Dissertation Research: Using networks to understand seed dispersal mutualisms and the impacts of invasive species on remote oceanic islands in French Polynesia

作为食用水果的间接影响，鸟类经常将植物种子运送到远离原植物的地方。这种传播对于没有帮助就无法移动种子的植物来说至关重要。在群落的背景下，鸟类和植物之间的联系类似于社会网络，节点代表通过它们之间的链接（鸟类传播）连接起来的植物物种。入侵物种的到来可以改变本地物种之间的联系，破坏这些关键的关系。该项目调查了物种入侵如何改变法属波利尼西亚种子传播网络的结构。将捕获鸟类并收集粪便样本，以确定两个岛屿上不同程度的果树入侵的饮食特征。此外，为了发现入侵物种的丰度如何影响鸟类的饮食决定，以及鸟类在种子传播中所扮演的角色，将使用鸟舍中的鸟类实验。入侵物种的控制是全球资源管理者面临的最关键的保护问题之一。该项目将通过与当地科学家和管理人员的合作，为法属波利尼西亚的入侵物种控制提供信息。调查人员向法属波利尼西亚政府的两个办公室提供数据。该项目也是第一个收集受保护的果鸽现状系统数据的项目，该项目仅在法属波利尼西亚的几个岛屿上发现，为保护这一脆弱物种提供了至关重要的信息。三名法属波利尼西亚学生和一名美国学生将在参与实地数据收集的同时获得研究经验，其中一名调查人员正在帮助Moorea岛上两个贫困的五年级班级制定课程和教学。该项目致力于与法属波利尼西亚研究人员建立密切的合作关系，并为Moorea生物代码项目提供组织样本，该项目涉及来自世界各地的150多名科学家，他们将对Moorea岛上的每一种生物进行DNA条形码。

As an indirect effect of consuming fruit, birds often transport plant seeds to locations distant from the original plants. This dispersal is critical for plants that cannot move their seeds without assistance. In the context of a community, the connections between birds and plants are analogous to social networks, with nodes representing plant species that are connected by the links (bird dispersal) between them. The arrival of invasive species can alter the connections between native species, disrupting these critical relationships. This project investigates how species invasions are altering the structure of seed dispersal networks in French Polynesia. Birds will be captured and fecal samples collected in order to characterize diet on two islands that vary in the degree of invasion by a fruit-bearing tree. Additionally, experiments with birds in aviaries will be used in order to discover how the abundance of an invasive species influences the dietary decisions of birds, and thus the role birds play in seed dispersal. The control of invasive species is one of the most critical conservation issues facing resource managers globally. This project will inform invasive species control in French Polynesia through collaboration with local scientists and managers. The investigators provide data to two offices in the French Polynesian government. The project is also the first to gather systematic data on the status of a protected Fruit Dove, which is found on only a few islands in French Polynesia, providing information that is essential for conservation of this vulnerable species. Three French Polynesian and one American student will gain research experience while participating in field data collection, and one of the investigators is helping to develop curriculum and teaching in two classes of underprivileged 5th graders on the island of Moorea. The project is dedicated to developing close collaborative relationships with French Polynesian researchers, and provides tissue samples for the Moorea Biocode project, a program involving over 150 scientists from all over the world to DNA barcode every organism on the island of Moorea.