Quantifying the Integrative Effects of Rapid Environmental Change for Terrestrial Mammals

量化快速环境变化对陆生哺乳动物的综合影响

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-06057
• 负责人: Johnson, Chris
• 金额: $ 2.91万
• 依托单位: University of Northern British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=687974
• 关键词: Quantifying; Integrative; Effects; Rapid; Environmental

Human induced landscape change can have profound impacts for biodiversity. A reduction in resources, a decrease in population connectivity, and altered interspecific interactions can influence the persistence of species as well as the composition and functioning of ecological communities. When considering the responses of individual populations, the effects of landscape change are variable and dynamic. This is a result of interspecific differences in life history and community context. Considering the inherent complexity of the problem, the science of measuring and predicting the ecological impacts of human activities has much room to grow.******For terrestrial mammals, the science of impacts research' often focuses on the ecology of individuals as they respond to disturbance stimuli or populations as they decline in abundance following habitat loss. Theory and empirical observation suggest that such responses should integrate across ecological scales. Thus, we need to evolve impacts research so that we quantify the complexity of responses, from the fine-scale redistribution of individuals, to the disruption of life-history events such as migration, and the contraction and fragmentation of populations. ******Over the next Discovery Grant period, my research will develop mechanistic linkages between fine-scale animal behaviour and population decline as influenced by rapid or large-scale habitat loss. I propose four projects where we investigate a set of mechanisms across a range of ecological scales that are hypothesised to influence the broad-scale distribution and abundance of populations: 1) intra- and inter-patch movement across rapidly fragmenting landscapes; 2) behavioural interactions as revealed by intraspecific fusion-fission dynamics; 3) range contraction and seasonal migration as a function of environment and population density; and 4) the influence of landscape change on bottom-up and top-down drivers of population decline. Each project will consider behaviour-habitat interactions from the perspective of the individual animal as well as changes in population or distributional dynamics at the scale of the landscape.******I will use American marten, caribou, and moose as model species; this will allow me to capitalise on past results and data from my lab. Study objectives are consistent with my long-term research goals of quantifying and predicting the effects of human activities on the behaviour, distribution and abundance of terrestrial vertebrates. Findings will have direct application to the management and conservation of a number of high-profile species. More broadly, this research will provide new conceptual and methodological avenues for considering the mechanistic elements of population change, and train high-quality personnel whose future employment and contributions in this area will have knowledge-based impacts on the field and economic benefits to Canada.

人类引起的景观变化会对生物多样性产生深远的影响。资源的减少、人口连通性的降低以及种间相互作用的改变可能会影响物种的持久性以及生态群落的组成和功能。当考虑个体群体的反应时，景观变化的影响是可变的和动态的。这是生活史和社区背景的种间差异的结果。考虑到问题的内在复杂性，测量和预测人类活动的生态影响的科学还有很大的发展空间。********对于陆地哺乳动物，影响科学的研究通常侧重于个体的生态学，如它们对干扰刺激或种群做出反应，因为它们的数量因栖息地丧失而减少。理论和经验观察表明，这种反应应该跨生态尺度进行整合。因此，我们需要发展影响研究，以便量化反应的复杂性，从个体的精细规模重新分配，到移民等生活史事件的破坏，以及人口的收缩和分裂。 ******在下一个发现补助金期间，我的研究将开发小规模动物行为与受快速或大规模栖息地丧失影响的人口下降之间的机制联系。我提出了四个项目，我们在一系列生态尺度上研究一系列机制，这些机制被假设会影响种群的大范围分布和丰度：1）快速破碎的景观中的斑块内和斑块间运动； 2) 种内融合裂变动力学揭示的行为相互作用； 3) 范围收缩和季节性迁移作为环境和人口密度的函数； 4）景观变化对自下而上和自上而下的人口下降驱动因素的影响。每个项目都会从个体动物的角度考虑行为与栖息地的相互作用，以及景观规模上种群或分布动态的变化。******我将使用美洲貂、驯鹿和驼鹿作为模型物种;这将使我能够利用实验室过去的结果和数据。研究目标与我的长期研究目标一致，即量化和预测人类活动对陆地脊椎动物的行为、分布和丰度的影响。研究结果将直接应用于许多知名物种的管理和保护。更广泛地说，这项研究将为考虑人口变化的机制因素提供新的概念和方法论途径，并培训高素质人才，他们未来在该领域的就业和贡献将对这一领域产生基于知识的影响，并为加拿大带来经济利益。