RUI: Inducible Defenses and Community Ecology: An Integrated Approach.

瑞：诱导防御和群落生态：综合方法安德鲁·M·特纳·克拉里昂大学的捕食者在维持生态群落的结构和功能方面发挥着关键作用，但它们做到这一点的机制尚不清楚。捕食传统上是通过捕食者如何改变猎物的种群大小来研究的，但捕食者也会导致猎物行为、形态和生活史的变化。捕食者的非致命性影响可能会通过生态系统级联，改变种群和社区。如果是真的，对群落结构的全面了解将不仅取决于对捕食者饮食的详细了解，还取决于捕食者如何改变猎物特征。这项提案中概述的工作旨在将对猎物特征变化的理解整合到更大的群落生态学领域。这些研究使用淡水蜗牛及其捕食者进行实验室实验、野外实验和野外调查，以确定捕食者诱导的特征变化是否会改变群落组织。淡水蜗牛是解决性状变化在生态系统中作用的理想模式系统，因为它们的性状非常可塑性，世代时间短，便于研究性状转变对种群水平的影响，很容易圈养，它们是许多水生生态系统的关键角色。这些研究的结果将进一步加深我们对自然群落如何运作的了解，从而增强我们管理自然资源和保护生物多样性的能力。该研究计划非常重视本科培养，并将其与教学和教师培训相结合。

RUI: Inducible Defenses and Community Ecology: An Integrated ApproachAndrew M. TurnerClarion University Predators play a key role in maintaining the structure and function of ecological communities, but the mechanism by which they do so is not clear. Predation has traditionally been studied in terms of how predators alter prey population size, but predators also induce shifts in prey behavior, morphology, and life-history. The non-lethal effects of predators may cascade through ecological systems, altering populations and communities. If true, a full understanding of community structure would depend on a detailed knowledge of not just predator diets, but also how predators alter prey traits. The work outlined in this proposal is aimed at integrating an understanding of prey trait shifts into the larger realm of community ecology. The studies employ freshwater snails and their predators in laboratory experiments, field experiments, and field surveys in order to determine if predator-induced trait shifts alter community organization. Freshwater snails are an ideal model system with which to address the role of trait shifts in ecological systems because their traits are quite plastic, their short generation times facilitate study of the population level effects of trait shifts, they are readily reared in captivity, and they are key players in many aquatic ecosystems. The results of these studies will further our understanding of how natural communities function, thereby enhancing our ability to manage natural resources and conserve biological diversity. The research program places a large emphasis on undergraduate training and integration with teaching and teacher training.