Fucoid inducible defenses: the causes and consequences of intraspecific variation

岩藻样诱导防御：种内变异的原因和后果

• 批准号: 1019013
• 负责人: Jeremy Long
• 金额: $ 24.29万
• 依托单位: San Diego State University Foundation
• 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=1019013&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Fucoid; inducible; defenses; causes; consequences

Numerous prey species exhibit inducible changes in traits such as morphology and chemistry in response to consumers. Such inducible defenses are thought to be adaptive because they reduce the vulnerability of the responding species to consumption. Although we appreciate the taxonomic ubiquity of inducible defenses, we have a poor sense of the variation in inducible defenses within a species. This is problematic because interactions involving the same prey-consumer species pair often occur over broad geographic ranges and the dynamics of these interactions may strongly depend on the local environmental context. Attention to this issue is critical if we are to better understand the role that inducible defenses play in structuring natural communities. This project examines large-scale variation in the inducible defenses of two seaweeds (Ascophyllum nodosum, Fucus vesiculosus) in response to grazer cues from two herbivorous snails (Littorina littorea, Littorina obtusata) that are common on the rocky intertidal shores of the Gulf of Maine. Both seaweeds provide essential thermal buffering for the intertidal community during low tides and both of their primary consumers play a key role in rocky shore community dynamics. Hence, by focusing on these seaweed-herbivore interactions, the investigators expect to obtain considerable insight into the role that inducible defenses have in structuring rocky shore communities and how this role may vary geographically. Indeed, their previous work with Gulf of Maine seaweed populations, and that of others on European populations, suggests that there are considerable differences in the capacity of these seaweeds to exhibit inducible defenses. This project will combine laboratory and field approaches to address the following questions: 1. Do seaweeds display geographic variation in inducible defenses in response to herbivores? 2. Does the degree of seaweed inducible defense correlate with overall grazing intensity or grazing variability? 3. How are the costs and benefits of seaweed inducible defenses shaped by herbivore tolerance? The research will make significant novel intellectual contributions to community ecology and the evolutionary ecology of inducible defenses by exploring the nature of seaweed-herbivore interactions across an unusually broad spatial scale. This project will significantly enhance the research and educational opportunities of undergraduate, and junior high school students. Graduate students will participate directly in all aspects of this research, including experimental maintenance, data analysis, and manuscript development. The principal investigators will continue a strong commitment to undergraduate education by having undergraduate students (via the Three Seas Program assist with the execution of our experiments. The project will also involve junior high students in the research by interacting with the Marine Science Center's Outreach Program. This program targets Boston Public Schools where the majority of students are from under-represented groups. In collaboration with the Outreach Program, the investigators will design new lesson plans that align with the Massachusetts Life Science Standards. By developing lesson plans with outreach, the investigators have the ability to educate a broad and diverse group of students. Interactions with Outreach students will further enhance their enthusiasm for marine science as well as the teaching and research experience offered by the MSC's Outreach Program.

许多猎物在对消费者的响应中表现出可诱导的特征（例如形态和化学）的变化。这种可诱导的防御被认为是适应性的，因为它们减少了反应物种对消费的脆弱性。尽管我们欣赏诱导防御的分类无处不在，但我们对某个物种内诱导防御的差异有很差的感觉。这是有问题的，因为涉及相同猎物消费者物种对的相互作用通常发生在广泛的地理范围内，并且这些相互作用的动态可能在很大程度上取决于局部环境环境。如果我们要更好地理解诱导防御措施在结构自然社区中的作用，那么对这个问题的关注至关重要。该项目研究了两种海藻（腹叶叶藻，fucus vesiculosus）的可诱导防御能力的大规模差异，这是对两种草食蜗牛（Littorina Littorea，littorina ottota）的Grazer提示的响应，这在岩石杂质的Intertidal intertidal shore inttidal shore shore of gulff of gulff gulff gulff of gulff of gulff。两种海藻都为潮汐潮间带来的潮间带提供了必不可少的热缓冲，他们的两个主要消费者都在岩石海岸社区动态中发挥着关键作用。因此，通过专注于这些海藻 - 小毒素的相互作用，研究人员希望能够对诱导防御在构建岩石海岸社区的作用以及该作用在地理上有何不同的作用有很大的了解。的确，他们以前与缅因州海藻人口的工作以及欧洲人口的其他人的工作表明，这些海藻具有可诱导的防御能力的能力存在很大差异。该项目将结合实验室和现场方法来解决以下问题：1。海藻是否显示出对食草动物的诱导防御措施的地理差异？ 2。海藻诱导的防御程度是否与整体放牧强度或放牧的变异性相关？ 3。如何由食草动物耐受性塑造的海藻诱导防御能力的成本和收益？这项研究将通过探索在异常广泛的空间规模上探索海藻 - 小动物相互作用的性质，对社区生态学和诱导防御的进化生态做出重大新颖的智力贡献。该项目将显着增强本科生和初中学生的研究和教育机会。研究生将直接参与这项研究的各个方面，包括实验维护，数据分析和手稿开发。首席研究者将通过让本科生继续对本科教育的坚定承诺（通过三海计划有助于执行我们的实验。该项目还将通过与海洋科学中心的外展计划进行互动来使初级学生参与研究。该计划的目标是与波士顿公立学校的合作，该计划与计划的专业人士合作。马萨诸塞州的生命科学标准。通过宣传来制定课程计划，可以教育一群与外展学生的互动。