Collaborative Research: The Chemical Ecology of Shallow-Water Marine Macroalgae and Invertebrates on the Antarctic Peninsula

合作研究：南极半岛浅水海洋大型藻类和无脊椎动物的化学生态学

• 批准号: 0125181
• 负责人: Charles Amsler
• 金额: $ 38.61万
• 依托单位: University of Alabama at Birmingham
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-06-01 至 2006-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0125181&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Chemical; Ecology; Shallow

0125181AmslerThe benthic marine ecosystem near Palmer Station, Antarctica provides an excellent site for the study of the function and evolution of chemical defenses in marine organisms. Antarctica is unique in that sea stars and other invertebrates are the major predators on benthic animals. Sea stars are quite different from other, biting predators because they often feed by extruding their cardiac stomach over their prey for external digestion. This feeding pattern should be a particularly strong selective force for surface-sequestration of chemical defenses, especially in Antarctica where sea stars are the major sponge predator and biting spongivores are relatively uncommon. Antarctic sea stars are slow moving predators that feed on individual sponges for long periods of time and can have patchy distributions. However, they are much larger than the small grazers thought to be important in inducing chemical defenses at lower latitudes. Previous studies by the investigators have established the presence and ecological role of secondary metabolites in a wide variety of sessile and sluggish antarctic marine invertebrates and in marine macroalgae. The current project focus on two sets of questions concerning the function and evolution of chemical defenses. First, the predictions of the Optimal Defense Theory and the Induced Defense Model of plant and animal chemical defenses will be tested. The former theory predicts that chemical defenses will be differentially sequestered in tissues that are most susceptible to predation. The latter theory predicts that such predators should select for inducible defenses and these Antarctic predator-prey relationships provide the opportunity to separate the issue of predator size from the basic predictions of the model. Second, the investigators propose to utilize the ecologically dominant members of the Antarctic Peninsula's rich macroalgal flora and the distinctive nutrient environment of coastal Antarctica to test predictions of multiple, interactive roles for secondary metabolites in brown macroalgae including predictions of the Induced Defense Model. An additional test will examine whether increased ultraviolet radiation in shallow water benthic communities caused by atmospheric ozone depletion might be affecting secondary metabolite production. Because of the dominance of these macroalgae in their communities, understanding factors that influence their trophic relationships are important for understanding community dynamics as a whole. The investigators plan to continue to vigorously pursue and foster opportunities to integrate their scientific research with a variety of educational activities, including supporting undergraduate, as well as graduate and postgraduate research; and science teachers through the NSF Teachers Experiencing Antarctica program.

0125181AMSLERTHE THE BENTHIC海洋生态系统附近的南极洲帕尔默站附近，为研究海洋生物中化学防御的功能和演变提供了一个绝佳的地点。南极洲是独一无二的，因为海星和其他无脊椎动物是底栖动物的主要捕食者。海星与其他捕食者大不相同，因为它们通常是通过将心脏胃挤压在外部消化的猎物上而进食。这种进食模式应该是化学防御表面序列的特别强选择力，尤其是在南极洲，海星是主要的海绵捕食者，而咬人的海绵温馨相对罕见。南极海星是缓慢移动的捕食者，可长时间以各个海绵为食，并且可能具有零散的分布。但是，它们比被认为在较低纬度诱导化学防御的小型放牧者要大得多。研究人员先前的研究确立了次级代谢产物在各种各样的无脊椎动物无脊椎动物和海洋大型藻类中的存在和生态作用。当前的项目着重于有关化学防御功能和演变的两组问题。首先，将测试最佳防御理论和动物化学防御的诱导防御模型的预测。前一种理论预测，化学防御将在最容易受到捕食的组织中差异化。后一种理论预测，此类捕食者应选择诱导的防御能力，而这些南极捕食者 - 捕食关系为将捕食者大小的问题与模型的基本预测区分开来提供了机会。其次，研究人员建议利用南极半岛丰富的大宏观菌群的生态主导成员和沿海南极沿海地区的独特营养环境来测试棕色宏观阿尔加（Brown Macroalgae）中次生代谢物多种相互作用作用的预测，包括对诱导的防御模型的预测。一项额外的测试将检查由大气臭氧耗竭引起的浅水底栖群落中增加的紫外线辐射是否可能影响二次代谢产物的产生。由于这些大藻类在其社区中的主导地位，因此了解影响其营养关系的因素对于理解整个社区动态很重要。调查人员计划继续大力追求并促进机会，将其科学研究与各种教育活动相结合，包括支持本科，研究生和研究生研究；和科学老师通过经历南极计划的NSF教师。