Biogeography and Evolution of Chemosynthetic Ecosystems in the Southern Ocean

南大洋化能合成生态系统的生物地理学和演化

• 批准号: 0739675
• 负责人: Timothy Shank
• 金额: $ 39.52万
• 依托单位: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-08-15 至 2011-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0739675&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Biogeography; Evolution; Chemosynthetic; Ecosystems; Southern

The research project takes opportunistic advantage of a major field program led by colleagues in the UK in 2009 and 2010, to locate and investigate the first chemosynthetic ecosystems (hydrothermal vents and cold-seeps) in the Southern Ocean. These systems are increasingly recognized as a potential "gateway" or "barrier" to gene flow between three distinct biogeographic vent-faunal provinces: the East Pacific Rise, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the Central/SW Indian Ridge system. The P.I.s have identified sites where high-temperature hydrothermal venting exists to within a few (5) kilometers. The proposed effort will precisely locate, characterize and sample these systems during a first UK research cruise in Jan 2009. During the second year of the project, the P.I.s will engage in sampling key biological, geological and geochemical components of these systems. The research will help to determine colonization mechanisms of Southern Ocean ridge systems, includeing 1) Colonization by "EPR-province" fauna, driven primarily by hydrography; 2) Colonization from the "Atlantic" or "Indian" fauna, driven by the tectonic history of plate movements; 3) Independent, in situ evolution of novel life forms. The results will contribute significantly to understanding the evolution and ecology of chemosynthetic fauna in the Southern Ocean and, indeed, worldwide. The project will support the PhD of a WHOI/MIT Joint Program (Biology) student , and will contribute to the goals of the Census of Marine Life's ChEss program (Chemosynthetic Ecosystems). The investigators will use multi-lingual outreach activities that those programs afford in addition to those already established (e.g. Student Experiments at Sea through the NSF Ridge2000 Program and Dive & Discover). The combination of extremes involved, i.e. chemically fuelled deep-ocean ecosystems and the remote Southern Ocean, will capture the public's imagination, and will include involvement in a new major exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution.

该研究项目利用了2009年和2010年由英国同事领导的一个主要实地项目的机会，以定位和调查南大洋的第一个化学合成生态系统（热液喷口和冷泉）。 这些系统越来越被认为是三个不同的海洋地理喷口动物区系之间基因流动的潜在“门户”或“障碍”：东太平洋海隆、大西洋中脊和印度洋中脊/西南脊系统。 研究人员已经确定了高温热液喷口存在于几（5）公里内的地点。 拟议的努力将在2009年1月英国首次研究巡航期间对这些系统进行精确定位、定性和取样。 在项目的第二年，P.I.s将参与这些系统的关键生物，地质和地球化学成分的采样。 这项研究将有助于确定南大洋洋脊系统的殖民机制，包括1）主要由水文地理学驱动的“EPR省”动物群的殖民; 2）由板块运动的构造历史驱动的“大西洋”或“印度”动物群的殖民; 3）新生命形式的独立原位进化。研究结果将大大有助于了解南大洋乃至全世界化学合成动物群的演变和生态。 该项目将支持WHOI/MIT联合项目（生物学）学生的博士学位，并将为海洋生物普查ChEss计划（化学合成生态系统）的目标做出贡献。 除了已经建立的项目外，研究人员还将使用这些项目提供的多语言外展活动（例如，通过NSF Ridge 2000项目和Dive Discover进行的海上学生实验）。 所涉及的极端情况，即化学燃料驱动的深海生态系统和遥远的南大洋的结合，将吸引公众的想象力，并将包括参与史密森学会的一个新的大型展览。