SGER: Studies on the Physiological Ecology of Hydrothermal Vent Chemoautotrophic Symbioses

该SGER奖将允许调查员和学生参加RV Keldysh和两个和平号潜水器到墨西哥东太平洋隆起热液喷口的巡航。这次巡航将于2003年9月23日左右离开阿卡普尔科，并于2003年10月20日左右在卡波圣卢卡斯结束。这次航行将拍摄一部由詹姆斯卡梅隆执导的关于热液喷口和对这些喷口的研究的IMAX电影。PI的团队将进行研究并参与电影。知识成果：这项研究是研究所关于喷口生物生理学调查的继续。调查人员将测量主要喷口物种的代谢通量，作为其估计东太平洋海隆喷口群落产量的总体方案的一部分。这将涉及将动物活着带到水面，然后将它们放置在模拟深度条件的高压呼吸计系统中。使用这个系统，研究人员将测量氧气，二氧化碳，硫化物，质子和硝酸盐的通量作为这些变量以及温度的函数。迄今为止，他们的工作表明，这些社区的初级生产率非常高，可与最具生产力的陆地系统相媲美。他们还将在一个压力水族馆系统中保持动物的存活，目标是在巡航结束时将它们活着带回圣巴巴拉。此外，研究人员还将收集样品用于热休克蛋白的分析，以深入了解这些物种的热极限。他们还将与参加巡航的其他俄罗斯和美国科学家合作。拟议工作的更广泛方面：除了将进行的令人兴奋的研究外，由于3D IMAX电影的制作和詹姆斯卡梅隆的隆起，这是一个推广和教育的绝佳机会。这部电影对公众的潜在影响是巨大的。PI的实验装置是一个复杂的，高度仪器化的高压系统，与媒体中显示的海洋生物学的通常观点截然不同。这也是一个特别令人兴奋的外联和教育机会，因为奇尔德里斯博士曾于1979年参加第一次热液喷口考察，并一直活跃在这一领域。PI将提供他的知识和经验的深度和广度的生产。这个SGER奖还将支持邮轮上的两名研究生的论文研究。其中一名学生是有色人种，她也将参加与地球之船制作的大西洋中脊巡航，并可能在电影中突出表现。

This SGER award will allow the Investigator and students to participate in a cruise of the RV Keldysh and the two Mir submersibles to the hydrothermal vents of the East Pacific Rise off Mexico. This cruise will depart Acapulco on about Sept 23, 2003 and end at Cabo San Lucas on about Oct. 20, 2003. This cruise will be filming an IMAX film about the hydrothermal vents and about research on those vents, directed by James Cameron. The PI's group will both conduct research and participate in the film. Intellectual Merit: The research is a continuation of the PIs investigations on the physiology of vent organisms. The investigators will be measuring the metabolic fluxes of major vent species as part of their overall program to estimate the production of the East Pacific Rise vent communities. This will involve bringing the animals to the surface alive and then placing them in high-pressure respirometer systems that simulate conditions at depth. Using this system the researchers will measure the fluxes of oxygen, carbon dioxide, sulfide, protons, and nitrate as a function of these variables as well as temperature. Their work, to date has shown very high rates of primary production by these communities, rivaling the most productive terrestrial systems. They will also maintain animals alive in a pressure aquarium system with the goal of bringing them back to Santa Barbara alive at the end of the cruise. In addition the researchers will be collecting samples for analysis of heat-shock proteins to gain insight into the thermal limits of these species. They will also collaborate with the other Russian and US scientists who are participating in the cruise.Broader Aspects of proposed work: In addition to the exciting research that will beconducted, this is an exceptional opportunity for outreach and education due to theproduction of the 3-D IMAX film and the eminence of James Cameron. The potential outreach impact of this film on the general public is enormous. The PI's experimental set-up is a complex, highly instrumented high-pressure system that is far different from the usual view of marine biology that is shown in the media. This is also a particularly exciting outreach and education opportunity because of Dr. Childress' experience as someone who was on the first hydrothermal vent expedition in 1979 and has continued to be active in this field up to the present. The PI will provide the depth and breadth of his knowledge and experience to the production. This SGER award will also support the thesis research of two graduate students on the cruise. One of these students is woman of color who will also participate in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge cruise with Earthship productions and is likely to feature prominently in the film.