IRES Track I: understanding the global problem of defaunation through field experiments in southern Africa

IRES 第一轨：通过南部非洲的实地实验了解全球动物区系丧失问题

• 批准号: 1952393
• 负责人: Robert Fletcher
• 金额: $ 29.95万
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-09-15 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1952393&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: IRES; Track; understanding; global; problem

The world is facing several global challenges that are transforming natural environments. The next generation of scientists requires a global perspective and training to advance science and conservation to solve these challenges. An increasingly recognized challenge is the decline in abundance and loss of animals from ecosystems, termed 'defaunation'. Because animals play many important roles in natural environments, defaunation is a key issue for sustainable ecosystems. Yet the consequences of defaunation remains poorly understood. This project will address this issue with research and education using large-scale field experiments on the loss of large mammals in southern Africa, where we will train students about science and conservation and provide them a global perspective on ecological challenges such as defaunation.Each year, U.S. undergraduate students from Florida will work with students from South Africa and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and be mentored by scientists from these countries. We will teach students about the scientific method, ecological concepts, conservation, and southern Africa culture before departing for eight weeks in southern Africa. They will conduct research on the loss of large mammals, such as the African elephant, in South Africa and Eswatini where large experiments are underway to understand the effects of losing large mammals from environments where they historically roamed. Each cohort will build upon past research and test hypotheses about how the loss of large animals may alter natural environments. Student projects will provide scientific value by comparing results across two regions that have different histories of large mammal abundance. This work will provide new insights about how defaunation influences biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, which is needed for better understanding and for conservation action that can best limit potential negative impacts. This project will also provide global training of the next generation of scientists, recruit underrepresented groups to participate in the program, and communicate the student research results to local communities in southern Africa and Florida. Our IRES students will spend eight weeks participating in large-scale field experiments on defaunation in southern Africa while being mentored by leading and rising scientists from these countries. Prior to departure, students will learn about southern Africa local culture, ecological concepts, and experimental design. They will develop independent experimental projects within the domain of a coordinated experimental network on the loss of megaherbivores in South Africa’s Kruger National Park and Eswatini’s Mlawula Game Reserve. This coordinated experimental network will help isolate the short-term effects of defaunation and provide long-term context of defaunation across regions. It will provide new information about how defaunation influences biodiversity and ecosystem functioning; this information is needed for better understanding human-dominated landscapes and how conservation can best be applied to limit negative impacts of environmental change. The first cohort will quantify how remaining biodiversity responds to defaunation through tests of the megaherbivore loss hypothesis. The second cohort will explore specific behavioral processes that drive patterns of diversity, focusing on how megaherbivore loss might alter habitat refugia for other species. The third cohort will conduct studies on species interactions and ecosystem services, focusing on the functional redundancy hypothesis. This project will foster discovery and understanding by promoting teaching and training while immersing students in field-based research in Africa. Students will advance discovery of ecological processes in rapidly changing landscapes. We are enhancing infrastructure for both research and education through our field station-based research and strengthened international relationships with South Africa and Eswatini scientists, educators, and students. We will also expand participation of U.S. underrepresented groups via minority recruitment. Finally, we will provide broad science communication and dissemination to benefit local communities in the U.S. and southern Africa.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

世界面临着改变自然环境的几个全球挑战。下一代科学家需要全球视角和培训，以推动科学和保护以解决这些挑战。一个越来越认可的挑战是，被称为“ defauunation”的生态系统的抽象和动物丧失的下降。由于动物在自然环境中扮演着许多重要的角色，因此默认是可持续生态系统的关键问题。然而，违约的后果仍然很少理解。该项目将使用有关南部非洲大型哺乳动物的大规模现场实验的研究和教育解决这一问题，在那里我们将在那里培训学生有关科学和保护的知识，并为他们提供对诸如默认的生态挑战的全球视角，例如默认情况。在南部非洲出发八周之前，我们将向学生传授科学方法，生态概念，保护和南部非洲文化。他们将对南非和埃斯瓦蒂尼（Eswatini）的大型哺乳动物的丧失进行研究，那里正在进行大型实验，以了解从历史上漫游的环境中失去大型哺乳动物的影响。每个队列将基于过去的研究，并检验有关大型动物损失如何改变自然环境的假设。学生项目将通过比较具有不同哺乳动物丰度的历史不同的两个区域的结果来提供科学价值。这项工作将提供有关默认如何影响生物多样性和生态系统功能的新见解，这是更好地理解和保护行动所需的，从而可以最好地限制潜在的负面影响。还提供对下一代科学家的全球培训，招募代表性不足的团体参加该计划，并将学生研究结果传达给南部非洲和佛罗里达州的当地社区。我们的IRES学生将花8周的时间参加大型现场实验，同时在南部非洲进行违约，同时被这些国家的领导和崛起的科学家考虑。出发前，学生将了解南部非洲的本地文化，生态概念和实验设计。他们将在一个协调的实验网络内开发独立的实验项目，该项目涉及南非克鲁格国家公园和Eswatini的Mlawula Game Reserve的巨型小动物的损失。该协调的实验网络将有助于隔离默认值的短期影响，并在整个地区提供默认的长期背景。它将提供有关默认如何影响生物多样性和生态系统功能的新信息；需要此信息以更好地理解人类主导的景观以及如何最好地应用保护以限制环境变化的负面影响。第一个队列将量化其余的生物多样性如何通过测试巨型动物损失假设对默认值做出响应。第二个队列将探索驱动多样性模式的特定行为过程，重点关注巨型动物损失如何改变其他物种的栖息地避难所。第三个队列将对物种相互作用和生态系统服务进行研究，重点是功能冗余假说。该项目将通过促进教学和培训来促进和理解，同时让学生沉浸在非洲的基于现场的研究中。学生将在迅速变化的景观中发现生态过程。我们通过基于现场站的研究来增强研究和教育的基础设施，并加强与南非和Eswatini科学家，教育工作者和学生的国际关系。我们还将通过少数族裔招募来扩大美国代表性不足的团体的参与。最后，我们将提供广泛的科学沟通和传播，以使美国和南非的当地社区受益。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响评估标准，被认为是通过评估而被认为是宝贵的。

项目成果

Drought limits large trees in African savannas with or without elephants

干旱限制了非洲大草原上有或没有大象的大树

• DOI: 10.1111/aec.13244
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Austral Ecology
• 影响因子: 1.5
• 作者: Jones, Maggie M.;Fletcher, Robert;Kruger, Laurence;Monadjem, Ara;Simelane, Phumlile;McCleery, Robert
• 通讯作者: McCleery, Robert