Conservation of biodiversity: spatio-temporal dynamics of canopy microarthropods

生物多样性保护：冠层微型节肢动物的时空动态

• 批准号: 238631-2006
• 负责人: Winchester, Neville
• 金额: $ 1.36万
• 依托单位: University of Victoria
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2006-01-01 至 2007-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=335144
• 关键词: Conservation; biodiversity; spatio; temporal; dynamics

Factors that influence the organization, distribution, and diversity of species in communities are central issues of ecological studies. The temperate forest canopy of an ancient rainforest is defined as the sum of all tree crowns in a forest stand and provides an ideal study system to formulate explanations concerned with observed patterns of species richness and abundance in space and time.  In these forest ecosystems arthropods are the most diverse organisms and are integral components of many ecosystem processes.  While species-rich communities in tropical canopies continue to be explored,the diversity and faunal associations in the canopies of temperate ancient rainforests of British Columbia are virtually unknown and information concerning these communities is lacking.  These temperate coniferous forest ecosystems contain unique habitats that are hotspots of Canadian biodiversity. Summarizing empirical patterns of resident species diversity is highly desirable given the numerous conservation reasons that have been adopted for maintaining biodiversity.  Results from my canopy arthropod studies continue to add support to the observation that a unique ancient forest arthropod community exists, with many undescribed species that are specific to the microhabitats contained within these forest canopies.  This observation is most pronounced for the oribatid beetle mites that inhabit suspended soils some 60 metres from the ground.  In the high canopy there are several species associated with detritus-based food webs that have evolved to form a separate arboreal community. My canopy studies continue to be the only Canadian research in ancient coniferous forest canopies and results are being used to form an integral part of an international network on global canopy studies that are concerned with documenting the organisms that are associated with habitat features of the canopy such as suspended soils and lichen accumulations.  This research will move beyond simple descriptions of community diversity and test theories primarily concerned with predicting the pattern of changing species composition in separated patches of habitat as a function of the distance between patches.

影响群落中物种的组织、分布和多样性的因素是生态研究的核心问题。古代雨林的温带森林冠层被定义为林分中所有树冠的总和，并提供了一个理想的研究系统来制定。与观察到的物种丰富度和时间和空间模式有关的解释在这些森林生态系统中，节肢动物是最多样化的生物，并且是许多生态系统过程的组成部分，而热带树冠中物种丰富的群落仍然是。经过探索，不列颠哥伦比亚省温带古代雨林树冠的多样性和动物群落尚不清楚，也缺乏有关这些群落的信息。​这些温带针叶林生态系统包含独特的栖息地，这些栖息地实际上是加拿大生物多样性的热点。考虑到为维持生物多样性而采取的众多保护原因，多样性是可取的。​我的冠层节肢动物研究结果继续为独特的古代森林节肢动物的观察提供支持。存在着许多未描述的物种，这些物种是这些森林冠层内所包含的微生境特有的，这种观察对于栖息在距地面约 60 米的悬浮土壤中的甲虫螨来说最为明显。与以碎屑为基础的食物网有关，这些食物网已经进化成一个独立的树栖群落，我的树冠研究仍然是加拿大对古代针叶林树冠的唯一研究。结果被用来构成全球冠层研究国际网络的一个组成部分，该网络涉及记录与冠层栖息地特征（例如悬浮土壤和地衣堆积）相关的生物体。​这项研究将超越简单的描述群落多样性和测试理论主要涉及预测不同栖息地斑块中物种组成变化的模式，作为斑块之间距离的函数。