Evolutionary Ecology of Phenological Coadaptation across Scales

跨尺度物候互适应的进化生态学

• 批准号: EP/X024520/1
• 负责人: Ben Sheldon
• 金额: $ 340.55万
• 依托单位: University of Oxford
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FX024520%2F1
• 关键词: Evolutionary; Ecology; Phenological; Coadaptation; across

Changes in the timing of seasonal events (phenology) provide the strongest and clearest evidence for effects of human-caused climate change on biotic systems. Our understanding of the importance of these changes has been dominated by the idea that the disruption of temporal synchrony between different trophic levels is a key determinant of their impact. However, previous work has largely ignored the crucial question of the spatial scale of synchrony and how this underpins the fundamental biological processes that would mediate any effect. This proposal addresses the missing perspective of spatial scale in phenological synchrony, using a classic model system for understanding changes in phenology in relation to climatic variation. Using the tri-trophic system of deciduous trees, phytophagous insects and predatory birds (exemplified by oak-winter moth-great tit), the work will be centred on a long-term study system, providing decades of data and tens of thousands of historical records which place the work on secure foundations. Using this platform, the work described here will (i) develop new automated methods for effective measurement of phenology at scale, and (ii) new experimental methods for dissecting the ecological and evolutionary effects of phenological mismatch. It will further, (iii) test experimentally the role of phenological variation in space and time in driving local adaptation; (iv) test the hypothesis that consumer diversity and productivity is higher when spatial variation in producer phenology is higher, (v) elucidate how behavioural flexibility of consumers enables optimal exploitation of phenological landscapes and (vi) determine how scale-dependent phenological variation can buffer against climatic variation. The new methods and perspectives developed here will expand our understanding of the biological importance of phenological variation while simultaneously relating this new understanding to ongoing global change.

季节性事件发生时间（物候）的变化为人类造成的气候变化对生物系统的影响提供了最有力、最明确的证据。我们对这些变化重要性的理解主要基于以下观点：不同营养级之间时间同步的破坏是其影响的关键决定因素。然而，以前的工作在很大程度上忽略了同步的空间尺度以及它如何支撑介导任何影响的基本生物过程的关键问题。该提案解决了物候同步中空间尺度缺失的问题，使用经典模型系统来理解与气候变化相关的物候变化。这项工作将利用落叶树、植食性昆虫和掠食性鸟类（以橡树-冬蛾-大山雀为代表）的三营养系统，以长期研究系统为中心，提供数十年的数据和数以万计的历史记录，为这项工作奠定了坚实的基础。使用这个平台，这里描述的工作将（i）开发新的自动化方法来有效测量物候学，以及（ii）新的实验方法来剖析物候不匹配的生态和进化影响。它将进一步，(iii) 通过实验测试时空物候变化在推动局部适应中的作用； (iv) 检验当生产者物候的空间变化较高时消费者多样性和生产力较高的假设，(v) 阐明消费者的行为灵活性如何实现物候景观的最佳利用，以及 (vi) 确定规模依赖的物候变化如何缓冲气候变化。这里开发的新方法和观点将扩大我们对物候变化的生物学重要性的理解，同时将这种新的理解与正在进行的全球变化联系起来。