Collaborative Research: Trophic Structure and Interactions of the Pelagic Nekton Associated with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

合作研究：与大西洋中脊相关的中上层游生物的营养结构和相互作用

• 批准号: 0623556
• 负责人: Ann Bucklin
• 金额: $ 14.24万
• 依托单位: University of Connecticut
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-08-15 至 2010-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0623556&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Trophic; Structure; Interactions

Once considered pristine and undisturbed, the deep-sea environment is becoming progressively impacted by anthropogenic activities. The impact of removing top predators by deep-sea fishing activities cannot be assessed given our present state of knowledge. A recent study found that oceanic top predator diversity has declined between 10% and 50% in all oceans in the past 50 years, and that the protection of regional "hotspots" may be critical in thwarting what may be an ecological disaster. An understanding of trophic interactions is an essential requirement for ocean management policy. This study will provide novel information on the trophic interactions and ecological regulatory forces that shape oceanic communities. The international collaborations developed for this project, as well as the shiptime and equipment contributions of the MAR-ECO program, from which the opportunity and the ecological framework for this investigation is derived, represent a huge cost savings and added value. Understanding the structure of food webs and the flow of organic matter in deep-pelagic ecosystems requires an integrated approach in which several key community elements are addressed in a quantitative manner. A recent, large-scale exploration of the deep waters over the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) has resulted in one of the largest (if not the largest) multitrophic level, deep-pelagic (200 - 3000 m) sample collections ever obtained, presenting an unprecedented opportunity to understand deep-sea food webs. Utilizing this collection, a comprehensive background dataset, and an international partnership with some of the world's foremost experts on deep-sea taxonomy, ecology, and hydroacoustics, this project will comprise a coordinated investigation utilizing quantitative microscopical trophic analysis, molecular prey-DNA analysis, and stable isotope analysis to understand the trophic structure and interactions of the pelagic nekton (actively swimming fauna) associated with the MAR. This investigation will provide an initial characterization of a major but poorly known trophic interaction in the deep ocean interior - the utilization of gelatinous energy sources by biomass-dominant groups of deep-pelagic fishes. In addition to its intellectual contributions, the work described in this proposal will contribute significantly to education and the development of human resources in science at the K-12, undergraduate and graduate levels, strengthening American position in ocean science and furthering international collaborations. Interest in deep-sea science will be stimulated through hands-on, interactive tutorials in which students will simulate an ongoing scientific study, and compare their findings to those of the model study. This tutorial, developed as a unit on "Deep-Sea Food Webs," will be delivered via the Ridge 2000 SEAS (Student Experiments At Sea) educational website. The project will also provide financial support and participation in field and lab research for several graduate students. The students will share authorship on publications, reports, and will gain experience through presentation at national meetings.

深海环境曾经被认为是原始的和未受干扰的，现在正逐渐受到人类活动的影响。鉴于我们目前的知识状况，无法评估深海捕捞活动消灭顶级捕食者的影响。最近的一项研究发现，在过去的50年里，海洋顶级捕食者的多样性在所有海洋中都下降了10%到50%，而保护区域“热点”可能是阻止这一可能的生态灾难的关键。对营养相互作用的了解是海洋管理政策的基本要求。这项研究将为形成海洋群落的营养相互作用和生态调节力提供新的信息。为该项目开展的国际合作，以及MAR-ECO项目的船运和设备贡献，为本次调查提供了机会和生态框架，代表着巨大的成本节约和附加值。要了解深海生态系统中食物网的结构和有机物质的流动，需要采取一种综合办法，以定量的方式处理几个关键的群落要素。最近对大西洋中脊北部(MAR)的深水进行了大规模勘探，获得了迄今获得的最大(如果不是最大的)多营养级深海(200-3000米)样本采集之一，为了解深海食物网提供了前所未有的机会。利用这一收集、全面的背景数据集以及与一些世界上最顶尖的深海分类学、生态学和水声学专家的国际合作伙伴关系，该项目将包括一项协调调查，利用定量显微营养分析、分子猎物DNA分析和稳定同位素分析，以了解与MAR相关的远洋Nekton(活跃游泳动物)的营养结构和相互作用。这项调查将初步描述深海内部一种主要但鲜为人知的营养相互作用--以生物量为主的深海鱼类群体对胶状能源的利用。除了智力贡献外，这项建议中描述的工作将对K-12、本科生和研究生的科学教育和人力资源开发做出重大贡献，加强美国在海洋科学方面的地位，并促进国际合作。对深海科学的兴趣将通过动手的互动教程来激发，在这些教程中，学生将模拟正在进行的科学研究，并将他们的发现与模型研究的结果进行比较。本教程作为“深海食物网”的一个单元开发，将通过Ridge 2000 SEA(海洋学生实验)教育网站提供。该项目还将为几名研究生提供财政支持，并参与实地和实验室研究。学生们将分享出版物、报告的作者，并将通过在全国会议上的演讲获得经验。