U.S.-Finland Cooperative Research on a Model Relating       Predation Rate and Habitat Structural Complexity
{'Code': '01090000', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'O/D', 'LongName': 'Office Of The Director'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'OISE', 'LongName': 'Office Of Internatl Science &Engineering'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Christine French', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
This award will enable Dr. Walter G. Nelson of the Florida Institute            of Technology to collaborate with Dr. Erik Bonsdorff of the Abo                 Akademi, Finland in a study of the relationship between habitat                 complexity and prey vulnerability to predation.  Specifically, they             will carry out rigorous laboratory experiments with fish and                    amphipods to determine whether there is a threshold level of spatial            complexity below which variations in complexity have no effect on               prey survivorship.  The researchers will perform their laboratory               experiments at the Huso Biological Station where Dr. Bonsdorff has              done extensive field data collection and experiments on shallow water           interactions between fish predators and benthic prey.  The basic                biology of the local organisms is well known.  The reed beds in the             Aland Islands of Finland near this laboratory are a simple enough               system, due to low species diversity, for trophic relationships to be           modelled realistically in laboratory experiments.  The laboratory               studies will lead to hypotheses concerning prey distribution and                abundance within the reed beds which can be tested by future field              experiments.  Dr. Nelson has experience in studies of predator-prey             relationships and disturbance among the fauna of complex seagrass               communities in the eastern U.S.  He will benefit from access to a               field system that is particularly well suited to modelling these                types of ecological relationships.  The collaboration will allow the            researchers to combine their expertise and insights in an effort to             advance understanding of predator-prey relationships.                                                                                                           Recent work by Dr. Nelson and others has suggested that prey                    vulnerability does not have a simple linear relationship to substrate           complexity, but rather, it is better described by a step function, at           least at the low end of the complexity spectrum.  However, this                 hypothesis has not yet been carefully tested experimentally.  If the            concept of a threshold of spatial complexity in predator-prey                   interactions can be confirmed (or refuted), this will provide a                 valuable insight into the effect of habitat on biotic interactions.             If the hypothesis is substantiated, the knowledge will improve                  prediction of the potential impact of certain kinds of human                    disturbance on natural systems, and will improve efforts to restore             damaged habitats or create artificial habitats.
{'FirstName': 'Walter', 'LastName': 'Nelson', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'G', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Walter G Nelson', 'EmailAddress': None, 'NSF_ID': '000253862', 'StartDate': '05/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'Florida Institute of Technology', 'CityName': 'MELBOURNE', 'ZipCode': '329018995', 'PhoneNumber': '3216748000', 'StreetAddress': '150 W UNIVERSITY BLVD', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Florida', 'StateCode': 'FL', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '08', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'FL08', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'WNN6VH618X58', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY INC', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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{'Code': '5935', 'Text': 'FINLAND'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1987&All=true', 'xml': '8712670.xml'}