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

在一个环境变化的时代，了解影响地球上生物分布和丰度的因素至关重要。在局部范围内，群落的组成既受当地生境特点的影响，也受竞争和捕食等生物过程的影响。在区域一级，物种扩散的速度和区域物种库的组成可以决定哪些物种可以在当地生境定居。阐明区域因素作用的信息对于评估社区如何应对环境变化很重要，因为扩散率可以影响物种范围转移的速度，以及物种应对环境变化的进化速度（通过种群吸收新的等位基因）。淡水浮游动物是明确划定的当地社区的一部分，通过散布在荒凉的陆地景观中与更大的metacyclities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辩论，一些研究表明扩散程度很高，另一些研究表明扩散程度很低。浮游动物扩散率的不确定性使得很难预测浮游动物群落将如何应对不断变化的环境。在这个建议中，我描述了一个研究计划，将检查如何本地和区域因素影响浮游动物群落对环境变化的反应。该计划有三个短期目标：1。 评估扩散和进化如何共同影响浮游动物群落对不断变化的环境的反应：我们将使用复活生态学和种群遗传学来研究扩散和进化过程的重要性，因为浮游动物对过去大平原湖泊中盐度水平的变化做出了反应。2. 发展一个机械的理解所发挥的作用Allee效应的浮游动物群落受环境压力的影响：我们将使用交配发现模型和行为研究，以确定如果Allee效应是一个显着的障碍，成功恢复后的浮游动物群落的干扰。研究浮游动物群落对加拿大北方快速变化的条件的反应：我们将结合实地调查和操纵实验来评估永久冻土融化对北方湖泊浮游动物的潜在影响。该研究计划将提供关键的基本和应用问题的答案，以了解水生生态系统对压力源的反应，并将提供所需的数据，以制定管理计划和适应加拿大受环境变化影响最大的地区的努力。

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.