项目将培训美国和肯尼亚的本科生以及一名美国博士。学生，并与肯尼亚的国家博物馆和Mpala研究中心合作。