Starter Grant: Testing simulation models of animal movement under thermoregulatory constraint

入门补助金：测试温度调节约束下动物运动的模拟模型

• 批准号: 0932438
• 负责人: Michael Sears
• 金额: $ 4.93万
• 依托单位: Bryn Mawr College
• 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 2010-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0932438&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Starter; Grant; Testing; simulation; models

Extending classical ecological theory to include spatial dynamics represents one of the most exciting areas of contemporary ecological research, potentially changing our fundamental understanding of many systems. This notion is particularly true with regard to how animals respond to variation in temperatures found within the environment, both at small spatial scales within an animal's home range or over large spatial scales across an animal's distributional range. Because many animals rely on environmental sources of heat to regulate their body temperature, when and where such heat sources are distributed in natural environments will determine whether an animal can persist in a particular area or how animals might disperse across different patches of habitat. Recently, computer modeling techniques have been developed to predict how animals should move through complex thermal landscapes based on physiological rates and thermal preferences. These models suggest that environments with more variable environmental temperatures, or with more isolated favorable habitat patches, should incur higher energetic costs for thermoregulating organisms because animals will have to move longer distances while searching for favorable habitat. This study will test such theoretical models with real data in living organisms. Using Sphaerodactylus geckos (one of the smallest vertebrate organisms on Earth), behavioral data on temperature regulation and dispersal will be collected in a controlled laboratory setting where the complexity of environmental temperatures can be precisely manipulated. This experimental setup represents a model system whereby potential animal responses to changes in temperature can be evaluated. Results from this work will help researchers evaluate the influence of changing climates on animal populations in nature. Potential applications include predicting the suitability of altered habitats, predicting species ranges based on distributions of environmental temperature, or predicting potential impacts on migration routes due to changing environmental temperatures.

扩展经典的生态理论以包括空间动态代表了当代生态研究中最令人兴奋的领域之一，有可能改变我们对许多系统的基本理解。对于动物如何应对环境中发现的温度变化，无论是在动物的家居范围内的小空间尺度还是在动物分布范围内的大空间尺度上，这种概念尤其如此。由于许多动物依靠环境来源来调节其体温，因此在自然环境中分布此类热源的何时何地将决定动物是否可以在特定区域持续存在，或者动物如何在不同的栖息地中分散。最近，已经开发了计算机建模技术，以预测动物应基于生理速率和热偏好的复杂热景观。这些模型表明，环境温度变化更大的环境或更孤立的有利栖息地贴片应为热调节生物带来更高的能量成本，因为动物必须在寻找有利的栖息地的同时移动更长的距离。这项研究将在生物体中测试具有实际数据的理论模型。使用Sphaerodactylus壁虎（地球上最小的脊椎动物之一），将在可控的实验室环境中收集有关温度调节和扩散的行为数据，在该实验室环境中，可以精确操纵环境温度的复杂性。这种实验设置代表了一个模型系统，可以评估潜在的动物对温度变化的反应。这项工作的结果将帮助研究人员评估气候变化对自然界动物种群的影响。潜在的应用包括预测改变栖息地的适用性，根据环境温度的分布来预测物种范围，或者由于环境温度的变化而预测对迁移途径的潜在影响。