Latitudinal Gradients in Plant Palatability in Atlantic Coast Salt Marshes

大西洋海岸盐沼植物适口性的纬度梯度

• 批准号: 0107604
• 负责人: Steven Pennings
• 金额: $ 31.41万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-01-01 至 2002-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0107604&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Latitudinal; Gradients; Plant; Palatability; Atlantic

DEB-0107604 PenningsEcologists have long hypothesized that herbivore pressure is more intense and that plant defenses are better developed towards the tropics than at higher latitudes. Although some indirect evidence supports these ideas, the large geographic scale of the problem has hampered attempts at more direct studies. My recent work in Atlantic coast salt marshes directly demonstrated that southern marsh plants are less palatable to herbivores than are northern plants of the same species. The current project will test the hypothesis that herbivore pressure in these communities is greater at lower than at higher latitudes. Herbivore pressure will be assessed by planting "standard" plants into marshes in each geographic region and observing herbivore damage, and by herbivore counts. A second goal of the project will be to determine whether the plants require cues such as climate or herbivore damage in order to develop latitudinal differences in palatability, or whether these differences are "pre-programmed". These alternatives will be compared by growing plants from both geographic regions side by side in a common greenhouse. By overcoming several of the logistical problems that have plagued past studies, this project will bring a new level of rigor and understanding to the study of latitudinal gradients in plant palatability.

DEB-0107604 Pennings生态学家长期以来一直假设，食草动物的压力更大，而且热带地区的植物防御能力比高纬度地区的植物防御能力更强。 尽管一些间接证据支持这些想法，但该问题的巨大地理范围阻碍了更直接研究的尝试。 我最近在大西洋沿岸盐沼的工作直接表明，南部沼泽植物对食草动物的适口性不如北部同一物种的植物。 当前的项目将检验以下假设：这些群落中的草食动物压力在低纬度地区比在高纬度地区更大。 将通过在每个地理区域的沼泽中种植“标准”植物并观察草食动物的损害以及草食动物的数量来评估草食动物的压力。 该项目的第二个目标是确定植物是否需要气候或食草动物损害等线索来产生适口性的纬度差异，或者这些差异是否是“预先编程的”。 将通过在一个共同的温室中并排种植来自两个地理区域的植物来对这些替代方案进行比较。 通过克服困扰过去研究的几个后勤问题，该项目将为植物适口性纬度梯度的研究带来新的严谨性和理解。