DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Assessing the relative effects of diversity, invader identity, nutrient input and disturbance on invasibility in low vs. high fertility grassland communities

论文研究：评估低肥力草地群落与高肥力草地群落中多样性、入侵者身份、养分输入和干扰对入侵性的相对影响

• 批准号: 0710274
• 负责人: Heather Reynolds
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: Indiana University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-06-15 至 2009-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0710274&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Assessing; relative; effects

Invasions of non-native organisms are ecologically disruptive and economically costly, and understanding the factors that promote biological invasions is an important area of ecological research. The variety of existing native species, the traits of invasive species, disturbances such as grazing, and nutrient inputs are all widely recognized as potentially important determinants of whether an ecosystem will be invaded. Yet there is much debate, and conflicting evidence, over which of these factors are most important. The debate stems in part from the tendency to study these factors independently of one another. This study will assist in advancing our understanding of biological invasions by examining all of these factors together, and asking how their relative importance changes with soil fertility, which is a major environmental gradient in nature. The study will be conducted using experimentally constructed plant communities modeled on native mid-western prairie grasslands of low and high soil fertility. Native plant diversity, disturbance and nutrient inputs will be systematically manipulated in these communities, and the communities will be exposed to an array of functionally diverse invasive species. This study will directly address a gap in knowledge of biological invasions by providing insights into the relative importance of key factors in promoting invasions. The insights gained from this study may enhance both the ability to predict and to manage invasions of grasslands and other communities. Furthermore, this study will be conducted at the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve, a resource that offers excellent opportunities for fostering both undergraduate research activity and communicating science to the local community.

非本地生物的入侵在生态上具有破坏性和经济成本，并且了解促进生物学入侵的因素是生态研究的重要领域。现有物种的种类，入侵物种的特征，诸如放牧和营养输入之类的干扰都被广泛认为是潜在的重要决定因素，即生态系统是否会被入侵。 然而，在这些因素中，有很多争论和相互矛盾的证据最重要。 辩论部分源于彼此独立研究这些因素的趋势。 这项研究将通过一起研究所有这些因素，并询问其相对重要性如何随土壤生育能力而变化，这是本质上主要的环境梯度，从而有助于我们对生物入侵的理解。 这项研究将使用实验建造的植物群落进行，该植物群落以低土壤和高土壤生育能力建立的天然中西部草原草原。在这些社区中，将系统地操纵天然植物的多样性，干扰和营养投入，这些社区将暴露于一系列功能多样的入侵物种中。 这项研究将通过提供对关键因素在促进入侵中的相对重要性的见解，直接解决生物入侵知识的差距。 从这项研究中获得的见解可能会增强预测和管理草原和其他社区入侵的能力。此外，这项研究将在印第安纳大学的研究与教学保护区进行，该资源为培养本科研究活动和向当地社区传达科学提供了极好的机会。