Collaborative Research+RUI: The Effects of Water Movement and Zooplankton Escape Behavior on Planktivory by Coral Reef Fishes in Different Microhabitats

合作研究RUI：不同微生境中水运动和浮游动物逃逸行为对珊瑚礁鱼类浮游生物的影响

• 批准号: 0324724
• 负责人: Raymond Clarke
• 金额: $ 17.25万
• 依托单位: Sarah Lawrence College
• 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: 2003-10-01 至 2007-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0324724&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research+RUI; Effects; Water; Movement

This study will investigate the effects of water movement on the capture of zooplankton by small fish that live embedded in coral skeletons and are subject to boundary layer effects. The particular focus is on how water movement differs in the microhabitats occupied by two species of blenny (family Chaenopsidae) and the extent to which it affects microhabitat choice by those species. The problem will be approached from two perspectives: (1) the role of water movement in delivering prey to the fish and (2) the role of water movement in determining prey vulnerability to attacks by fish. Water movement will be measured at different scales on reefs where the fish live and, in the laboratory, prey capture will be studied under the patterns and rates of water movement observed in the field.The two fish species have already been shown to live in different microhabitats in the same reef zones, have different metabolic rates, attack prey at different speeds, and have different diets. Their prey capture success varies with degree of water movement and the influence of water movement is different in direction and magnitude for different prey types. Most strikingly, certain calanoid copepods that have exceptionally fast response times to predator signals become more vulnerable with increasing water turbulence. This is believed to be the key to feeding success in blennies and determines where they are located on the reef.Water movement will be measured on a coral reef to determine general conditions in the zones where the blennies are found and to characterize water movement within the feeding volumes of each species. Vertical profiles will also be determined for water movement above the reef surface to correlate with the different vertical distributions of the two fishes. A flow tank will be built with the capacity to generate oscillating water movement of the magnitudes and periodicities observed where the blennies live. Blennies will be fed a range of prey under varying water movement regimes and their feeding volumes and capture success will be measured with the aid of standard speed videography. With high?speed videography, patterns of feeding strikes and escape responses of prey will be determined. In addition, high?speed videography, in conjunction with standard small?scale hydrodynamic disturbances, will be used to test the escape responses of calanoid copepods in the presence of increasing levels of turbulence.Because of the unique melding of field and laboratory work and the precise recording of predator and prey responses under various hydrodynamic conditions, this study will be a significant contribution to our understanding of how copepods avoid their predators, how fish capture their prey, and how this affects habitat choice by fish. This information will give us insight into some unforeseen consequences of coral reef degradation. This project also has important educational impacts. Four to six undergraduate students will experience hands?on laboratory and field research and a small humanities and arts?oriented liberal arts college will collaborate with two research institutes in a way that will enhance the visibility of the sciences at the college. This is expected to add to the ongoing effort to increase the role of science in the educational offerings of the college.

这项研究将调查水运动对生活在珊瑚骨骼中并受边界层影响的小鱼捕获浮游动物的影响。特别关注的是水在两个物种(木瓜科)所处的微生境中的不同，以及水运动对这些物种的微生境选择的影响程度。将从两个角度探讨这一问题：(1)水运动在向鱼提供猎物方面的作用；(2)水运动在确定猎物易受鱼类攻击方面的作用。将在鱼生活的珊瑚礁上以不同的尺度测量水的运动，并在实验室根据在野外观察到的水运动的模式和速度来研究猎物捕获。这两种鱼已经被证明生活在相同珊瑚礁区域的不同微生境中，具有不同的代谢率，以不同的速度攻击猎物，并有不同的食物。它们的捕食成功率随着水分运动程度的不同而不同，不同的猎物类型，水运动的影响方向和程度也不同。最引人注目的是，某些对捕食者信号有非常快反应时间的甲壳类桡足类动物，随着水域湍流的增加变得更容易受到攻击。这被认为是在珊瑚礁中成功摄食的关键，并决定了它们在珊瑚礁上的位置。将在珊瑚礁上测量水分运动，以确定发现珊瑚礁的区域的一般条件，并表征每个物种的摄食量内的水分运动。还将确定珊瑚礁表面以上的水运动的垂直剖面，以与这两种鱼的不同垂直分布相关联。将建造一个流动水池，能够产生振荡的水运动，其大小和周期与布伦尼植物生活的地方观察到的一样。在不同的水运动条件下，布伦尼将被喂养一系列的猎物，它们的摄食量和捕获成功率将通过标准速度摄像来测量。通过高速摄像，将确定猎物的取食打击和逃逸反应的模式。此外，高速摄像结合标准的小尺度水动力扰动，将被用来测试在湍流水平增加的情况下跳跃的桡足类动物的逃逸反应。由于野外和实验室工作的独特融合以及在不同水动力条件下捕食者和猎物的精确记录，这项研究将对我们理解桡足类如何躲避捕食者，鱼类如何捕获猎物，以及这如何影响鱼类的栖息地选择有重要贡献。这些信息将使我们深入了解珊瑚礁退化的一些不可预见的后果。该项目还具有重要的教育影响。四到六名本科生将亲身体验实验室和实地研究，一所以人文和艺术为导向的小型文科学院将与两个研究机构合作，以提高该学院的科学知名度。预计这将增加正在进行的努力，以增加科学在学院提供的教育中的作用。