RUI: Scale-Dependence of Flow Effects on Coral Reef Community Primary Production

RUI：流量对珊瑚礁群落初级生产影响的规模依赖性

• 批准号: 0241885
• 负责人: Robert Carpenter
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: The University Corporation, Northridge
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-05-01 至 2008-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0241885&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Scale; Dependence; Flow; Effects

Understanding the control of material fluxes in marine environments is a major goal of oceanography. In coastal marine environments, there is a growing appreciation for the role of hydrodynamics in modulating these fluxes. Coral reefs are among the most productive ecosystems in the ocean and water flow is central to maintaining high rates of photosynthesis in reef primary producers. On many reefs the major primary producing component is comprised of free-living algae that form a thin veneer over dead coral. Rates of photosynthesis by reef algal turfs on spatial scales of tens of centimeters are enhanced significantly by water motion, and similar patterns have been demonstrated for rates of nitrogen fixation. Metabolic and nutrient uptake processes of other reef organisms are also positively related to flow speed on similar spatial scales.This project will develop a more complete understanding of the role of water flow in modulating coral reef primary production by: 1) examining the generality of how flow effects reef community primary production at larger spatial scales and how surface roughness affects this relationship, and, 2) investigating in more detail the small-scale interactions between algal turf physical structure, flow, and boundary layer dynamics, as this will allow a coupling between the ecological process of disturbance and the physical processes of hydrodynamics and mass transfer. Using both correlational and experimental methods, explicit hypotheses about the effects of flow, shear stress, and roughness on net community primary production at several spatial scales will be tested.Broader impacts include a significant contribution to the development of human resources in marine science via training of both undergraduate and graduate students and a postdoctoral researcher, and better understanding of flow effects on a critical marine ecosystem.

了解海洋环境中物质通量的控制是海洋学的一个主要目标。在沿海海洋环境中，人们越来越认识到流体动力学在调节这些通量中的作用。珊瑚礁是海洋中生产力最高的生态系统之一，水流对于维持珊瑚礁初级生产者的高光合作用率至关重要。在许多珊瑚礁上，主要的初级生产成分由自由生活的藻类组成，这些藻类在死珊瑚上形成一层薄薄的饰面。水运动显着提高了礁藻草皮在数十厘米空间尺度上的光合作用速率，并且固氮速率也显示出类似的模式。其他珊瑚礁生物的代谢和营养吸收过程也与类似空间尺度上的流速呈正相关。该项目将通过以下方式更全面地了解水流在调节珊瑚礁初级生产中的作用：1）研究水流如何在更大空间尺度上影响珊瑚礁群落初级生产的一般性以及表面粗糙度如何影响这种关系，2）更详细地研究藻类草皮之间的小规模相互作用 物理结构、流动和边界层动力学，因为这将允许扰动的生态过程与流体动力学和质量传递的物理过程之间的耦合。将使用相关方法和实验方法，测试关于流动、剪切应力和粗糙度对多个空间尺度上的净群落初级生产的影响的明确假设。更广泛的影响包括通过培训本科生、研究生和博士后研究员对海洋科学人力资源的发展做出重大贡献，以及更好地了解流动对关键海洋生态系统的影响。