High-amplitude midge fluctuations and the ecosystem dynamics of Lake Myvatn, Iceland

了解每年丰度波动的种群对生态学家来说仍然是一个挑战。这项研究将调查冰岛Mývatn湖的蠓，以确定为什么它们的丰度在持续4-7年的不规则周期中波动超过5个数量级。幼蚊以湖底的藻类为食，研究人员将启动包含整个蚊峰到蚊峰周期的实验，以验证这样一种假设，即当幼虫消耗了所有的藻类时，就会引起极端的蚊波动。这项研究还将调查蚊子周期的后果。在蚊类高发的年份，超过300公吨的蚊类会在周围的石南草原上沉积，为捕食者提供食物，为植物提供营养。这提供了一个自然实验，通过观察蠓的脉冲如何在生态系统网络中分支，来测试关于湖泊和海岸线生态系统如何相互作用的假设。这项研究将加强与冰岛科学家的国际合作。它将培训在Mývatn上工作的美国研究生和本科生，让他们接触到具有挑战性的科学问题，这些问题的答案需要多个学科的专业知识。学生将在一个跨学科的国际研究小组的指导下在水生和陆地栖息地工作。

Understanding populations that undergo fluctuations in abundance from one year to the next continues to challenge ecologists. This study will investigate midges in Lake Mývatn, Iceland, to determine why their abundance fluctuates over 5 orders of magnitude in irregular cycles lasting 4-7 years. Juvenile midges feed on algae at the bottom of the lake, and experiments that encompass a full peak-to-peak midge cycle will be initiated to test the hypothesis that the extreme midge fluctuations are caused when the larvae consume all the algae. The research will also investigate the consequences of the midge cycles. During high midge years, over 300 metric tons of midges are deposited in the surrounding heathland, providing food for predators and nutrients for plants. This provides a natural experiment to test hypotheses about how the lake and shoreline ecosystems interact by observing how the pulses of midges ramify through the ecosystem networks.The research will strengthen international collaborations with scientists in Iceland. It will train US graduate and undergraduate students doing work at Mývatn, providing them exposure to challenging scientific questions whose answers require expertise from several disciplines. Students will work in both aquatic and terrestrial habitats under the tutelage of an interdisciplinary and international research group.