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Out of the forest: how termites live inside and outside tropical rainforests

走出森林：白蚁如何在热带雨林内外生活

基本信息

批准号：
2112951
负责人：
金额：
--
依托单位：
University of Liverpool
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Studentship
财政年份：
2018
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2018 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2112951
关键词：
Out forest how termites live

项目摘要

Most tropical termites evolved in tropical rain forest, yet they are ecologically dominant in tropical grassy biomes where they are vital decomposers and ecosystem engineers. The colonisation of these areas is not without potential costs; termites need to adjust to a highly variable, drier climate, from one that is highly buffered and wet. This project will explore how termites have adapted to these new environments and examine the explanatory power of an ecophysiological approach to species distributions, using a natural precipitation gradient across west Africa. The project will examine climatic factors affecting termites, and their adaptations to them, using data from individual termites and colonies. Four sites across a precipitation gradient in Ghana will be sampled: wet & dry forest, wet & dry savanna. Termites will be collected using standard sampling methods. The thermal and desiccation tolerances of selected species will be determined. Mounds will also be examined to see if these structures provide any additional buffering services. Species distribution models based on climate will be developed and compared against a pure eco-physiological model. This project will help us understand better the controls to termite distributions using novel physiological data and we will be able to predict how species may shift in their distribution under human-disturbance and climate change. The project will also connect with the newly funded Royal Society /DFiD funded Soil Fauna in Africa (SoFIA) programme.

大多数热带白蚁在热带雨林中进化，但它们在热带草生物群落中占据生态主导地位，在那里它们是重要的分解者和生态系统工程师。这些地区的殖民化并非没有潜在的代价；白蚁需要从高度缓冲和潮湿的气候中适应高度变化、干燥的气候。该项目将利用整个西非的自然降水梯度，探索白蚁如何适应这些新环境，并检验生态生理学方法对物种分布的解释力。该项目将利用单个白蚁和蚁群的数据来研究影响白蚁的气候因素及其适应能力。将在加纳降水梯度的四个地点进行采样：湿和干森林、湿和干稀树草原。将使用标准采样方法收集白蚁。将确定所选物种的耐热性和干燥耐受性。还将检查土堆，看看这些结构是否提供任何额外的缓冲服务。将开发基于气候的物种分布模型，并将其与纯生态生理模型进行比较。该项目将帮助我们利用新颖的生理数据更好地了解白蚁分布的控制，并且我们将能够预测在人类干扰和气候变化下物种的分布将如何变化。该项目还将与新资助的英国皇家学会/DFiD 资助的非洲土壤动物群 (SoFIA) 项目联系起来。