Ecological Network Conundrum

在自然生态系统中，世界各地的顶级捕食者正在减少，改变了物种之间的相互作用，因为它们往往被中型捕食者和人类过度开发所取代。在城市生态系统的另一端，专业物种正在减少，并被促进病原体和疾病传播的通才和害虫物种所取代。因此，物种面临着气候变化和土地使用变化的一系列直接和间接威胁，这些威胁使生态系统同质化。这种全球变化的结果在解偶联的营养环节，由于物候变化和物种范围的变化，导致物种的非模拟相互作用。因此，至少可以说，物种持久性的结构及其提供的生态系统服务是不稳定的。为了应对这些快速变化，已经提出了一些保护战略，如建立保护区。不幸的是，关于连通性的积极和消极影响以及如何实现这种连通性以优化物种持久性，存在一个难题。我提议的研究将模拟全球变化下的物种生态网络动态。我将确定哪些物种特征影响网络拓扑和功能的动态性，以及哪些特征促进适应性网络属性。一个主要的目标是了解景观的时空动态可能会影响生态网络拓扑结构，促进潜在的重新布线的物种相互作用，以应对全球变化。因此，我和我的研究团队将测试物种特征、人口统计学生命率和物种相互作用的潜在协同效应。我们将制定假设和框架，以更好地了解影响生态网络时空动态的景观空间结构的权衡，并确定空间网络的共性，以告知保护管理策略。我们将进行敏感性分析的替代假设的重要性，网络拓扑结构的节点水平和链路水平，以及网络强度对物种的空间分布响应时空动态景观。* 这些研究项目将为生态网络和空间生态学研究的若干未来研究途径和分析发展奠定基础。为此，我们将结合联合收割机在线数据库，收集有关物种特征、物种扩散能力和遗传变异时空模式的生态数据。这些研究项目的结果将有助于确定空间和物种相互作用对维持亚生态系统和生态系统功能的影响。生态网络模型和分析工具也可以扩展到其他生态系统和物种，以便进行土地使用决策，包括确定道路和输电走廊的位置、制定森林管理计划和建立保护区。

In natural ecosystems, apex predators are decreasing around the world, altering species interactions as they are often replaced by meso-predators and human overexploitation. At the other end of the spectrum in urban ecosystems, specialist species are declining and being replaced by generalists and pest species that promote the spread of pathogens and disease. Species are therefore facing a suite of simultaneous direct and indirect threats from climate change and land-use change that homogenize ecosystems. Such global change results in the uncoupling of trophic links due to phenological change and species range shifts resulting in species non-analog interactions. Hence, the fabric of species persistence and the ecosystem services that they provide is precarious to say the least. To respond to these rapid changes, several conservation strategies have been proposed such as the establishment of protected areas. Unfortunately, there is a conundrum about the positive and negative effects of connectivity and how to implement such connectivity to optimize species persistence.***My proposed research will model species ecological networks dynamics under global change. I will determine which species traits influence the dynamics of network topology and functions, and which traits promote adaptable network properties. A major goal is to understand how the spatio-temporal dynamics of landscapes may affect ecological network topology promoting the potential rewiring of species interactions in response to global change. Hence, my research team and I will test the potential synergetic effects of species traits, demographic vital rates, and species interactions. We will develop hypotheses and frameworks to better understand the trade-offs in landscape spatial structure that affect the spatio-temporal dynamics of ecological networks and identify spatial network generalities to inform conservation management strategies. We will perform a sensitivity analysis of alternative hypotheses about the importance of network topology at the node level and the link level as well as the network strength on species spatial distribution responses to spatio-temporal dynamic landscapes. ***These research projects will set the foundation for several future research avenues and analytical developments for ecological networks and spatial ecology studies. To do so, we will combine online databases on ecological data about species traits, species dispersal abilities, and spatio-temporal patterns of genetic variation. The findings of these research projects will help to determine in which ways space and species interactions matter to maintain metacommunities and ecosystems' functions. The ecological network modeling and analytic tools could also be extended to other ecosystems and species for the purpose of land use decision-making including the location of roads and transmission corridors, the development of forest management plans and the establishment of protected areas.