Population to ecosystem scale effects of evo-to-eco pathways in nature

进化和生态过程曾经被认为发生在如此不同的时间尺度上，以至于在研究当代(1-100代人)生态动态时，进化可以被忽略。然而，进化可能是快速的，可能会影响物种特征和遗传多样性。因此，进化也可能在人口、社区和生态系统层面上影响当代生态动态，对我们预测人类活动引起的环境变化的后果具有广泛的影响。关于进化过程如何影响生态变化(从进化到生态的途径)的大多数研究都是在人工实验室条件下进行的。相反，我的研究计划将调查Evo-to-Eco途径如何影响自然界的生态动态。我的团队将继续对北卡罗来纳州开普雷斯市的原始溪流鲑鱼种群进行长期研究。这些种群是研究自然界从生态到Evo途径的一个信息模型，因为：(I)它们是顶级捕食者，并且只是其溪流中的脊椎动物；(Ii)它们可以在占据小河流的过程中得到全面研究；(Iii)它们在被认为影响无脊椎动物猎物群落结构和水生生态系统生产力的特征上存在很大差异；以及(Iv)它们易于进行使用其他脊椎动物进行的极具挑战性的实验(例如临时易位；共同花园)。小河鲑鱼也是具有重要社会经济意义的鲑科鱼类的一员，因此关于开普赛鲑鱼的研究结果对加拿大和其他地方的水生物种和生态系统的养护/管理具有重要意义。在接下来的五年里，我的团队将确定鲑鱼种群之间的遗传或特征变化如何影响(I)它们的种群增长，以及(Ii)群落结构和生态系统功能。目标(I)将结合对遗传多样性程度和近亲交配程度不同的种群的人口学和基因组学的创新长期研究，以检验关于遗传/进化因素在影响种群生存能力中的作用的长期假设。目的(Ii)将不同种群的鲑鱼暂时移植到孤立的小池塘，以调查不同的种群密度、遗传多样性和特征特征可能对水生群落和生态系统的结构/组成产生的未解决的重要性。这些研究目标将包括四个研究生和五个本科生论文项目。我提议的研究计划提供了一个概念上和分析上都很强的工作环境，采用了经典和现代工具来解决与加拿大社会相关的研究问题。为了提高对Evo-to-Eco途径效应可能在多大程度上影响种群增长、种群生产力、水生群落结构和生态系统功能的了解，我的研究计划将在不同生物水平上为小种群保护和可持续渔业管理提供信息。

Evolutionary and ecological processes were once thought to occur on such different timescales that evolution could be ignored when examining contemporary (1-100s of generations) ecological dynamics. Yet evolution can be rapid and can affect species traits and genetic diversity. So evolution might also impact contemporary ecological dynamics at population, community and ecosystem levels, with broad implications for our prediction of the consequences of environmental changes induced by human activities. Most research on how evolutionary processes influence ecological changes (`evo-to-eco' pathways) has been conducted under artificial lab conditions. My research program will instead investigate how evo-to-eco pathways influence ecological dynamics in nature. My team will continue our long-term research of pristine brook trout populations at Cape Race, NL. These populations are an informative model for studying eco-to-evo pathways in nature because: (i) they are the top predators and only vertebrates in their streams; (ii) they can be comprehensively studied in occupying small streams; (iii) they differ substantially in traits thought to influence invertebrate prey community structure and aquatic ecosystem productivity; and (iv) they are amenable to experimentation that is very challenging to conduct using other vertebrates (e.g. temporary translocations; common-gardens). Brook trout is also a member of socio-economically important salmonids, so research findings on Cape Race trout have relevance to the conservation/management of aquatic species and ecosystems in Canada and elsewhere. Over the next five years, my team will determine how genetic or trait changes among trout populations affect (i) their population growth, and (ii) community structure and ecosystem function. Objective (i) will combine innovative long-term studies on the demography and genomics of populations that vary in their extent of genetic diversity and inbreeding to test long-standing hypotheses about the role of genetic/evolutionary factors in affecting population viability. Objective (ii) will temporarily transplant trout from different populations to small, isolated ponds to investigate the unresolved importance that varying population densities, genetic diversity and trait characteristics may have on the structure/composition of aquatic communities and ecosystems. These research objectives will comprise four graduate student and five undergraduate thesis projects. My proposed research program offers a conceptually- and analytically-strong working environment that adopts both classic and modern tools to tackle research questions of relevance to Canadian society. In improving knowledge of the extent to which evo-to-eco pathway effects might influence population growth, population productivity, aquatic community structure and ecosystem function, my research program will inform small population conservation and sustainable fisheries management at diverse biological levels.