LTREB: Experimental Studies of Alternative Community States on Rocky Intertidal Shores

LTREB：岩石潮间带海岸替代社区状态的实验研究

• 批准号: 0314980
• 负责人: Peter Petraitis
• 金额: $ 27.58万
• 依托单位: University of Pennsylvania
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-08-01 至 2009-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0314980&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: LTREB; Experimental; Studies; Alternative; Community

Mussels, barnacles, and algae known as rockweeds are the major structural components of natural communities that line the shore in the Gulf of Maine and form the home for many species of fish and invertebrates. The long-term goal of this project is to determine whether the factors that switch a rockweed community into a mussel-barnacle bed are random (stochastic) or determined by site-specific characteristics (deterministic). Ice scour, which removes rockweed, mussels, and barnacles from the shore, has been suggested as the event that can switch a rockweed stand into a mussel bed and vice versa. In ecology, the idea that the same kinds of sites could be occupied by different types of communities is commonly referred to as the 'theory of alternative stable states.' If algal stands and barnacle-mussel beds are alternative states, then removal of one or the other should initiate the switch. If local site-specific differences are important, then communities should return to their original state. To examine these possibilities experimentally, openings in rockweed stands or mussel-barnacle beds, which mimic the effects of ice scour, will be initiated and monitored. Experiments of this type that were started in 1996 provide one of the longest experimental studies of the theory of alternative stable states, but the experimental sites are still changing and it is not clear if the final communities will return to rockweed stands or become mussel beds. LTREB support will provide funds to continue monitoring for additional five years. This study has implications for the management of marine ecosystems; if the natural communities found on the shores of the Gulf of Maine exist as alternative states, then management strategies dealing with fisheries, development and man-made disasters may need to account for the potential for small environmental insults to cause large irreversible changes. Research will also enhance the understanding of science and research by involving K-12 students and teachers, and undergraduates. Data collection, data entry, and some basic analysis will be done with the help of middle school students from Portland, ME and undergraduates from Philadelphia, PA. A high school science teacher will be supported as a field assistant during the summers. A web page will be developed K-12 students and aimed at introducing the students to experimental marine ecology. The site will provide specific questions for students, and data summaries will be available for the students to answer these questions.

贻贝、藤壶和被称为岩藻的藻类是缅因湾沿岸自然群落的主要结构成分，是许多鱼类和无脊椎动物的家园。该项目的长期目标是确定将岩藻群落转变为贻贝-藤壶群落的因素是随机的(随机的)还是由特定地点的特征决定的(确定性)。冰川冲刷将岩藻、贻贝和藤壶从海岸上移走，被认为是可以将岩藻变成贻贝床的事件，反之亦然。在生态学中，相同类型的地点可以被不同类型的群落占据的想法通常被称为“替代稳定状态理论”。如果藻类林和藤壶-贻贝床是可供选择的状态，那么移除其中之一应该会启动这种转换。如果当地特定地点的差异很重要，那么社区应该恢复到原来的状态。为了从实验上检验这些可能性，将启动和监测岩藻林或贻贝藤壶床上模拟冰川冲刷影响的开口。1996年开始的这种类型的实验提供了对替代稳定状态理论进行的最长时间的实验研究之一，但实验地点仍在变化，尚不清楚最终的群落是否会回到岩藻林或成为贻贝床。LTREB的支持将提供资金，以便在今后五年内继续监测。这项研究对海洋生态系统的管理有影响；如果在缅因湾沿岸发现的自然群落作为替代州存在，那么处理渔业、发展和人为灾害的管理战略可能需要考虑到小的环境侮辱可能造成巨大的不可逆转的变化。研究还将通过让K-12学生和教师以及本科生参与进来，增进对科学和研究的理解。数据收集、数据录入和一些基本的分析将在来自明尼苏达州波特兰的中学生和来自宾夕法尼亚州费城的本科生的帮助下完成。暑假期间，一名高中理科教师将作为现场助理得到支持。将为K-12学生开发一个网页，旨在向学生介绍实验海洋生态学。该网站将为学生提供具体的问题，并提供数据摘要供学生回答这些问题。