Population dynamics and trophic interactions in arctic birds and mammals

北极鸟类和哺乳动物的种群动态和营养相互作用

• 批准号: 36784-2011
• 负责人: Gauthier, Gilles
• 金额: $ 6.05万
• 依托单位: Université Laval
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=568780
• 关键词: Population; dynamics; trophic; interactions; arctic

The long-term goals of my research program are to (1) understand the effects of human-induced changes in climate and habitat on the population dynamic and trophic interactions of arctic birds and mammals and (2) develop and validate innovative quantitative methods to study animal populations. My research is centered on long-term population studies of two herbivorous groups of the tundra, the migratory snow geese and the resident lemmings, and of their predators on Bylot Island, NU. I will evaluate if the directional selection for an early breeding date increased in snow geese over a 25-year period in response to a temporal mismatch between geese and their food plant induced by climate warming. Support for this hypothesis would indicate that arctic birds are failing to adjust to warming temperature, and are thus threatened. I will also examine the sensitivity of wing moult to environmental conditions in geese and determine if the timing of moult and the quality of new feathers may be impaired by warming temperature. Another objective is to build demographic models linking temperature to population size in order to predict population changes under various climatic scenarios. Finally, I will test predictions from two alternative hypotheses on the causes of lemming population cycles, the winter food limitation and the predation hypotheses. Experiments will determine if lemming population crashes are due to overgrazing of their food in winter or to the high consumption rate of predators during the summer. My projects will provide training for several BSc, MSc and PhD students in biology. By combining unique, long-term datasets with innovative analytical tools, my research program offers a unique opportunity to increase our understanding of the functioning of food webs and improve our ability to make quantitative predictions on the future of animal populations. This work will also contribute to the management and conservation of several arctic wildlife species and of their habitat.

我的研究计划的长期目标是（1）了解人类引起的气候和栖息地变化对北极鸟类和哺乳动物的种群动态和营养相互作用的影响；（2）开发和验证创新的定量方法来研究动物种群。我的研究集中在对苔原上的两个食草类群——迁徙的雪雁和居住的旅鼠，以及它们在北卡罗来纳州拜洛特岛的捕食者的长期种群研究。我将评估在 25 年的时间里，雪雁对早期繁殖日期的定向选择是否有所增加，以应对气候变暖引起的雁与其食用植物之间的时间不匹配。对这一假设的支持表明北极鸟类无法适应变暖的温度，因此受到威胁。我还将检查鹅翅膀换羽对环境条件的敏感性，并确定换羽时间和新羽毛的质量是否会因温度升高而受到损害。另一个目标是建立将温度与人口规模联系起来的人口模型，以预测各种气候情景下的人口变化。最后，我将测试关于旅鼠种群周期原因的两个替代假设的预测，即冬季食物限制和捕食假设。实验将确定旅鼠数量锐减是由于冬季过度放牧还是由于夏季捕食者的高消耗率造成的。我的项目将为多名生物学学士、硕士和博士生提供培训。通过将独特的长期数据集与创新的分析工具相结合，我的研究项目提供了一个独特的机会，以加深我们对食物网功能的理解，并提高我们对动物种群未来进行定量预测的能力。这项工作还将有助于管理和保护几种北极野生动物物种及其栖息地。