Causes, consequences and maintenance of niche variation in systems with humans and other predators

人类和其他捕食者系统中生态位变化的原因、后果和维持

• 批准号: 435683-2013
• 负责人: Darimont, Christopher
• 金额: $ 2.26万
• 依托单位: University of Victoria
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=631826
• 关键词: Causes; consequences; maintenance; niche; variation

All living organisms, including humans, are united by their use of resources from a common environment. As a result of competition with other species, however, each species occupies its own niche (or specific set of resources). Whereas understanding how and why niches vary among species has dominated related research for decades, emerging work is now showing variation in niche at levels of organization within species. Different populations, and even different individuals within population, can carve out their own set of resources. This has enormous implications to the evolutionary environments these organisms face, and consequently how they look, behave and interact with other living things. What is less certain is what processes can shape, re-shape and maintain this variation in niche, which is a critical component of biodiversity.Our lab is interested in how large and naturally fragmented landscapes influence variation in food niches from the species to individual levels in large mammalian predators. Additionally, we study the niche of the most influential mammalian predator of all - human beings - and the effects hunters and fishers have on their competitors and prey in the natural world.Our research program is comprised of a wildlife field system and several database-focused projects. In the field we study how wolves, black bears and grizzly bears compete with one another - and ultimately with salmon fisheries - for salmon, which is a critical central resource. We expect to learn that the niches occupied by each participant will be a function of where competition takes place across our mainland and archipelago study area, as well as the harvest levels of fisheries. Our database projects examine the global influence of not only fisheries but also subsistence and recreational hunting. We expect to reveal just how unique the niche of the "human predator" is, and how it might shape the ecology and evolution of many other organisms.

包括人类在内的所有生物体都通过使用来自共同环境的资源而团结在一起。然而，由于与其他物种的竞争，每个物种都占据了自己的生态位（或特定的资源）。虽然了解物种之间的生态位如何以及为什么会发生变化已经主导了几十年的相关研究，但新兴的工作现在显示了物种内部组织水平的生态位变化。不同的种群，甚至种群中的不同个体，都可以开拓出自己的一套资源。这对这些生物体所面临的进化环境以及它们的外观、行为和与其他生物的相互作用有着巨大的影响。什么是不太确定的是什么过程可以塑造，重新塑造和维持这种变化的生态位，这是生物多样性的一个重要组成部分。我们的实验室感兴趣的是如何大，自然破碎的景观影响变化的食物生态位从物种到个体水平的大型哺乳动物捕食者。此外，我们还研究了最具影响力的哺乳动物捕食者-人类-的生态位，以及猎人和渔民对自然界中的竞争对手和猎物的影响。我们的研究计划包括野生动物领域系统和几个以数据库为重点的项目。在野外，我们研究狼，黑熊和灰熊如何相互竞争-最终与鲑鱼渔业-鲑鱼，这是一个关键的中央资源。我们期望了解到，每个参与者所占据的利基将是我们大陆和群岛研究区域竞争发生的地方以及渔业收获水平的函数。我们的数据库项目不仅研究渔业的全球影响，还研究生存和娱乐狩猎的全球影响。我们希望揭示“人类捕食者”的生态位是多么独特，以及它如何塑造许多其他生物的生态和进化。