US-India Cooperative Research: How Do Human Seed Predators Affect the Population Ecology of Tropical Forest Trees?

描述：该奖项支持美国-印度的合作研究，人类种子捕食者如何影响热带森林树木的种群生态？美国夏威夷大学的Pi Tamara Ticktin将与班加罗尔阿育卡生态与环境研究信托基金(ATREE)的Rengaian Ganesan博士合作，评估人类通过采摘水果来掠夺种子对印度西高止四种动物分散的热带森林树木种群生态的影响。虽然几千年来，人类一直是热带树木的重要食果者，但很少进行生态学研究，以评估人类采集野生资源在改变林木生态方面可能已经并将继续发挥的作用的重要性。此外，研究人员将使用人口统计学和种子传播分析来研究动物食果性动物在塑造树木种群结构和动态方面所起的作用。合作范围：这项合作结合了美国和印度科学家在再生动力学(Ganesan)以及种群建模和果树研究(Ticktin)方面的专业知识，以解决这种植物-人-动物相互作用的复杂性。合作机构ATREE是一家公认的科学研究机构，自1996年成立以来一直进行生态研究。作为一个备受尊敬的环境科学和政策小组，它拥有将该项目的科学成果转化为有关保护和可持续采伐热带森林的有意义的管理和教育活动的专门知识。印度和美国的PIs都是新近获得的博士学位。这一合作将为美国和印度的博士生提供培训机会，并为两国的教职员工、研究人员和学生带来互惠互利。

0352827TicktinDescription: This award supports the US-India cooperative research, How do Human Seed Predators Affect the Population Ecology of Tropical Forest Trees? US PI Tamara Ticktin, University of Hawaii will collaborate with Dr. Rengaian Ganesan, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bangalore to assess the effects of seed predation through fruit-harvesting by humans on the population ecology of four animal-dispersed tropical forest trees in India's Western Ghats. While humans have acted as important frugivores of tropical trees for thousands of years, little ecological research has been conducted to assess the significance of the role that human gathering of wild resources may have played, and continue to play, in altering forest tree ecology. Additionally, the investigators will use both demographic and seed-dispersal analyses to study the role that animal frugivores play in shaping the structure and dynamics of tree populations. Scope: This collaboration combines the expertise of the US and Indian scientists in regeneration dynamics (Ganesan), and population modeling and frugivory studies (Ticktin) to address the complexities of this plant-human-animal interaction. The collaborating institution ATREE is a recognized scientific research institution that has conducted ecological research since its establishment in 1996. As a well-respected environmental science and policy group, it has the expertise to translate the scientific results of this project into meaningful management and educational activities regarding conservation and sustainable harvesting of tropical forests. Both Indian and US PIs are recent PhDs. This collaboration will provide training opportunities for US and Indian doctoral students and mutual benefits for faculty, researchers and students at both institutions.