Experimental Network Ecology And Restoration (Exper-Net)

Knowledge Of The Effects Of Climate And Land-Use Change On Especies Richness, Composition And Interactions, And In Turn, Ecosystem Services Largely Comes From Observational Studies. Unfortunately, Such Experiments Are Still Quite Limited, Especially In Restoration And Network Ecology. Our Goals Are To: (Wp1) Evaluate How Experimental Removal Of Key Plant Species Influences Plant-Hummingbird Interaction Networks, With A Cocus On Rewiring (Changes In Partner Use); (Wp2) Evaluate Plant Fitness In The Context Of Our Removal Experiments; (Wp3) Evaluate Current Distribution Of Key Plant Species In Restoration Scenarios That Might Promote Plant, Hummingbird And Interaction Diversity. Addressing These Aims Will (I) Fill Persistent Empirical Gaps And Evaluate Common Assumptions In Network And Regeneration Ecology Using Experimentatuion; (Ii) Develop Theory On The Influence Of Species Extinctions On Species Diversity And Ecosystem Processes; And (Iii) Inform The Desing Of Future Landscapes Aimed At Maintaining Species And Interaction Diversity And Ecosystem Function. The Proposed Research, Although Ambitious, Is Feasible Because The Methods Have Been Tests In The Dield In Smaller-Scale Studies, All Sites Are Identified And Permissions For Working At These Sites Have Been Or Can Be Readily Obtained (Both At Local And National Levels). Further, This Proposal Will Benefit From On-Going Research Collaborations Between Ecuadorian And Swiss Scientists. The Pi-Team Also Has Three Women All Of Whom Come From Institutions/Countries Where Women Are Quite Inder-Represented.