Spatio-Temporal Connectivity of Species, Communities and Ecosystems

在接下来的五年里，我的研究小组（本科生，博士和博士后）将研究如何个人层面的过程（生物体在破碎景观中的运动），物种水平的过程（纳塔尔扩散、元种群动态）、社区一级进程（种间相互作用、捕食者-被捕食者营养动态和群落变化、元群落动态）和生态系统水平过程（生态系统服务、陆地和水生生态系统之间的界面、元生态系统）受到直接和间接的全球变化的影响。一个空间生态学框架将被用来处理这些调查。具体而言，我的研究团队将专注于生态网络，并将开发时空方法，这些方法可以重新组合为两个总体研究主题：（i）概念和分析发展[项目1，2，3]和（ii）应用和验证研究在元人口[项目4]，元社区[项目5]和元生态系统空间分析[项目6]。具体而言，这些研究项目的目标是：（1）开发一个元模型框架，将一个空间尺度的关键过程与另一个空间尺度的关键过程相结合，以空间上明确的方式对温带和北方森林的气候和土地使用变化作出森林反应;（2）发展时空和方向连通性测度，以模拟河流网络（河景）对鱼类活动的影响，因为河流温度较高，会成为鱼类在河流内活动的障碍;（3）发展显著性检验以确定拓扑网络结构能够减轻景观空间动态的阈值;（4）通过微观实验研究了动态和变暖环境下的时空连通性变化：（5）定量分析了不同气候梯度和不同景观异质性条件下，沿着分布格局的变化;（6）结合联合收割机景观水平的空间显式干扰模型和基于个体的鸟类运动模型，确定维持生物多样性和生态系统服务所需的时空连通性阈值。这些研究项目将为未来的几种研究途径和分析发展奠定基础。它们将有助于确定空间在维持物种方面的重要性，以及如何在不断变化的世界中恢复生态系统服务。

Over the next five years, my research group (undergraduate students, PhDs and Post-docs) will investigate how individual-level processes (organism movement in fragmented landscapes), species-level processes (natal dispersal, meta-population dynamics), community-level processes (inter-specific interactions, predator-prey trophic dynamics and community shifts, meta-community dynamics), and ecosystem-level processes (ecosystem services, interface between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, meta-ecosystems) are affected by direct and indirect global change. A spatial ecology framework will be used to tackle these investigations. Specifically, my research team will focus on ecological networks and will develop spatio-temporal methods that can be regrouped into two overarching research themes: (i) Conceptual and analytical developments [projects 1, 2, 3] and (ii) Application and validation studies in meta-population [project 4], meta-community [project 5] and meta-ecosystem spatial analysis [project 6]. In particular, these research projects aim to: (1) develop a meta-modelling framework to integrate the key processes from one spatial scale to another in spatially-explicit forest response to climate and land use changes in temperate and boreal forests; (2) develop spatio-temporal and directional connectivity measures to model stream network (riverscape) functions on fish movement in light of warmer stream temperatures that will act as barriers to fish movement within streams; (3) develop a significance test to determine thresholds at which topological network structures can mitigate landscape spatial dynamics; (4) test how spatio-temporal connectivity varies in a dynamic and warming environment using a microcosm experiment; (5) quantify range shifts of odonates along a climatic gradient and range of landscape spatial heterogeneity; and (6) combine spatially explicit disturbance models at the landscape level with an individual based model of bird movement to determine the spatio-temporal connectivity thresholds needed to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services. These research projects will set the foundation for several future research avenues and analytical developments. They will help to determine in which ways space matters to maintain species and how to restore ecosystems services in a changing world.