NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2013

Larios Loralee, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

Assessing how small mammals influence species composition of grassland communities Determining the factors that regulate plant abundance and composition has been a long-standing endeavor for ecologists. Traditionally, this issue has been examined with a ?bottom-up? perspective and has focused primarily on the relative importance of environmental factors and plant-plant interactions in structuring communities. Increasingly, however, we know that ?top-down? factors can influence the recruitment into local plant communities and can be key to dictating the ultimate structure of the resident community. The proposed work will examine how generalist herbivores (ubiquitous small mammals) influence recruitment and the ultimate composition of species and traits within local plant communities. Specifically, the proposed study will examine the effects of herbivory by voles and granivory by mice on recruitment and establishment within coastal California grassland communities. The proposed study will also identify to what extent herbivore activities influence the composition of traits that influence competitive plant-plant interactions by assessing trade-offs in trait composition within communities with different productivities. The proposed research provides the Fellow with diverse opportunities to develop as a researcher, mentor, and teacher. The training objectives will include 1) enhancing technical and experimental skills that will incorporate trophic interactions, 2) mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, 3) expanding teaching experience, and 4) participating in community outreach activities. This work will also generate a large trait dataset that covers not only resource acquisition traits but also seed traits for California grassland species that will be made available for other researchers and for land managers at the Pepperwood Preserve, where the research will be conducted.