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: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=745717
• 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，了解塑造我们星球上有机体分布和丰富性的因素至关重要。在地方规模上，社区组成可以受到当地栖息地的特征以及竞争和捕食等生物学过程的影响。在区域范围内，物种分散的速率和区域物种池的组成可以确定哪些物种可用于殖民地栖息地。结合有关区域因素作用的信息对于评估社区如何响应环境变化很重要，因为分散率可以影响物种范围的变化速度，以及物种可以响应环境变化（通过将新等位基因摄入到人群中）而演变的速度。淡水浮游动物是明确划定的当地社区的一部分，这些社区通过在荒凉的地面景观中分散与更大的元社区有关。浮游动物社区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，分散水平很高，而其他研究表明水平非常低。浮游动物分散率的不确定性使得很难预测浮游动物社区将如何应对不断变化的环境。在此提案中，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社区对环境变化的反应。该提案有三个短期目标：1。 评估分散和进化如何共同影响浮游动物社区对不断变化的环境的反应：我们将使用复活的生态学和种群遗传学来检查分散和进化过程的重要性，因为浮游动物群在大平原上湖泊的盐分水平过去的变化做出了反应。 2。对Allee效应对受环境压力源影响的浮游动物群落的作用有一种机械理解：我们将使用伴侣捕获模型和行为研究来确定Allee效应是否是成功恢复干扰后浮游动物社区的重大障碍。3。检查浮游动物社区对加拿大北部迅速变化条件的反应：我们将使用现场调查和操纵实验的组合来评估熔融永久冻融对北部湖泊浮游植物的潜在影响。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本和应用问题提供答案，并将提供所需的数据，以制定加拿大最受环境变化影响的加拿大地区的管理计划和适应工作。