Connectivity for a complex life cycle: Conserving the Crystal skipper butterfly in a coastal urban environment

复杂生命周期的连通性：在沿海城市环境中保护水晶船长蝴蝶

• 批准号: 2301831
• 负责人: Elsa Youngsteadt
• 金额: $ 42.97万
• 依托单位: North Carolina State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-05-01 至 2026-04-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2301831&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Connectivity; complex; life; cycle; Conserving

Species around the globe increasingly face multiple threats from disturbances such as urbanization and climate change. Not all threats can be directly addressed through local conservation actions. Instead, conservation may attempt to reduce or offset the effects of a larger threat (such as climate change) by managing local conditions (such as food availability). We still know very little about whether and when these approaches should succeed. To address this problem, this research and conservation project investigates effects of urbanization, climate change, and habitat management on a rare butterfly, the Crystal skipper (Atrytonopsis quinteri). This small insect is endemic to 50 km of North Carolina barrier islands, where larvae and adults require distinct resources—host plants and nectar—that may be disconnected in an urban landscape. All life stages also face risks from weather and climate stressors. This project aims to improve monitoring and management approaches for the Crystal skipper. In doing so, it provides broader insights into how conservation management may interact with climate in organisms with complex life cycles. This project also provides integrative research and conservation training for a graduate student, undergraduate students, and early-career conservation professionals, and involves local stakeholders in monitoring and outreach. The specific objectives of this project are to: (1) develop a rigorous, sustainable, and unbiased survey methodology to estimate skipper population size and trends, (2) evaluate the role of connectivity (ease of movement) between host plants and nectar plants in limiting skipper populations, (3) assess whether management can increase Crystal skipper populations and offset effects of climate change, and (4) implement adaptive, robust, and strategic improvements to the existing Crystal skipper conservation plan. This research combines modern technologies (unmanned aerial systems to detect patchy nectar resources), field surveys, and circuit theory to quantify how mobile organisms use resources in an urban matrix. It also relates demographic rates to environmental and climate variables and constructs a mechanistic population model to test the effects of management interventions and weather/climate variation on skipper population growth. Finally, it combines results of research, monitoring, and stakeholder input to prioritize management actions and develop an adaptive monitoring program that will resolve critical uncertainties impeding Crystal skipper management.This project is being supported via a joint program involving the Divisions of Environmental Biology and Integrative Organismal Systems and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.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.

全球物种越来越面临城市化和气候变化等灾难的多种威胁。并非所有威胁都可以通过地方保护行动直接解决。相反，保护可能试图通过管理当地条件（例如食品可用性）来减少或抵消更大威胁（例如气候变化）的影响。我们仍然对这些方法是否以及何时应该成功了解。为了解决这个问题，该研究和保护项目研究了城市化，气候变化和栖息地管理对稀有蝴蝶Crystal Skipper（Atrytonopsis Quintei）的影响。这种小的绝缘层是北卡罗来纳州屏障岛50公里的内在，幼虫和成人需要不同的资源（寄存器植物和花蜜），可能在城市景观中断开连接。所有生命阶段还面临着天气和气候压力源的风险。项目旨在改善水晶船长的监视和管理方法。这样一来，它提供了广播公司的洞察力，即保护管理如何与具有复杂生命周期的组织中的气候相互作用。该项目还为研究生，本科生和早期保养专业人员提供综合的研究和保护培训，并让当地利益相关者参与监测和外展。该项目的具体目标是：（1）开发一种严格，可持续和公正的调查方法来估计船长的人口规模和趋势，（2）评估寄主植物和蜜蜂之间连通性（易于运动）在限制船长种群中的连通性（易于运动）的作用（3），（3）管理人员是否会增加管理层的稳固型和策略的策略，并实现策略，并（4）策略效果，（4）的策略，（4）（4）（4）（4）（4）（4）（4）策略，（4）（4）（4）（4）（4）（4）（4）（4）（4）策略（4）保护计划。这项研究结合了现代技术（无人驾驶的空中系统以检测片状的花蜜资源），现场调查和电路理论，以量化移动生物在城市矩阵中使用资源的使用方式。它还将人口统计学率与环境和气候变量联系起来，并构建了机械种群模型，以测试管理干预措施以及天气/气候变化对船长人口增长的影响。最后，它结合了研究，监控和利益相关者的投入的结果，以优先考虑管理行动，并制定适应性监控计划，该计划将解决阻碍水晶船长管理的关键不确定性。该项目通过涉及环境生物学和综合有机体系统的划分的联合计划来支持该项目，并通过综合有机体和宣布的批准。基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响评论标准。