SGER - Impact of a Natural Catastrophe on Animal Populations

0086352 Utz 1999年4月，一场五级龙卷风袭击了俄亥俄州的辛辛那提北部。这场风暴摧毁了65英亩的本尼迪克特/哈泽尔伍德植物保护区的大约一半。此次活动为灾难性自然干扰后生态系统恢复的多项研究提供了机会。对被吹落的地区进行了最低限度的管理，大部分地区相对未受干扰，用于森林恢复研究。该SGER研究针对几种动物物种（无脊椎动物和脊椎动物;初级和次级消费者）的第一代干扰，这些动物物种在其发育过程中受到了重大生态系统灾难的环境压力。这项研究关注的问题是，栖息地破坏造成的环境压力是否会对发展不稳定产生影响。研究人员将使用一个经常被引用的环境压力指标-波动不对称性的测量，或FA（双侧对称动物中完美左右对称的小的随机偏差）-作为确定干扰对动物种群影响的手段。最近对森林动物种群的研究表明，在食物中断的种群中，或在植被被砍伐的地区，FA会增加。这是首次对FA与重大自然灾害造成的环境压力相关的研究。这项SGER研究代表了一个独特的机会，可以增加我们对动物种群对罕见但严重的自然干扰的反应的了解。

0086352UetzIn April 1999, a class 5 tornado struck north of Cincinnati, Ohio. This storm destroyed approximately one half of the 65 acre Benedict/Hazelwood Botanical Preserve. This event provides an opportunity for a number of studies on ecosystem recovery following a catastrophic natural disturbance. The blow-down area has been managed minimally and most of the area has been left relatively undisturbed for studies of forest recovery. This SGER study is directed at the first post-disturbance generation of several animal species (invertebrates and vertebrates; primary and secondary consumers) that have been subjected to environmental stress fro a major ecosystem catastrophe during their development. This study concerns the question of whether environmental stress from habitat destruction will have an impact on developmental instability. The investigators will use a frequently-cited indicator of environmental stress - measures of fluctuating asymmetry, or FA (small, random deviations from perfect left-right symmetry in bilaterally symmetrical animals) - as a means of determining impact of disturbance on animal populations. Recent studies with forest-dwelling animal populations have demonstrated that FA is increased in populatoins undergoing interruptions in food, or in areas where vegetation is removed by logging. This is the first study of FA associated with environmental stress from a major natural catastrophe. This SGER research represents a unique opportunity to increase our knowledge about the response of animal populations to a rare but severe natural disturbance.