Dissertation Research: The roles of genetic variation and competition in resource niche expansion

论文研究：遗传变异和竞争在资源生态位扩展中的作用

基本信息

批准号：
0808356
负责人：
Daniel Bolnick
金额：
$ 1.2万
依托单位：
University of Texas at Austin
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2008
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2008-07-01 至 2009-06-30
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0808356&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Dissertation Research roles genetic variation

项目摘要

Previous experiments by the investigators have shown that genetic diversity and competition separately increase species' ability to adapt to novel resources (niche expansion). The current project will test whether genetic diversity and competitive interactions between individuals act synergistically to achieve this. Growth of flour beetle populations, initiated with varying degrees of genetic diversity and competition and supplied with ancestral and novel resources, will be monitored for eight generations. Diet of beetles sampled periodically from each population will be quantified using stable carbon isotope analysis, a powerful method of quantifying diet variation. The rate of temporal change in resource use will then be measured as a function of experimentally manipulated genetic diversity and competition.Niche expansion is commonly invoked to explain species distributions and ranges. Hence, experiments that enhance knowledge of factors that constrain or facilitate niche expansion are windows into the causes and consequences of changes in biodiversity. This project represents the first experimental study of this phenomenon in sexual organisms. The experimental design also mimics conservation strategies seeking to increase population size and genetic variation of threatened species. Therefore, results also have direct applications in conservation biology.

研究人员的先前实验表明，遗传多样性和竞争分别提高了物种适应新资源的能力（利基扩展）。当前的项目将测试个人之间的遗传多样性和竞争性相互作用是否协同实现这一目标。面粉甲虫种群的生长是以不同程度的遗传多样性和竞争开始的，并提供了祖先和新型资源，将受到八代人的监测。将使用稳定的碳同位素分析来定量从每个种群中定期采样的甲虫饮食，这是一种量化饮食变化的有力方法。然后，资源使用时间变化的速率将作为实验操纵的遗传多样性和竞争的函数来衡量。通常调用niche扩展来解释物种分布和范围。因此，增强对限制或促进利基扩展因素的知识的实验是窗口进入生物多样性变化的原因和后果。该项目代表了性生物中这种现象的首次实验研究。实验设计还模仿了旨在增加人口规模和受威胁物种的遗传变异的保护策略。因此，结果在保护生物学方面也有直接应用。