Collaborative Research: Scaling up from community to meta-ecosystem dynamics in the rocky intertidal - a comparative-experimental approach

合作研究：从群落扩展到岩石潮间带元生态系统动力学——一种比较实验方法

• 批准号: 0726983
• 负责人: Bruce Menge
• 金额: $ 48.99万
• 依托单位: Oregon State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-08-15 至 2011-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0726983&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Scaling; up; community

The meta-ecosystem concept hypothesizes that the dynamics of ecological communities reflect interdependence between local-scale and ecosystem processes that vary across large distances. Thus, variation among communities depends not only on locally-varying species interactions and abiotic factors, such as physical disturbance, but also on regionally- and globally-varying ecosystem processes, such as dispersal and flows of materials such as nutrients and carbon. This study of rocky intertidal communities and the factors underlying their variation addresses the issue of meta-ecosystem dynamics. The goal of this project is to understand how variability in oceanographic subsidies, such as nutrients and phytoplankton, influences benthic community structure in the northern California Current Large Marine Ecosystem. Local-scale variation in upwelling along the Oregon and northern California coasts will be used to understand how changes in nutrients and productivity influence benthic-pelagic coupling, its effect on benthic species interactions, and ultimately rocky intertidal community structure. A conceptual model, in which the independent variable is seawater temperature (SWT), is used to predict how the dual effect of nutrients and light on marine benthic and pelagic primary production generates different community outcomes in the low intertidal zone. The two ""endpoints" of community structure are a dominance of filter feeding invertebrates or macroalgae. The model predicts that with low (cold) SWT, nutrient and light availability is high, and macrophytes are dominant. Under very high nutrients and light, competitively dominant kelps will prevail and possibly facilitate stress-intolerant macroalgal species, and as nutrients and light diminish, kelp dominance should switch to dominance by surfgrass and foliose understory algae. With higher (warmer) SWT, conditions favor high phytoplankton production, leading to dominance by sessile invertebrates. High phytoplankton also creates low light and low nutrient conditions, negatively affecting growth of macroalgae and their ability to compete with sessile invertebrates. Research will be conducted at 15 sites nested within five capes spanning the 1300 km range of the study region. A water sampling program will quantify concentrations of nutrients and phytoplankton, field-deployed remote sensors will provide time-series estimates of light and chlorophyll a, and surveys will quantify community structure. Manipulative field experiments will test the role of species interactions on community structure and how interactions vary with ecological subsidies.Broader Impacts: Three of the PIs (Hacker, Menge, Nielsen) have undergraduate and graduate teaching responsibilities, which involve instruction and training in marine ecology. Each makes a major effort to foster the participation of underrepresented groups in lab and field activities; Menge, Hacker and Nielsen''''s lab groups consist mostly or entirely of women. Nielsen''''s position at Somona State University (SSU), a four-year undergraduate institution with few funded research programs, offers a rare chance for SSU undergraduates to participate in a first-rate research experience. Finally, the work will provide insight into the consequences of predicted changes in upwelling regimes due to human activity and climate change, thereby giving the research societal significance. Knowledge of the importance of benthic-pelagic coupling to the dynamics of rocky intertidal communities is crucial to manage and conserve marine communities facing human-induced variation in climate. The PIs will work with a policy and outreach program to communicate the research beyond academic circles to the wider public and stakeholders.

元生态系统概念假设生态群落的动态反映了地方尺度和跨越大距离变化的生态系统过程之间的相互依赖性。因此，群落之间的变化不仅取决于当地不同的物种相互作用和非生物因素，如物理干扰，而且还取决于区域和全球不同的生态系统过程，如营养物和碳等物质的扩散和流动。本研究以岩石潮间带群落及其变异因子为研究对象，探讨生态系统的动态变化。该项目的目标是了解海洋补贴的变化，如营养物和浮游植物，如何影响北方加州目前的大型海洋生态系统的底栖生物群落结构。沿着俄勒冈州和加州州北方海岸上升流的局部尺度变化将用于了解营养和生产力的变化如何影响底栖-中上层耦合，其对底栖物种相互作用的影响，并最终影响岩石潮间带群落结构。一个概念模型，其中的自变量是海水温度（SWT），是用来预测营养盐和光对海洋底栖生物和浮游生物初级生产力的双重影响如何在低潮间带产生不同的社区结果。群落结构的两个“端点”是滤食性无脊椎动物或大型藻类的优势。该模型预测，低（冷）SWT，养分和光的可用性是高的，和水生植物占主导地位。在非常高的营养物质和光，竞争优势海带将占上风，并可能促进胁迫不耐受的大型藻类物种，并作为营养物质和光减少，海带的优势应切换到优势的冲浪草和叶状林下藻类。随着SWT的增加，浮游植物的产量增加，从而导致固着无脊椎动物的优势。大量的浮游植物也会造成低光照和低营养条件，对大型藻类的生长及其与固着无脊椎动物竞争的能力产生负面影响。研究将在15个地点进行，这些地点位于研究区域1300公里范围内的5个海角内。水取样计划将量化营养物和浮游植物的浓度，现场部署的遥感器将提供光和叶绿素a的时间序列估计，调查将量化群落结构。操纵现场实验将测试物种相互作用对群落结构的作用，以及相互作用如何随生态补贴而变化。更广泛的影响：三个PI（黑客，门格，尼尔森）有本科和研究生的教学责任，其中涉及海洋生态学的教学和培训。每个实验室都做出了重大努力，以促进代表性不足的群体参与实验室和实地活动; Menge、Hacker和Nielsen的实验室小组大多或全部由妇女组成。尼尔森在索莫纳州立大学（SSU）的职位，是一所四年制本科院校，几乎没有资助的研究项目，为SSU的本科生提供了一个难得的机会，让他们参与一流的研究体验。最后，这项工作将深入了解由于人类活动和气候变化而导致的上升流状况预测变化的后果，从而赋予研究社会意义。了解底栖-中上层耦合对岩石潮间带群落动态的重要性，对于管理和养护面临人为气候变化的海洋群落至关重要。PI将与政策和外展计划合作，将学术界以外的研究传达给更广泛的公众和利益相关者。