Anthropod responses to changing environments

本研究旨在探索节肢动物种群动态的驱动因素，并将其与节肢动物生活史、生境亲和性和种群组成的进化研究相结合。我们研究节肢动物在生态系统功能中的作用，并预测群落对压力和扰动的反应。重点是将生态主题编织到与焦点生物的生物细节相关联的进化背景中。我们提出了进化生态学的一般解释框架，并将其应用于景观和可再生资源管理。此外，该计划还有助于对生命史理论，种间杂交的意义和新兴的生物多样性科学的科学综合。拟开展的工作包括以下七个主题：1)面对外来入侵物种的发展和影响，城乡梯度的昆虫群落及其保护；2)林业实践与节肢动物多样性的关系，比较林业与自然干扰的影响，并主要利用实验方法阐明生物多样性与其他价值之间的权衡；(3)森林害虫与其宿主和天敌特征之间的关系，以及这些特征如何受到气候变化的影响；4)自上而下和自下而上的食物网联系如何影响生活史的进化，以及生活史性状如何在不同密度、天敌和非生物条件下进化；5)为什么有些物种没有表现出一般生命史的基本逻辑权衡；6)北美西部半水生昆虫的杂交，特别是种群遗传方面的张力带模型如何在复杂的运动和可能的生境选择的马赛克带中得到最好的应用；7)利用节肢动物作为湿地健康和恢复的指示物，包括利用水栖动物作为污染和全球变化（如紫外线辐射和降水模式的变化）的生物指示物。这项工作有助于履行加拿大在bbb100生物多样性公约下的承诺，并有助于制定可持续森林管理和虫害物种管理的创新战略。

This research explores the dynamic factors driving arthropod population dynamics and integrates that understanding with work about evolution of arthropod life histories, habitat affinities and assemblage composition. We study arthropod roles in ecosystem function and predict community responses to stress and perturbation. Emphasis is on knitting ecological themes into an evolutionary context well connected to biological details of the focal organisms. We contribute to general explanatory frameworks in evolutionary ecology and apply these to landscape and renewable resource management. In addition, the program contributes to scientific syntheses about life-history theory, significance of interspecific hybridization and the new, and emerging science of biodiversity. Work proposed fits into 7 project themes: 1) insect assemblages on urban-rural gradients and how they may be conserved in the face of development and impact of invasive exotic species; 2) relationships between forestry practices and arthropod diversity, comparing effects of forestry with those of natural disturbances, and use mainly experimental approaches to elucidate tradeoffs between biodiversity and other values; 3) relationships between forest pests and characteristics of their hosts and natural enemies, and how these are affected by climate change; 4) how top-down and bottom-up food-web linkages affect evolution of life histories and how life-history traits evolve in relation to variable density, natural enemies and abiotic conditions; 5) why some species do not show the logical trade-offs basic to general life-history; 6) hybridization in semi-aquatic bugs in western North America, especially how population genetic aspects of tension zone models are best applied in mosaic zones complicated by movement and possible habitat selection; and 7) use of arthropods as indicators of wetland health and restoration, including the potential use of waterstriders as bioindicators of pollution and global change, such as changes in UV radiation and precipitation patterns. This work contributes to meeting Canada's commitments under the Rio biodiversity convention and to developing innovative strategies for sustainable forest management and management of pest species.