EAGER: Integrating Succession Into Metacommunity Theory: Diversity-Age Relationships Across Temporal and Spatial Scales

本研究试图将演替的基本生态学概念与元群落生态学相结合。演替被定义为群落中物种的类型和数量(物种多样性)随时间的变化。元群落是一组相互作用的群落，它们通过多个潜在相互作用的物种的个体运动(扩散)而联系在一起。元社区研究的重点是物种在当地社区中的扩散在决定空间尺度(地方和区域)物种多样性方面的作用。然而，群落演替阶段在构建元群落内物种多样性中的作用还没有被很好地理解。本研究将探讨池龄(即群落演替阶段)对河狸池塘集合群落的物种多样性和食物网大小的影响。由于许多河狸池塘基本上是恢复的生态系统，这项研究的结果将对恢复生态学具有重要意义，因为它表明了群落的演替阶段在恢复过程中的相关性。此外，这些发现将有助于决定重新引入海狸的地点和时间，这一努力目前在美国和欧洲很普遍。该项目还将为一名博士生和几名本科生提供研究培训。外展活动将惠及一所农村高中的50名学生。PI和一名高中学生教师将开发一个实验室和教学模块，向学生介绍生态演替和海狸干扰。这项研究将在不同的演替阶段解决以下问题：1)物种多样性和特征组成对栖息地年龄和当地环境的反应更强烈，还是对区域尺度上的过程反应更强烈？2)生态系统年龄是否影响食物链长度？如果是这样，这是区域驱动因素(例如新物种的殖民)还是当地驱动因素(例如池塘大小、生产力)的结果，还是两者兼而有之？调查者将通过分析群落和物种特征多样性、环境栖息地属性(水化学、面积、最大深度和流速)、特征-环境关系以及顶端捕食者在河狸池塘集合群落(三个流域的溪流和河狸形成的池塘)的重复研究中的营养位置来解决这些问题。

This study seeks to integrate the fundamental ecological concept of succession and metacommunity ecology. Succession is defined as changes over time in the type and number of species (species diversity) present in a community. A metacommunity is a set of interacting communities, which are linked by the movement of individuals (dispersal) of multiple potentially interacting species. Metacommunity studies have focused on the role of species dispersal among local communities in determining species diversity across spatial scales (local and regional). However, the role of the community successional stage in structuring species diversity within metacommunities is not well understood. The study will investigate the role of pond age (i.e., community successional stage) on the species diversity and the size of food webs of metacommunities of beaver ponds. Since many beaver ponds are essentially restored ecosystems, the results of this study will be significant for restoration ecology, by indicating how relevant the successional stage of the community is within the restoration process. In addition, the findings will facilitate decisions about the location and timing of beaver reintroduction efforts that are currently widespread in the US and Europe. This project will also provide research training for one doctoral student and several undergraduate students. The outreach activities will benefit 50 students from a rural high school. The PI and a high school student teacher will develop a laboratory and teaching module to introduce students to ecological succession and beaver disturbance. The study will address the following questions across different successional stages: 1) Does species diversity and trait composition respond more strongly to habitat age and the local environment, or to processes at the regional scale? 2) Does ecosystem age influence food chain length? If so, is this the result of a regional driver (e.g. colonization of new species) or local driver (e.g., pond size, productivity), or both? The investigator will address these questions by analyzing community and species trait diversity, environmental habitat properties (water chemistry, area, maximum depth and flow rate), trait-environment relationships, and the trophic position of apex predators in replicated studies of beaver pond metacommunities (streams and beaver-formed ponds of three watersheds).