Understanding zooplankton community responses to stressors in an era of environmental change

了解环境变化时代浮游动物群落对压力源的反应

• 批准号: RGPIN-2017-05459
• 负责人: Gray, Derek
• 金额: $ 1.89万
• 依托单位: Wilfrid Laurier University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=652370
• 关键词: Understanding; zooplankton; community; responses; stressors

In an era of environmental change, the need to understand the factors that shape the distribution and abundance of organisms on our planet is of paramount importance. At a local scale, community composition can be influenced by both the characteristics of the local habitat, as well as by biological processes such as competition and predation. At the regional scale, rates of species dispersal and the composition of the regional species pool can determine which species are available to colonize local habitats. Incorporating information on the role of regional factors is important for evaluating how communities might respond to environmental change, as dispersal rates can influence the speed at which a species range shifts, as well as the rate at which species can evolve in response to changes in their environment (through the intake of new alleles to a population). ******Freshwater zooplankton are part of clearly delineated local communities that are linked to larger metacommunities via dispersal across inhospitable terrestrial landscapes. The strength of the links among zooplankton communities is vigorously debated in the literature, with some studies demonstrating high dispersal levels and others indicating very low levels. The uncertainty about zooplankton dispersal rates makes it difficult to predict how zooplankton communities will respond to a changing environment. In this proposal, I describe a research program that will examine how local and regional factors influence the response of zooplankton communities to environmental change. The proposal has three short-term objectives:******1. Evaluate how dispersal and evolution together impact zooplankton community responses to a changing environment: We will use resurrection ecology and population genetics to examine the importance of dispersal and evolutionary processes as zooplankton responded to past changes in salinity levels in lakes on the Great Plains. ***2. Develop a mechanistic understanding of the role played by Allee effects for zooplankton communities impacted by an environmental stressor: We will use mate-finding models and behavioral studies to determine if the Allee effect is a significant barrier to the successful recovery of zooplankton communities after a disturbance.***3. Examine the response of zooplankton communities to rapidly changing conditions in northern Canada: We will use a combination of field surveys and manipulative experiments to evaluate the potential impacts of melting permafrost on zooplankton in northern lakes. ******This research program will provide answers to key fundamental and applied questions necessary to understand the response of aquatic ecosystems to stressors, and will provide data needed to develop management plans and adaptation efforts in those regions of Canada most affected by environmental change.

在环境变化的时代，了解影响地球上生物体分布和丰度的因素至关重要。在局部范围内，群落组成可能受到当地栖息地特征以及竞争和捕食等生物过程的影响。在区域尺度上，物种扩散率和区域物种库的组成可以决定哪些物种可在当地栖息地定居。纳入有关区域因素作用的信息对于评估群落如何应对环境变化非常重要，因为扩散率会影响物种范围变化的速度，以及物种响应其环境变化而进化的速度。环境（通过向群体摄入新的等位基因）。 ******淡水浮游动物是明确界定的当地群落的一部分，这些群落通过分布在荒凉的陆地景观中与更大的元群落相连。浮游动物群落之间联系的强度在文献中引起了激烈的争论，一些研究表明扩散水平很高，而另一些研究表明扩散水平非常低。浮游动物扩散率的不确定性使得很难预测浮游动物群落将如何应对不断变化的环境。在本提案中，我描述了一项研究计划，该计划将研究当地和区域因素如何影响浮游动物群落对环境变化的反应。该提案有三个短期目标：*****1。 评估扩散和进化如何共同影响浮游动物群落对不断变化的环境的反应：我们将利用复活生态学和群体遗传学来研究扩散和进化过程的重要性，因为浮游动物对大平原湖泊盐度水平的过去变化做出了反应。 ***2. 从机制上理解 Allee 效应对受环境压力影响的浮游动物群落所起的作用：我们将使用寻找配偶模型和行为研究来确定 Allee 效应是否是干扰后浮游动物群落成功恢复的重大障碍.***3.检查浮游动物群落对加拿大北部快速变化的条件的反应：我们将结合实地调查和操作实验来评估永久冻土融化对北部湖泊浮游动物的潜在影响。 ******该研究计划将为了解水生生态系统对压力源的反应所必需的关键基础和应用问题提供答案，并将提供在加拿大受环境影响最严重的地区制定管理计划和适应工作所需的数据改变。