The heterogeneity-biodiversity relationship across taxa and ecosystems

跨类群和生态系统的异质性与生物多样性关系

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-04519
• 负责人: Proulx, Raphaël
• 金额: $ 2.33万
• 依托单位: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=684455
• 关键词: heterogeneity; biodiversity; relationship; across; taxa

Environmental heterogeneity is defined as the spatial and temporal change in resource or structure within a given area. The heterogeneity-diversity hypothesis is a classic of ecology, to the degree that it has become commonplace for conservationists to plead the positive relationship when emphasizing the importance of preserving or restoring different habitat types. However, recent theory and observation suggest that the relationship can be positive, flat, or even negative, depending on the ecological context. While plant and animal diversity intuitively depend on environmental heterogeneity at the landscape-scale, it is unclear whether the relationship generalizes the stand-scale. An alternative view is that the heterogeneity-diversity relationship vanishes and may even be reversed (diversity begets heterogeneity) at the stand-scale. Pioneer work as well as more recent studies have systematically considered one relationship direction; that heterogeneity begets diversity. The question of how plant diversity determines environmental heterogeneity at the stand-scale has, so far, been overlooked.***To generalize the heterogeneity-diversity relationship, I propose studying it for two animal groups (open-field orthopterans and forest birds) in eight ecosystems along a gradient of climatic/edaphic conditions. Environmental heterogeneity will be measured using both direct field methods and indirect close-range photographic protocols. Animal communities will be described in terms of species and functional guild richness, as well as through digital recordings. On the method side, we will develop rapid photographic descriptors of plant architecture and light interception patterns, as well as acoustic descriptors of species and functional richness in vocalizing animal groups. On the conceptual side, we will work with worldwide distributed model organisms (birds and orthopterans) that are implicated in trophic transfer and bioregulation processes.****The proposed framework bridges the sub-disciplines of landscape ecology, eco-acoustics and community ecology. Generalizing the heterogeneity-diversity relationship across taxa and ecosystems is an important step towards more informed policies for biodiversity conservation. Our work will address questions frequently asked by stakeholders: At what scales should we manage habitats for biodiversity, or is there a level of environmental heterogeneity beyond which biodiversity is expected to saturate? This research program will form new generation of biologists that can use and develop tools for monitoring plant and animal communities at high resolution in space and time.**

环境异质性是指某一区域内资源或结构的时空变化。异质性-多样性假说是生态学的经典之作，以至于自然资源保护主义者在强调保护或恢复不同栖息地类型的重要性时，常常会为这种正相关关系辩护。然而，最近的理论和观察表明，这种关系可以是积极的，平坦的，甚至是消极的，这取决于生态环境。 虽然植物和动物的多样性直观地依赖于环境异质性在植被规模，目前还不清楚这种关系是否普遍林分规模。另一种观点是，异质性多样性的关系消失，甚至可能被逆转（多样性产生异质性）在林分规模。先驱工作以及最近的研究都系统地考虑了一个关系方向：异质性产生多样性。植物多样性如何决定林分尺度上的环境异质性的问题迄今为止一直被忽视。为了概括异质性多样性的关系，我建议研究它的两个动物群体（开放领域直翅目和森林鸟类）在8个生态系统沿着梯度的气候/土壤条件。环境异质性将使用直接实地方法和间接近距离摄影协议进行测量。动物群落将被描述的物种和功能的行会丰富性，以及通过数字记录。在方法方面，我们将开发快速摄影描述符的植物结构和光截获模式，以及声音描述符的物种和功能丰富的发声动物群体。在概念方面，我们将与世界各地分布的模式生物（鸟类和直翅目），涉及营养转移和生物调节过程。建议的框架桥梁景观生态学，生态声学和社区生态学的子学科。在生物分类群和生态系统中概括异质性与多样性的关系，是制定更明智的生物多样性保护政策的重要一步。我们的工作将解决利益相关者经常提出的问题：我们应该在什么尺度上管理生物多样性的栖息地，或者是否存在一个生物多样性预计将饱和的环境异质性水平？这项研究计划将形成新一代的生物学家，他们可以使用和开发工具，在空间和时间上以高分辨率监测植物和动物群落。