Larger, safer, rigid-hull inflatable boat for year-round research on island ecology

自达尔文以来，对栖息在海洋岛屿上的动物的研究一直是我们理解进化和生态学的核心，因为水上旅行对大多数鸟类和哺乳动物的运动构成了障碍，导致了具有独特特征的物种的独特组合。 由于水上旅行对人类来说也是一个障碍，因此在海洋岛屿上进行研究需要一艘船。 很难想象还有比这更不可或缺的设备了。 我们正在申请资金，以更换一个现在无法使用的充气船，购买了与NSERC RTI基金在2002-3财政年度，一个更大的，更安全的，刚性船体充气船，必要的允许全年的研究。 推迟购买这一设备将危及五个国家的研究。（3个硕士，2个博士）目前的研究生，并显着损害了来自四所大学的五个高度活跃的研究人员组成的综合团队的研究计划（U Western安大略，U多伦多，U维多利亚，U Simon Fraser）在遗传学，生理学，行为学和生态学方面具有互补的专业知识，该组织正在处理有关岛屿上鸟类和哺乳动物的捕食者-被捕食者关系、引进和灭绝以及部分迁移的问题。 我们期望在理解方面取得重大进展：间接捕食者对猎物人口的影响，岛屿上捕食者较少的遗传影响，岛屿上“中捕食者释放”的意义，以及岛屿上的猎物如何“忘记”他们的捕食者（猎物天真）。 所有的研究都将在不列颠哥伦比亚省海湾群岛进行，以利用该团队在这里进行研究的长期经验，以及在整个群岛范围内解决现象的不寻常的后勤机会。 在接下来的5年里，我们预计将监督至少12名硕士和6名博士生，以及15名本科生研究助理，所有这些人都需要使用所要求的研究船。 这些学生将在分子、生理、行为和种群、生态学以及保护生物学领域接受广泛的培训。 因此，由此产生的高素质人才队伍将获得为学术、政府和私营部门作出贡献所需的技能。

The study of animals inhabiting oceanic islands has been central to our understanding of evolution and ecology ever since Darwin because travel over water represents a barrier to the movement of most birds and mammals, resulting in the creation of unique assemblages of species with unique characteristics. Because travel over water also represents a barrier to humans, conducting research on oceanic islands requires a boat. It is difficult to imagine a more indispensable piece of equipment for this type of work. We are requesting funds to replace a now unusable inflatable boat, purchased with NSERC RTI funds in fiscal year 2002-3, with a larger, safer, rigid-hull inflatable boat, necessary to permit year-round research. Delaying the acquisition of this equipment will jeopardize the research of five (3 MSc, 2 PhD) current graduate students and significantly impair the research program of an integrated team of five highly active investigators from four universities (U Western Ontario, U Toronto, U Victoria, Simon Fraser U) with complementary expertise in genetics, physiology, behaviour and ecology, who are addressing questions concerning predator-prey relationships, introductions and extirpations, and partial migration, in birds and mammals, on islands. We expect to make major advances in understanding: indirect predator effects on prey demography, the genetic implications arising from islands having fewer predators, the significance of 'mesopredator release' on islands, and how island prey come to 'forget' their predators (prey naiveté). All of the research will be conducted in the B.C. Gulf Islands to take advantage of the team's long experience doing research here and the unusual logistical opportunity provided to address phenomena at a whole-archipelago scale. Over the next 5 years we expect to supervise at least 12 MSc and 6 PhD students, and 15 undergraduate research assistants, all of whom will require the use of the requested research boat. These students will receive extensive training in the areas of molecular-, physiological-, behavioural-, and population-, ecology; as well as conservation biology. The resulting cadre of highly qualified personnel will thus be given the skills needed to contribute to the academic, government and private sectors.