RUI: Collaborative Research on Mechanisms Underlying Salamander Population Fluctuations

本研究的目的是了解科罗拉多州中部亚高山湿地蝾螈数量急剧波动的机制。在动物种群中经常观察到盛衰周期，但对两栖动物的这种周期却知之甚少。将采用多种方法，包括对自然种群中蝾螈繁殖和生存的长期监测、操纵食物（水生无脊椎动物）和其他资源的实地实验以及实验室研究，来研究可能导致种群周期的机制。这些数据将用于构建数学模型，以确定哪些机制能够产生在这种两栖动物中观察到的种群规模的长期波动。世界范围内两栖动物数量的减少是生态学家非常关注的问题，能够区分两栖动物数量变化的自然原因与人类活动有关的原因是很重要的。火蜥蜴是亚高山湿地的原生顶级捕食者，有充分的证据表明，它们在决定食物网中有多少无脊椎动物共存方面起着关键作用。这项研究是了解蝾螈数量周期如何影响食物网并最终影响这些偏远原始生态系统功能的第一步。

The purpose of this research is to understand the mechanisms responsible for dramatic fluctuations in the number of salamanders in subalpine wetlands in central Colorado. Boom and bust cycles are often observed in animal populations, but such cycles are poorly understood in amphibians. A combination of approaches including long-term monitoring of salamander reproduction and survival in natural populations, field experiments that manipulate food (aquatic invertebrates) and other resources, and laboratory studies will be used to study mechanisms that could lead to population cycles. These data will be used to construct mathematical models to determine which mechanisms are capable of producing long-term the fluctuations in population size observed in this amphibian. The decline of amphibians around the world is of great concern to ecologists, and it is important to be able to distinguish natural causes of change in amphibian populations from those related to human activities. Salamanders are the native top predators in subalpine wetlands and it is well documented that they play a key role in determining how many and which invertebrates coexist in the food web. This research is a first step towards understanding how cycles in the number of salamanders will affect the foodwebs and ultimately the functioning of these remote, pristine, ecosystems.