Interference versus exploitative competition: causes and consequences

干扰与剥削性竞争：原因和后果

• 批准号: 153461-2011
• 负责人: Grant, James
• 金额: $ 2.33万
• 依托单位: Concordia University
• 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=569400
• 关键词: Interference; versus; exploitative; competition; causes

Organisms interact with each other in three major ways: competition, cooperation, and predation. Competitive behaviour in animals is remarkably variable within species, ranging from the peaceful sharing of resources to fierce contests. My research program investigates (1) what causes this diversity of aggressive behaviour, and (2) the consequences of aggressive behaviour for animal populations. In this proposal, we will focus on two variables: the degree of visual isolation between competitors and the average number of individuals competing for each mate (operational sex ration, OSR) or each resource unit (competitor to resource ratio, CRR). Specifically, we will test whether adding structure to an environment decreases territory size, increases population density and decreases the ability of dominant individuals to monopolize resources, and whether the scarcity of mates, the scarcity of nest sites, or both, best predict the within-sex aggressive behaviour of male and female convict cichlid fish (Amatitlania nigrofasciata). Taken together with our previous work, these findings will provide a quantitative framework for predicting the degree of aggressive behaviour in animal societies, which is fundamental to understanding the evolution of social and mating systems. Territoriality, the most common form of aggressive behaviour in wild animals, is often thought to limit the density and regulate the size of animal populations. We use juvenile Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, as a model system because they exhibit both density-dependent and density-independent population dynamics, and are amenable to both observational and experimental studies. In this proposal, we will conduct laboratory and field experiments to determine how territory size, growth rate of individuals, and the number of settlers vary over broad ranges of three important variables: population density, food abundance and how synchronously individuals arrive in a habitat. These empirical relationships will provide insight into the mechanisms of population regulation, and will be useful for managers charged with monitoring, harvesting, restoring and stocking these economically important populations.

生物体以三​​种主要方式相互作用：竞争、合作和捕食。动物的竞争行为在物种内差异很大，从和平共享资源到激烈竞争。我的研究项目调查（1）导致攻击行为多样性的原因，以及（2）攻击行为对动物种群的影响。在本提案中，我们将重点关注两个变量：竞争者之间的视觉隔离程度以及竞争每个配偶（操作性别配比，OSR）或每个资源单位（竞争者与资源比率，CRR）的平均个体数量。具体来说，我们将测试在环境中添加结构是否会缩小领地面积、增加种群密度并降低优势个体垄断资源的能力，以及配偶稀缺、巢穴稀缺或两者兼而有之是否能最好地预测雄性和雌性罪犯慈鲷（Amatitlania nigrofasciata）的性内攻击行为。与我们之前的工作结合起来，这些发现将为预测动物社会的攻击行为程度提供一个定量框架，这对于理解社会和交配系统的进化至关重要。 领地性是野生动物中最常见的攻击行为形式，通常被认为可以限制动物的密度并调节动物种群的规模。我们使用幼年大西洋鲑鱼（Salmo salar）作为模型系统，因为它们表现出密度依赖和密度无关的种群动态，并且适合观察和实验研究。在本提案中，我们将进行实验室和实地实验，以确定领土大小、个体增长率和定居者数量在三个重要变量的广泛范围内如何变化：人口密度、食物丰度以及个体到达栖息地的同步时间。这些经验关系将提供对种群调节机制的深入了解，并且对于负责监测、收获、恢复和储存这些具有重要经济意义的种群的管理者来说是有用的。