Connecting empirical and theoretical work on species interactions

为了解释生物多样性的模式，有必要对允许多个物种共存的机制有一个明确的理解。一些研究人员通过发展理论来应对这一挑战，而另一些研究人员则收集了自然历史或实验数据。这个创造性的项目通过明确地解决理论和数据的交集，将这两种不同的方法结合在一起。拟议的项目侧重于甲虫和其寄生蜂之间的相互作用；寄生蜂可以在限制自然和农业生境中的昆虫数量方面发挥重要作用。首先，寄生蜂攻击率的异质性可以促进捕食者和猎物共存的理论预测将得到实验验证。第二，将发展新的理论，以追求人口随机性和资源异质性之间的相互作用促进人口持久性的观点。第三，理论与数据的交叉将通过开发有效的实验设计来解决，重点是响应面实验设计。通过模拟，研究人员将研究替代实验设计的相对效率，以量化作为物种相互作用基础的功能关系。这个项目具有潜在的变革性，因为它将加速使用新的实验设计和分析来比较可选的模型结构，而不是拒绝零假设的标准做法。研究人员将开发开源软件，以评估特定环境下的实验设计。该项目将有助于本科生和研究生在研究技术、数据分析、计算机编程和独立研究方面的培训。佛罗里达州立大学为多样化的本科生群体提供服务，调查人员计划从目前在科学和数学领域代表性不足的群体中招收学生。

A firm understanding of the mechanisms that allow multiple species to coexist is necessary in order to explain patterns of biodiversity. Several researchers have addressed this challenge by developing theory, while others have collected natural history or experimental data. This creative project joins these two separate approaches by explicitly addressing the intersection of theory and data. The proposed projects focus on the interactions between a beetle and its parasitoid wasp; parasitoids can play an important role in limiting insect populations in natural and agricultural habitats. First, the theoretical prediction that heterogeneity in parasitoid attack rates can promote coexistence of predator and prey will be tested experimentally. Second, new theory will be developed to pursue the idea that interactions between demographic stochasticity and resource heterogeneity promote population persistence. Third, the intersection of theory with data will be addressed through the development of efficient experimental designs, with an emphasis on response surface experimental designs. Through simulations, the investigators will study relative efficiencies of alternative experimental designs for quantifying the functional relationships that underlie species interactions. This project is potentially transformative in that it will accelerate the use of new experimental designs and analyses to compare alternative model structures, as opposed to the standard practice of rejecting null hypotheses. The investigator will develop open-source software to evaluate experimental designs in specific contexts. This project will contribute to the training of undergraduate and graduate students in research techniques, data analysis, computer programming, and in independent research. Florida State University serves a diverse undergraduate population, and the investigator plans to recruit students from groups currently under-represented in science and mathematics.