Collaborative Research: Plant-herbivore interactions mediated by toxin-determined functional response

合作研究：毒素决定的功能反应介导的植物与食草动物的相互作用

• 批准号: 0920917
• 负责人: Jennifer Schmidt
• 金额: $ 5.08万
• 依托单位: University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-01 至 2012-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0920917&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Plant; herbivore; interactions

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This interdisciplinary study combines efforts from mathematicians and ecologists to develop more suitable models and modeling approaches that address issues of interest to both ecologists and resource managers. The specific objectives of this project are threefold. The first objective is to extend mathematical development of a modeling approach for assessing the impact of toxin-mediated interactions between multiple plant species and herbivores. The second objective is to integrate toxin-mediated browsing dynamics into the existent theory of boreal forest community dynamics. The final objective is to explore the roles that landscape disturbance, patterns of patchiness, and adaptive browsing play in shaping the plant community. These models are developed to reflect the biological complexity of plant-herbivore systems and will provide unique insight into how herbivore factors, plant factors, and environmental factors impact the establishment and spread of toxic plants in natural systems.The modeling studies in this project have critical societal importance because of the key role that moose and other herbivores play in indigenous societies in the boreal forest. Moose, the largest herbivore in Alaska, are a major source of protein for residents in interior Alaska. For generations, Athabascan Indians have harvested moose, which provide a valuable nutritional and cultural resource, so changes in moose abundance and distribution can have large impacts on subsistence users. This is especially true in rural areas where availability of alternative resources can be limited, and lack of job opportunities and high poverty levels make subsistence harvest an essential component of rural economies. Toxins in plants are known to affect intake and plant selection in herbivores which in turn can influence ecosystem processes such as succession. Succession in turn influences the quality of moose habitat, distribution, and ultimately harvest. This research project will improve understanding of how toxins influence plant selectivity by moose during succession in the boreal forest. Models developed will explore future scenarios of vegetation, herbivores, and their consequences for subsistence. Additionally, process-based understanding of the impacts of recent climate warming and increases in wildfire on moose abundance and distribution will be improved, and therefore subsistence opportunities for indigenous residents of Alaska. Lastly, such information can help better inform wildlife managers and allow for more proactive management policies.

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏与再投资法》（公法111-5）资助的。这项跨学科研究结合了数学家和生态学家的努力，以开发更合适的模型和建模方法，以解决生态学家和资源经理感兴趣的问题。该项目的具体目标是三倍。第一个目标是扩展一种建模方法的数学发展，以评估多种植物物种与食草动物之间毒素介导的相互作用的影响。第二个目标是将毒素介导的浏览动力学整合到现有的北方森林社区动态理论中。最终的目标是探索景观干扰，斑块方式和自适应浏览在塑造植物社区中的作用。这些模型的开发是为了反映植物 - 植物动物系统的生物学复杂性，并将提供独特的见解，即对草食动物的因素，植物因素和环境因素如何影响有毒植物在自然系统中的建立和传播。该项目的建模研究具有至关重要的社会重要性，因为穆斯和其他草食动物在土著社会中起着关键作用。驼鹿是阿拉斯加最大的草食动物，是阿拉斯加内部居民的主要蛋白质来源。几代人的阿萨巴斯加印第安人收获了驼鹿，这些驼鹿提供了宝贵的营养和文化资源，因此驼鹿丰度和分销的变化可能会对生存用户产生重大影响。 在可能有限的替代资源，缺乏工作机会和高贫困水平的农村地区尤其如此，使生存收获成为农村经济的重要组成部分。已知植物中的毒素会影响食草动物中的摄入量和植物的选择，而食草动物又会影响诸如继承之类的生态系统过程。 继承又影响了驼鹿栖息地，分布和最终收获的质量。 该研究项目将提高对毒素如何影响驼鹿在北方森林中的植物选择性的理解。开发的模型将探讨未来的植被，食草动物及其对生存的后果。 此外，将改善基于过程的气候变暖以及野火对驼鹿丰度和分布的增加的影响，从而改善阿拉斯加土著居民的生存机会。 最后，这些信息可以帮助更好地告知野生动植物管理者，并允许更加主动的管理政策。