Doctoral Dissertation Research: On the ground and from above: A multi-factor analysis of the direct and indirect drivers of tallgrass prairie small mammal communities

博士论文研究：地面和空中：高草草原小型哺乳动物群落直接和间接驱动因素的多因素分析

• 批准号: 2322603
• 负责人: Holly Jones
• 金额: $ 1.78万
• 依托单位: Northern Illinois University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2322603&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; ground; above

Title: Doctoral Dissertation Research: On the ground and from above: A multi-factor analysis of the direct and indirect drivers of tallgrass prairie small mammal communitiesThis Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement project investigates the role of both broad-scale land cover and small-scale management activities in driving the populations of small mammals, such as mice in voles in tallgrass prairies. Tallgrass prairies provide critical ecosystem services such as carbon storage, cultural connections, and water retention. By building our understanding of prairie food webs, we aim to equip land managers with a more complete picture to inform management decisions. Furthermore, this study contributes to the knowledge about complex prairie ecosystems and management effects across multiple scales. On broader impacts, this study 1)trains dozens of volunteers, including undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds, on small mammal trapping methodology, 2) provides support for land managers aiming to make evidence-based management decisions, and 3) develops and implements a lesson in landscape ecology for use in undergraduate classrooms. The multi-scale drivers of small mammal populations are not currently well-understood, especially in critically threatened tallgrass prairie habitats. To better understand these complex systems, this study uses long-term small mammal trapping data, long-term vegetation surveys, and land cover data derived from drone imagery to examine how land cover and management activities shape small mammal populations, directly or indirectly, through impacts on vegetation. Due to their central role in prairie food webs, understanding small mammal populations helps decipher the community's health as a whole. By analyzing the drivers of these species, this work advances the knowledge about prairie communities and the impacts of habitat change and management activity, especially in the wake of human activities that may degrade or restore the ecosystem.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.

标题：博士学位论文研究：在地面和上面：对塔格拉斯大草原小型哺乳动物的直接和间接驱动因素的多因素分析，博士学位论文研究改进项目调查了宽阔的土地覆盖范围和小型管理活动在促使小型哺乳动物种群中驱动高级乳Mice型奶酪中的小型奶牛的作用。塔格拉斯大草原提供关键的生态系统服务，例如碳存储，文化连接和保留水。通过建立对草原食品网的理解，我们旨在为土地管理人员提供更完整的图片，以告知管理决策。此外，这项研究有助于对复杂的草原生态系统和跨多个尺度的管理效应的知识。在更广泛的影响下，本研究1）培训数十名志愿者，包括来自不同背景的本科生，对小型哺乳动物捕获方法，2）为旨在做出循证管理决策的土地管理者提供支持，3）3）在景观生态学中开发和实施一堂课，以在景观中供小学课堂使用。当前，小型哺乳动物种群的多尺度驱动因素目前尚未得到充分理解，尤其是在受到巨大威胁的塔格拉斯草原栖息地中。为了更好地理解这些复杂的系统，本研究使用长期的哺乳动物诱捕数据，长期植被调查以及从无人机图像中得出的土地覆盖数据来检查土地覆盖和管理活动如何通过对植被的影响直接或间接地形成小型哺乳动物种群。由于它们在草原食品网中的核心作用，了解小哺乳动物人群有助于破译社区的整体健康状况。通过分析这些物种的驱动因素，这项工作可以提高有关草原社区的知识以及栖息地变化和管理活动的影响，尤其是在人类活动可能降低或恢复生态系统的人类活动之后。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过基金会的知识优点和广泛的影响来评估NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得的支持。