Interactions among closely-related species and the evolution of biodiversity

什么因素促进或限制了当地的生物多样性？为什么它在空间和时间上有所不同？这些问题是我们理解自然的核心，但我们缺乏准确预测和减轻人类活动对生物多样性影响所需的答案。我们提出的研究计划的目标是通过研究密切相关的物种如何共存来提高我们对生物多样性的理解。我们之所以关注近亲物种，是因为它们代表了当地生物多样性进化的最早阶段，它们共同的生态偏好和特征为共存提供了挑战。* * * * * *的目标1。了解近亲物种如何以及为什么分配资源。在安大略省南部，有七种隐埋甲虫生活在一起，它们都依靠小型脊椎动物的腐肉来繁殖。我们将研究通过在不同温度下繁殖和占据不同栖息地来分配资源的物种，这两个环境轴影响着自然界中的许多物种。这项工作的目的是了解物种之间资源分配的机制，使用一个可处理的系统进行详细的选择、移植、竞争和热耐受性实验。* * * * * *的目标2。了解物种间直接竞争互动的进化结果。物种之间不断地相互传递信号，相互取代，相互争斗，揭示了直接竞争互动在自然界中的重要性。我们将研究物种间直接相互作用对信号、杂交和进化的影响，通过比较具有侵略性相互作用的鸟类物种，以及始终具有优势和从属的物种。* * * * * *的目标3。确定影响资源分配和物种对环境挑战的反应的广泛过程和限制。自然界中资源分配的重复模式表明了反复出现的潜在选择压力和约束。利用大量的鸟类数据集，我们将验证以下假设：适应新的和具有挑战性的环境会损害竞争能力；面临环境挑战的物种要么在面临额外的新挑战时挣扎着坚持下去，要么在新挑战出现时预先适应。* * * * * *的影响。从保护物种到管理资源，对构建生物多样性的过程的理解应该在指导我们如何与自然互动方面发挥核心作用。本文提出的研究将通过阐明资源分配的机制、物种之间直接相互作用的后果，以及限制物种如何分配资源的更广泛的过程，从而决定物种何时以及如何在自然界中共同生活，从而提高我们对生物多样性的理解。该项目将培养4名博士、5名硕士和12-15名理学士。

What factors promote or constrain local biodiversity, and why does it vary in space and time? These questions are central to our understanding of nature, and yet we lack the answers necessary to accurately predict and mitigate the impacts of human activities on biodiversity. The goal of our proposed research program is to advance our understanding of biodiversity by studying how closely-related species coexist. We focus on closely-related species because they represent the earliest stages in the evolution of local biodiversity, and their shared ecological preferences and traits provide a challenge to coexistence.******Objective 1. Understand how and why closely-related species partition resources. Seven species of Nicrophorus burying beetle live together in southern Ontario, all relying on small vertebrate carrion for breeding. We will study species that partition resources by breeding at different temperatures and occupying distinct habitats two environmental axes that influence many species in nature. The goal of this work is to understand the mechanisms that underlie resource partitioning among species, using a tractable system for detailed selection, transplant, competition, and thermal tolerance experiments. ******Objective 2. Understand the evolutionary consequences of direct, competitive interactions among species. Species are continuously signalling, displacing, and fighting with each other, revealing the importance of direct competitive interactions in nature. We will examine the consequences of direct interactions among species for signals, hybridization, and evolution by comparing species of birds that interact aggressively, with a consistently dominant and subordinate species. ******Objective 3. Identify broad processes and constraints that influence resource partitioning and the response of species to environmental challenges. Repeated patterns of resource partitioning in nature suggest recurrent underlying selective pressures and constraints. Using an extensive dataset on birds, we will test the hypotheses that adaptation to new and challenging environments compromises competitive ability, and that species confronted with environmental challenges will either struggle to persist when confronting additional new challenges, or will be preadapted to novel challenges as they occur. ******Impact. An understanding of the processes that structure biodiversity should play a central role in guiding how we interact with nature, from conserving species to managing resources. The research proposed here will improve our understanding of biodiversity by elucidating the mechanisms underlying resource partitioning, the consequences of direct interactions among species, and the broader processes that constrain how species partition resources, and thus determine when and how species can live together in nature. The proposed work would train 4 PhD, 5 MSc, and 12-15 BSc students.