Understanding zooplankton community responses to stressors in an era of environmental change

在环境变化的时代，了解影响我们星球上生物分布和丰富程度的因素是至关重要的。在地方尺度上，群落组成既受当地生境特征的影响，也受竞争和捕食等生物过程的影响。在区域尺度上，物种的扩散速度和区域物种池的组成决定了哪些物种可以在当地栖息地定居。纳入关于区域因素作用的信息对于评估群落如何对环境变化作出反应是很重要的，因为扩散速度可以影响物种范围转移的速度，也可以影响物种为应对环境变化而进化的速度（通过向种群吸收新的等位基因）。******淡水浮游动物是明确划定的当地群落的一部分，这些群落通过在不适宜居住的陆地景观中扩散，与更大的元群落联系在一起。文献中对浮游动物群落之间联系的强度进行了激烈的争论，一些研究表明浮游动物群落的分散程度很高，而另一些研究表明分散程度很低。浮游动物扩散速率的不确定性使得预测浮游动物群落将如何应对不断变化的环境变得困难。在这个提议中，我描述了一个研究项目，将研究局部和区域因素如何影响浮游动物群落对环境变化的反应。该提案有三个短期目标：******1。评估扩散和进化如何共同影响浮游动物群落对变化环境的反应：我们将使用复活生态学和种群遗传学来研究浮游动物对大平原湖泊盐度水平过去变化的反应时扩散和进化过程的重要性。* * * 2。建立对受环境压力影响的浮游动物群落中Allee效应所起作用的机制理解：我们将使用寻找配偶模型和行为研究来确定Allee效应是否是浮游动物群落在受到干扰后成功恢复的一个重要障碍。考察加拿大北部浮游动物群落对快速变化条件的反应：我们将使用实地调查和操作实验相结合的方法来评估永久冻土融化对北部湖泊浮游动物的潜在影响。******该研究项目将为了解水生生态系统对压力源的反应提供必要的关键基础和应用问题的答案，并将为加拿大受环境变化影响最严重的地区制定管理计划和适应工作提供所需的数据。

In an era of environmental change, the need to understand the factors that shape the distribution and abundance of organisms on our planet is of paramount importance. At a local scale, community composition can be influenced by both the characteristics of the local habitat, as well as by biological processes such as competition and predation. At the regional scale, rates of species dispersal and the composition of the regional species pool can determine which species are available to colonize local habitats. Incorporating information on the role of regional factors is important for evaluating how communities might respond to environmental change, as dispersal rates can influence the speed at which a species range shifts, as well as the rate at which species can evolve in response to changes in their environment (through the intake of new alleles to a population). ******Freshwater zooplankton are part of clearly delineated local communities that are linked to larger metacommunities via dispersal across inhospitable terrestrial landscapes. The strength of the links among zooplankton communities is vigorously debated in the literature, with some studies demonstrating high dispersal levels and others indicating very low levels. The uncertainty about zooplankton dispersal rates makes it difficult to predict how zooplankton communities will respond to a changing environment. In this proposal, I describe a research program that will examine how local and regional factors influence the response of zooplankton communities to environmental change. The proposal has three short-term objectives:******1. Evaluate how dispersal and evolution together impact zooplankton community responses to a changing environment: We will use resurrection ecology and population genetics to examine the importance of dispersal and evolutionary processes as zooplankton responded to past changes in salinity levels in lakes on the Great Plains. ***2. Develop a mechanistic understanding of the role played by Allee effects for zooplankton communities impacted by an environmental stressor: We will use mate-finding models and behavioral studies to determine if the Allee effect is a significant barrier to the successful recovery of zooplankton communities after a disturbance.***3. Examine the response of zooplankton communities to rapidly changing conditions in northern Canada: We will use a combination of field surveys and manipulative experiments to evaluate the potential impacts of melting permafrost on zooplankton in northern lakes. ******This research program will provide answers to key fundamental and applied questions necessary to understand the response of aquatic ecosystems to stressors, and will provide data needed to develop management plans and adaptation efforts in those regions of Canada most affected by environmental change.