IRES Track I: understanding the global problem of defaunation through field experiments in southern Africa

IRES 第一轨：通过南部非洲的实地实验了解全球动物区系丧失问题

• 批准号: 1952393
• 负责人: Robert Fletcher
• 金额: $ 29.95万
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-09-15 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1952393&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: IRES; Track; understanding; global; problem

The world is facing several global challenges that are transforming natural environments. The next generation of scientists requires a global perspective and training to advance science and conservation to solve these challenges. An increasingly recognized challenge is the decline in abundance and loss of animals from ecosystems, termed 'defaunation'. Because animals play many important roles in natural environments, defaunation is a key issue for sustainable ecosystems. Yet the consequences of defaunation remains poorly understood. This project will address this issue with research and education using large-scale field experiments on the loss of large mammals in southern Africa, where we will train students about science and conservation and provide them a global perspective on ecological challenges such as defaunation.Each year, U.S. undergraduate students from Florida will work with students from South Africa and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and be mentored by scientists from these countries. We will teach students about the scientific method, ecological concepts, conservation, and southern Africa culture before departing for eight weeks in southern Africa. They will conduct research on the loss of large mammals, such as the African elephant, in South Africa and Eswatini where large experiments are underway to understand the effects of losing large mammals from environments where they historically roamed. Each cohort will build upon past research and test hypotheses about how the loss of large animals may alter natural environments. Student projects will provide scientific value by comparing results across two regions that have different histories of large mammal abundance. This work will provide new insights about how defaunation influences biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, which is needed for better understanding and for conservation action that can best limit potential negative impacts. This project will also provide global training of the next generation of scientists, recruit underrepresented groups to participate in the program, and communicate the student research results to local communities in southern Africa and Florida. Our IRES students will spend eight weeks participating in large-scale field experiments on defaunation in southern Africa while being mentored by leading and rising scientists from these countries. Prior to departure, students will learn about southern Africa local culture, ecological concepts, and experimental design. They will develop independent experimental projects within the domain of a coordinated experimental network on the loss of megaherbivores in South Africa’s Kruger National Park and Eswatini’s Mlawula Game Reserve. This coordinated experimental network will help isolate the short-term effects of defaunation and provide long-term context of defaunation across regions. It will provide new information about how defaunation influences biodiversity and ecosystem functioning; this information is needed for better understanding human-dominated landscapes and how conservation can best be applied to limit negative impacts of environmental change. The first cohort will quantify how remaining biodiversity responds to defaunation through tests of the megaherbivore loss hypothesis. The second cohort will explore specific behavioral processes that drive patterns of diversity, focusing on how megaherbivore loss might alter habitat refugia for other species. The third cohort will conduct studies on species interactions and ecosystem services, focusing on the functional redundancy hypothesis. This project will foster discovery and understanding by promoting teaching and training while immersing students in field-based research in Africa. Students will advance discovery of ecological processes in rapidly changing landscapes. We are enhancing infrastructure for both research and education through our field station-based research and strengthened international relationships with South Africa and Eswatini scientists, educators, and students. We will also expand participation of U.S. underrepresented groups via minority recruitment. Finally, we will provide broad science communication and dissemination to benefit local communities in the U.S. and southern Africa.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

世界正面临着几项全球性挑战，这些挑战正在改变自然环境。下一代科学家需要全球视野和培训，以推动科学和保护，以解决这些挑战。一个日益被认识到的挑战是生态系统中动物数量的减少和损失，即所谓的“破坏动物群”。由于动物在自然环境中发挥着许多重要作用，因此动物灭绝是可持续生态系统的一个关键问题。 然而，对动物灭绝的后果仍然知之甚少。该项目将通过对南部非洲大型哺乳动物损失进行大规模实地实验的研究和教育来解决这一问题，我们将在那里对学生进行科学和保护培训，并为他们提供关于生态挑战（如动物灭绝）的全球视角。来自佛罗里达的美国本科生将与来自南非和斯威士兰的学生一起工作（前斯威士兰），并由来自这些国家的科学家指导。我们将向学生传授科学方法，生态概念，保护和南部非洲文化，然后在南部非洲出发八周。他们将在南非和斯威士兰进行大型哺乳动物损失的研究，如非洲象，那里正在进行大型实验，以了解大型哺乳动物从它们历史上漫游的环境中损失的影响。每个队列将建立在过去的研究和测试假设如何损失的大型动物可能会改变自然环境。学生项目将通过比较两个地区的结果提供科学价值，这两个地区具有不同的大型哺乳动物丰度历史。这项工作将提供关于动物群落破坏如何影响生物多样性和生态系统功能的新见解，这是更好地理解和保护行动所必需的，可以最好地限制潜在的负面影响。该项目还将为下一代科学家提供全球培训，招募代表性不足的群体参与该计划，并将学生的研究成果传达给南部非洲和佛罗里达的当地社区。我们的IRES学生将花八个星期的时间参加在南部非洲进行的大型野外实验，同时由来自这些国家的领先和新兴科学家指导。出发前，学生将了解南部非洲当地文化，生态概念和实验设计。他们将在南非克鲁格国家公园和斯威士兰姆拉乌拉禁猎区的大型食草动物损失协调实验网络范围内开发独立的实验项目。这一协调一致的实验网络将有助于隔离动物群落消失的短期影响，并提供跨区域动物群落消失的长期背景。它将提供关于动物群落消失如何影响生物多样性和生态系统功能的新信息;需要这些信息来更好地了解人类主导的景观，以及如何最好地进行保护，以限制环境变化的负面影响。第一组将通过大型食草动物损失假设的测试，量化剩余的生物多样性如何对动物区系消失作出反应。第二组将探索驱动多样性模式的特定行为过程，重点是大型食草动物的损失如何改变其他物种的栖息地避难所。第三组将研究物种相互作用和生态系统服务，重点是功能冗余假设。该项目将通过促进教学和培训，同时让学生沉浸在非洲的实地研究中，促进发现和理解。学生将在快速变化的景观中推进生态过程的发现。我们正在通过我们的实地研究站和加强与南非和斯威士兰科学家，教育工作者和学生的国际关系，加强研究和教育的基础设施。我们还将通过招募少数族裔来扩大美国代表性不足的群体的参与。最后，我们将提供广泛的科学交流和传播，使美国和南部非洲的当地社区受益。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Drought limits large trees in African savannas with or without elephants

干旱限制了非洲大草原上有或没有大象的大树

• DOI: 10.1111/aec.13244
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Austral Ecology
• 影响因子: 1.5
• 作者: Jones, Maggie M.;Fletcher, Robert;Kruger, Laurence;Monadjem, Ara;Simelane, Phumlile;McCleery, Robert
• 通讯作者: McCleery, Robert