To what degree does phylogenetic relatedness between species predict ecological similarity?

生态学的一个主要目标是了解在自然群落中维持物种多样性和共存的过程(也称为群落组装)。这一过程的模型表明，稳定的共存要求竞争对手在各自的生态位上有所不同，生态上过于相似的物种不能共存。与生态相似性和共生性的讨论相交的是，物种之间的进化或系统发育关系反映了它们的生态相似性的程度，从而可以用来理解共存和群落组装。几个解释群落聚集的假说预测了生态相似性和系统发育关联性之间的联系。达尔文认为，密切相关的物种竞争激烈，因为它们具有相似的形态和生态位，因此不应该共存。这项拟议的研究将结合大量植物物种的明确实验场方法，以及广泛的观测数据，来探索物种在系统发育背景下的群落组装和潜在的物种共存机制。19种本地植物将被放置在近亲和远亲的栖息地，并将在这些栖息地评估植物性能，包括存在和不存在草食动物(实验操纵)。此外，物种将被种植到温室中经过灭菌的田间采集的土壤中，并将从这些土壤中接种活的或灭菌的土壤生物群。这项实验将表明亲缘关系下采集的土壤生物群对亲缘关系竞争和共存格局的影响程度。将在实地收集观测数据，以记录土壤生物群、土壤矿物性质和近亲和远亲在田间共存的模式，以及这些物种在田间的功能特征。最终，这项研究将有助于制定旨在恢复和维护生物多样性高的自然社区的战略，这些社区往往比物种匮乏的社区提供更大的生态系统服务。这些数据将提供给其他研究人员。此外，这些活动将支持关于当前生态学和进化论主题的公开讲座系列，以及培训本科生、博士后助理和本科生与研究生院之间的学生。一名新的女助理教授将由补助金提供支助，并由国际和平协会提供指导。

A primary goal of ecology is to understand the processes maintaining species diversity and coexistence in natural communities (also called community assembly). Models of this process suggest that stable coexistence requires competitors to differ in their niches, and that species that are too ecologically similar cannot coexist. Intersecting with this discussion of ecological similarity and coexistence is the degree to which the evolutionary or phylogenetic relatedness between species reflects their ecological similarity, and can thus be used to understand coexistence and community assembly. Several hypotheses to explain community assembly predict a link between ecological similarity and phylogenetic relatedness. Darwin argued that closely related species compete intensely because they have similar morphologies and niches, and thus should not coexist. The proposed study will combine an explicitly experimental field approach across a large diversity of plant species, coupled with extensive observational data, to explore community assembly and the mechanisms underlying species coexistence in a phylogenetic context. Nineteen species of native plants will be placed into the habitats of close and distant relatives and plant performance will be assessed across these habitats both in the presence and absence of herbivores (experimentally manipulated). In addition, species will be planted into sterilized, field-collected soils in the greenhouse and will be inoculated with live or sterilized soil biota communities from these soils. This experiment will indicate the degree to which soil biota collected under relatives influences patterns of competition and coexistence among relatives. Observational data will be collected in the field to document soil biota, soil mineral properties and patterns of coexistence in the field of close and distant relatives, along with functional traits of these species in the field. Ultimately, the study will contribute to strategies aimed at restoring and maintaining natural communities of high biodiversity, communities that often provide greater ecosystem services than species-poor communities. The data will be made available to other researchers. In addition, these activities will support a public lecture series on current topics in ecology and evolution, as well as train undergraduates, post-doctoral associates and students between undergraduate and graduate schools. A new female Assistant Professor will be supported by the grant and mentored by the PI.