Ecological Network Conundrum

生态网络难题

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-05200
• 负责人: Fortin, MarieJosee
• 金额: $ 4.01万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=715416
• 关键词: Ecological; Network; Conundrum

In natural ecosystems, apex predators are decreasing around the world, altering species interactions as they are often replaced by meso-predators and human overexploitation. At the other end of the spectrum in urban ecosystems, specialist species are declining and being replaced by generalists and pest species that promote the spread of pathogens and disease. Species are therefore facing a suite of simultaneous direct and indirect threats from climate change and land-use change that homogenize ecosystems. Such global change results in the uncoupling of trophic links due to phenological change and species range shifts resulting in species non-analog interactions. Hence, the fabric of species persistence and the ecosystem services that they provide is precarious to say the least. To respond to these rapid changes, several conservation strategies have been proposed such as the establishment of protected areas. Unfortunately, there is a conundrum about the positive and negative effects of connectivity and how to implement such connectivity to optimize species persistence. My proposed research will model species ecological networks dynamics under global change. I will determine which species traits influence the dynamics of network topology and functions, and which traits promote adaptable network properties. A major goal is to understand how the spatio-temporal dynamics of landscapes may affect ecological network topology promoting the potential rewiring of species interactions in response to global change. Hence, my research team and I will test the potential synergetic effects of species traits, demographic vital rates, and species interactions. We will develop hypotheses and frameworks to better understand the trade-offs in landscape spatial structure that affect the spatio-temporal dynamics of ecological networks and identify spatial network generalities to inform conservation management strategies. We will perform a sensitivity analysis of alternative hypotheses about the importance of network topology at the node level and the link level as well as the network strength on species spatial distribution responses to spatio-temporal dynamic landscapes. These research projects will set the foundation for several future research avenues and analytical developments for ecological networks and spatial ecology studies. To do so, we will combine online databases on ecological data about species traits, species dispersal abilities, and spatio-temporal patterns of genetic variation. The findings of these research projects will help to determine in which ways space and species interactions matter to maintain metacommunities and ecosystems' functions. The ecological network modeling and analytic tools could also be extended to other ecosystems and species for the purpose of land use decision-making including the location of roads and transmission corridors, the development of forest management plans and the establishment of protected areas.

在自然生态系统中，世界各地的顶级掠食者正在减少，改变了物种之间的相互作用，因为它们经常被中观掠食者和人类过度开发所取代。在城市生态系统的另一端，特殊物种正在减少，并被促进病原体和疾病传播的通才和害虫物种所取代。因此，物种同时面临着气候变化和土地利用变化带来的一系列直接和间接威胁，这些变化使生态系统同质化。这种全球变化导致由于物候变化和物种范围变化导致营养联系脱钩，从而导致物种非相似相互作用。因此，物种持久性的结构及其提供的生态系统服务至少可以说是不稳定的。为了应对这些快速变化，人们提出了一些保护策略，例如建立保护区。不幸的是，关于连通性的积极和消极影响以及如何实施这种连通性以优化物种持久性存在一个难题。 我提出的研究将对全球变化下的物种生态网络动态进行建模。我将确定哪些物种特征影响网络拓扑和功能的动态，以及哪些特征促进适应性网络特性。一个主要目标是了解景观的时空动态如何影响生态网络拓扑，促进物种相互作用的潜在重新布线以应对全球变化。因此，我和我的研究团队将测试物种特征、人口统计生命率和物种相互作用的潜在协同效应。我们将制定假设和框架，以更好地理解影响生态网络时空动态的景观空间结构的权衡，并确定空间网络的一般性，为保护管理策略提供信息。我们将对节点级和链路级网络拓扑的重要性以及物种空间分布对时空动态景观响应的网络强度的替代假设进行敏感性分析。 这些研究项目将为生态网络和空间生态学研究的未来几个研究途径和分析发展奠定基础。为此，我们将结合有关物种性状、物种传播能力和遗传变异时空模式的生态数据的在线数据库。这些研究项目的结果将有助于确定空间和物种相互作用以何种方式对维持元群落和生态系统的功能发挥重要作用。生态网络建模和分析工具还可以扩展到其他生态系统和物种，用于土地利用决策，包括道路和输电走廊的位置、制定森林管理计划和建立保护区。