The hydrodynamics of benthic predation

底栖捕食的流体动力学

• 批准号: 0424673
• 负责人: Marc Weissburg
• 金额: $ 58.13万
• 依托单位: Georgia Tech Research Corporation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-09-01 至 2010-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0424673&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: hydrodynamics; benthic; predation

Intellectual Merit: This project will focus on how chemical signals mediate patterns of olfactory predation. We will correlate prey characteristics and environmental effects to the strength of the interaction between populations of particular predator and prey species. This project has 3 major experimental goals: (1). Quantify the structure of chemical plumes as functions of three variables: prey size, prey density, and turbulence. (2). Quantify how predators using different sensory mechanisms respond to variations in prey size and density, and turbulence. (3). Investigate how ambient turbulence, prey size, prey aggregation, and the interaction among these three parameters increases susceptibility to predation in the field. The synergistic result of the fluid mechanics, behavior, and field experiments will produce quantifiable linkages between prey and environmental characteristics and patterns of predation and community structures. The model system chosen for this study is the interactions between blue crab and gastropod predators and their infaunal bivalve prey. The behavioral disparities between rapidly (e.g. crabs) vs. slowly (e.g. gastropod) moving predators suggest they rely on different signal properties, and therefore may form a guild defined at least partially by the olfactory navigational strategies. As observed in the recent NSF workshop on future challenges in oceanography (OEUVRE), "fundamental advances in knowledge of turbulent mixing of the ocean at all scales will result in understanding a host of problems from water mass conservation to predator-prey interactions". This project will address how the fluid physics of chemical signal transport and the biological mechanisms of sensory reception mediate predation intensity in natural populations. Broader Impacts: This study focuses on important estuarine species (blue crabs, whelks, hard clams), each of which supports important fisheries in Georgia and elsewhere. Defining predation intensity as functions of physical and biological characteristics may be helpful for management of crab, whelk and hard clam populations. Training will be provided for two graduate (Ph.D.) students (one in Sensory Biology and one in Fluid Mechanics), and one Post-doctoral associate. These individuals will experience a rich interdisciplinary research environment in addition to developing the skills to be leaders in their respective fields. Undergraduate students will also be involved in data collection and analysis, particularly analysis of the behavioral tracks, PLIF, and field experiments. The undergraduate will gain valuable research experience and also will be exposed to interdisciplinary issues and perspectives. The School of Biology currently has a summer REU in aquatic chemical signaling and we expect that other undergraduates will develop projects that are related to this project, and which will capitalize on our integrative approach and techniques. This study will also connect well with on-going graduate educational efforts, in particular our NSF IGERT program to educate in the area of aquatic chemical signaling. Graduate students are typically supported during their first year in the program and are expected to be involved in research projects. Thus, in addition to the students supported by this proposal, perhaps two additional graduate students can be expected to be involved in the project each year. Laboratory exercises based on the methods and results of the proposed study will be developed for the IGERT courses. These exercises also will be used, possibly in a reduced form, for basic undergraduate laboratories in Ecology and Fluid Mechanics. This will give undergraduates exposure to interdisciplinary work, and foster an early appreciation for breaking down boundaries between disciplines.

智力价值：这个项目将关注化学信号如何调节嗅觉捕食模式。我们将把猎物特征和环境影响与特定捕食者和猎物物种种群之间的相互作用的强度联系起来。该项目有三个主要的实验目标：(1)。将化学羽流的结构量化为三个变量的函数：猎物大小、猎物密度和湍流。(2)。量化使用不同感官机制的捕食者如何对猎物大小和密度的变化以及湍流做出反应。(3)。研究环境湍流、猎物大小、猎物聚集以及这三个参数之间的交互作用如何增加野外捕食的敏感性。流体力学、行为学和野外实验的协同结果将在猎物和环境特征以及捕食模式和群落结构之间产生可量化的联系。本研究所选用的模式系统为蓝蟹与腹足类捕食者及其底栖双壳类捕食者之间的相互作用。快速(例如螃蟹)和缓慢(例如腹足类)捕食者之间的行为差异表明，它们依赖不同的信号特性，因此可能形成一个至少部分由嗅觉导航策略定义的行会。正如美国国家科学基金会最近举办的关于未来海洋学挑战的研讨会(Oeuvre)所述，“在所有尺度上对海洋湍流混合知识的根本性进展将导致理解从水团保护到捕食者-猎物相互作用的一系列问题”。该项目将探讨化学信号传输的流体物理学和感官接收的生物学机制如何在自然种群中调节捕食强度。更广泛的影响：这项研究侧重于重要的河口物种(青蟹、海螺、文蛤)，每种物种都支持格鲁吉亚和其他地方的重要渔业。将捕食强度定义为物理和生物学特性的函数，可能有助于对螃蟹、海螺和文蛤种群的管理。将为两名研究生(博士)提供培训。学生(一名感官生物学和一名流体力学)和一名博士后助理。这些人除了发展成为各自领域领导者的技能外，还将体验到丰富的跨学科研究环境。本科生还将参与数据收集和分析，特别是行为轨迹、PLIF和现场实验的分析。本科生将获得宝贵的研究经验，并将接触到跨学科的问题和观点。生物学院目前有一个关于水生化学信号的暑期REU课程，我们希望其他本科生将开发与该项目相关的项目，并将利用我们的综合方法和技术。这项研究还将与正在进行的研究生教育努力很好地联系起来，特别是我们的NSF IGERT计划，在水生化学信号领域进行教育。研究生通常在该项目的第一年得到支持，并有望参与研究项目。因此，除了这项提案支持的学生外，每年可能还会有另外两名研究生参与该项目。将根据拟议研究的方法和结果为IGERT课程制定实验室练习。这些练习也将被用于生态学和流体力学的基础本科实验室，可能会以简化的形式使用。这将使本科生接触到跨学科的工作，并培养对打破学科之间界限的早期欣赏。