Comparative Ecology of Hydrothermal Vent Populations: Species Composition, Abundance and Trophic Relationships in Soft Sediments

热液喷口种群的比较生态学：软沉积物中的物种组成、丰度和营养关系

• 批准号: 8812733
• 负责人: J. Frederick Grassle
• 金额: $ 10.23万
• 依托单位: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1988
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1988-10-15 至 1991-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8812733&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Comparative; Ecology; Hydrothermal; Vent; Populations

Since the discovery of the spectacular hydrothermal vent ecosystems a decade ago, researchers have been investigating the actual mechanisms by which these productive systems are nourished and maintained. Chemosynthetic production is hypothesized to be the overwhelmingly dominant for of organic energy supporting the marine life at vents, with photosynthetically produced sources being minor. This idea needs some rigorous testing, however. This investigation by Dr. Grassle and co-workers will address first the basic question of whether chemosynthetically derived carbon can be traced in the surrounding non-vent benthic fauna using stable isotope techniques. If stable isotopes can be applied in this system these researchers will try to discern how the contribution varies with distance from the vents, and how the community structure of the soft-sediment benthic fauna, in terms of species composition and abundance, size distribution, reproductive state and proportion of juveniles of common species, tracks the contribution of chemosynthetic carbon.

自从十年前发现壮观的热液喷口生态系统以来，研究人员一直在研究滋养和维持这些生产系统的实际机制。 据推测，化学合成生产是支持喷口海洋生物的有机能源的压倒性主导，而光合作用生产的来源是次要的。 然而，这个想法需要一些严格的测试。 Grassle 博士及其同事的这项研究将首先解决一个基本问题：是否可以使用稳定同位素技术在周围的非喷口底栖动物群中追踪化学合成衍生的碳。 如果稳定同位素可以应用于该系统，这些研究人员将尝试了解其贡献如何随距喷口距离的变化而变化，以及软沉积物底栖动物群落结构（在物种组成和丰度、大小分布、繁殖状态和常见物种幼体比例方面）如何追踪化学合成碳的贡献。