Evolutionary Ecology of Phenological Coadaptation across Scales

跨尺度物候互适应的进化生态学

• 批准号: EP/X024520/1
• 负责人: Ben Sheldon
• 金额: $ 340.55万
• 依托单位: University of Oxford
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FX024520%2F1
• 关键词: Evolutionary; Ecology; Phenological; Coadaptation; across; Evolutionary; Ecology; Phenological; Coadaptation; across

Changes in the timing of seasonal events (phenology) provide the strongest and clearest evidence for effects of human-caused climate change on biotic systems. Our understanding of the importance of these changes has been dominated by the idea that the disruption of temporal synchrony between different trophic levels is a key determinant of their impact. However, previous work has largely ignored the crucial question of the spatial scale of synchrony and how this underpins the fundamental biological processes that would mediate any effect. This proposal addresses the missing perspective of spatial scale in phenological synchrony, using a classic model system for understanding changes in phenology in relation to climatic variation. Using the tri-trophic system of deciduous trees, phytophagous insects and predatory birds (exemplified by oak-winter moth-great tit), the work will be centred on a long-term study system, providing decades of data and tens of thousands of historical records which place the work on secure foundations. Using this platform, the work described here will (i) develop new automated methods for effective measurement of phenology at scale, and (ii) new experimental methods for dissecting the ecological and evolutionary effects of phenological mismatch. It will further, (iii) test experimentally the role of phenological variation in space and time in driving local adaptation; (iv) test the hypothesis that consumer diversity and productivity is higher when spatial variation in producer phenology is higher, (v) elucidate how behavioural flexibility of consumers enables optimal exploitation of phenological landscapes and (vi) determine how scale-dependent phenological variation can buffer against climatic variation. The new methods and perspectives developed here will expand our understanding of the biological importance of phenological variation while simultaneously relating this new understanding to ongoing global change.

季节性事件（物候）的时机变化为人类引起的气候变化对生物系统的影响提供了最强烈，最清晰的证据。我们对这些变化的重要性的理解一直在以这样的观念为主，即不同营养水平之间的时间同步是其影响的关键决定因素。但是，以前的工作在很大程度上忽略了同步的空间尺度的关键问题，以及这如何支撑将介导任何效果的基本生物学过程。该建议使用经典模型系统来理解与气候变化有关的物候变化的经典模型系统，以解决物候同步中空间尺度的缺失视角。使用落叶树，植物昆虫和掠食性鸟类的三四循环系统（以橡木冬季的飞蛾tit虫为例），这项工作将集中在一个长期的研究系统上，提供数十年的数据和数万个历史记录，将工作置于安全基础上。使用此平台，此处描述的工作将（i）开发新的自动化方法，以有效地测量物候学，以及（ii）新的实验方法，用于剖析物候不匹配的生态和进化效应。它将进一步（iii）实验测试物候变异在空间和时间推动局部适应中的作用； （iv）检验以下假设：当生产者物候学的空间变化较高时，消费者的多样性和生产率较高，（v）阐明消费者的行为灵活性如何使物候景观的最佳利用以及（vi）确定规模依赖性属性现象的变化如何缓解气候变化。这里开发的新方法和观点将扩大我们对物候变异的生物学重要性的理解，同时将这种新的理解与持续的全球变化联系起来。