Understanding the interplay between ecological and evolutionary processes is essential for developing a robust theory of community assembly. With the imminent construction of numerous temporary ponds in an experimental forest near Syracuse, NY, there is the unique opportunity to use these systems as models for testing several aspects of how ecological and evolutionary factors feedback as species colonize new habitats. The project will manipulate independently both genetic and species diversity of invertebrates immediately after pond construction, and measure how initial establishment influences subsequent genetic diversity, species diversity, and the evolution of life history traits. Through a controlled, large-scale, field experiment, the project addresses three questions: (1) To what extent do species interactions versus dispersal limitation influence community assembly? (2) How does genetic diversity influence community assembly? (3) How does the assembling community influence important fitness traits? The immediate results of this EAGER should provide insight into how ecological (e.g., species diversity and interactions) and evolutionary factors (e.g., genetic diversity and evolution of life history traits) interact when influencing the dynamics of this landscape of communities. Taking advantage of this time-limited opportunity to control the pond communities from their construction will also lead to more interesting longer-term studies as the communities develop.
This project will result in the training of one post-doctoral fellow, one graduate student and several undergraduates (several of whom are women and/or members of ethnic groups that are underrepresented in science). Public outreach will be accomplished by adding a module related to this award to an existing outreach website (www.life.uiuc.edu/caceres/teachers). Cáceres and Schulz will develop the lessons together, using state standards from both New York and Illinois. Project participants will be part of a multi-disciplinary research team evaluating the role of constructed temporary ponds in restoration efforts, especially in the conservation of endangered amphibians.
Anthropogenic influences such as changes in land use continue to threaten biodiversity. These changes can have unpredictable consequences. Hence, understanding how processes operating at both local and regional levels interact to determine the distribution and abundance of species is not only a central focus of community ecology, but is also important for informing restoration efforts and understanding the economic and ecological benefits provided by biodiversity and the associated ecosystem services. The main goal of this award was to determine how genetic diversity of resident species and species interactions (such as predation and competition) interact to influence the local and regional distribution of biodiversity and ecosystem processes. To accomplish this, we used an existing collaboration with the Upper Susquehanna Coalition (USC) that established a vernal pool research network in the Heiberg Forest, a research and teaching reserve. In 2010, USC created 71 pools designed to mimic natural temporary pools. We took advantage of the unique opportunity of 71 new pools to use these systems as models for understanding how ecological and evolutionary factors interact as species colonize newly created habitats. We focused on planktonic organisms as they can be easily moved and their diversity can easily be manipulated (both species and genetic diversity). We manipulated initial biodiversity at the genetic and species levels, allowing us to begin to quantify how feedbacks between genetic diversity and species diversity influence the distribution of key fitness traits, the regional and local abundance of species, and ecosystem processes. The ponds have been sampled since they were stocked in 2011. Early results indicate that the distribution of diversity is determined by processes operating at multiple hierarchal levels. Abiotic filters (physical and chemical characteristics of pools), dispersal abilities, local adaptation of residents and immigrants, interspecific interactions (e.g., predation and competition) and resource availability, as well as how these factors are distributed in space all contribute to species persistence both locally and regionally. Several of these processes are mediated by the traits of organisms. In turn, these traits are shaped by natural selection, driven in part by these same ecological processes. Although integrating spatially explicit interactions between priority effects, dispersal, and local adaptation to abiotic and biotic factors is a challenging task, existing metacommunity theory provides a promising conceptual framework. To date, however, experimental tests of predictions from metacommunity theory have lagged behind its theoretical development. A major contributor to this lag is the fact that we often have to infer the history of a particular location or region; we do not know how dispersal of either genotypes or species has influenced community assembly. Once complete, our work will provide much needed empirical data that tests these theoretical predictions of the eco-evolutionary feedbacks that occur in metacommunities, and how the distribution of biodiversity influences, and is influenced by, ecosystem processes. These awards provided research opportunities for 20 undergraduate students, four graduate students and two postdocs. Through an established collaboration, research from this project was implemented in a "Girls Do Science" camp a run through the Orpheum Children's Science Museum in Champaign, IL to educate 2nd – 5th grade students on the benefits of biodiversity. Information from this project was also published in feature stories on a local radio station, local online news magazine and local newspaper in Champaign, Illinois. Results are also helping to inform guidelines on temporary pond restoration being developed by SUNY ESF Professor James Gibbs and James Arrigoni (SUNY ESF Ph.D. candidate) in conjunction with USC.
