Collaborative Research: Possible Climate-induced Change in the Distribution of Pleuragramma Antarcticum on the Western Antarctic Peninsula Shelf

智力优势：南极银鱼（Pleuragramma antarcticum）在南极沿海生态系统的营养金字塔中扮演着关键角色，是大型鱼类、飞行和非飞行海鸟、鳍足类和鲸鱼的食物。反过来，它们是沿海食腐鱼的捕食者，包括超级食腐鱼和结晶鱼。从历史上看，胸脯草一直是南极西部半岛（WAP）的adsamlie企鹅的重要食物来源，但在过去的十年中，胸脯草已经从adsamlie的饮食中消失了。我们建议胸膜炎？在南半球的春季，海冰冠层是企鹅卵和幼虫的温床，而它们的消失与海冰冠层的减少有关。这项研究将调查WAP大陆架上的四种水文状况，它们具有以下特征：(1)持续的环流，可以保留当地产卵的幼虫；(2)近年来春季海冰的减少；(3)成年银鱼的流行；(4)正在繁殖的ad<s:1>企鹅的存在，它们的饮食在食用银鱼的比例上有所不同。该研究将通过对鱼类种群结构、耳石微化学和分子遗传学的分析，评估当地繁殖与幼虫平流的重要性，以及研究分区域的种群在遗传上的差异程度。胸膜摄影的数据将与天气法采集的企鹅饮食样本进行比较。更广泛的影响：拟议的研究汇集了一个国际科学家小组，他们拥有高度互补的技能，以解决WAP架子上Pleuragramma的命运。研究生将使用获得的数据作为其博士研究的一部分，并将接受鸟类学领域技术，分子遗传学方法和耳石同位素化学的交叉培训。pi将积极与圣彼得堡时报合作，制作一个实时的图片和文字博客，用于在我们出海期间和回国后与当地学校互动。调查人员还将与南加州大学的COSEE中心以及当地学校和博物馆合作，向整个地区的K-12社区传播结果。

Intellectual Merit: Pleuragramma antarcticum, the Antarctic silverfish, play a key role in the trophic pyramid of the Antarctic coastal ecosystem, acting as food for larger fishes, flying and non-flying seabirds, pinnipeds, and whales. In turn, they are predators on coastal euphausiids, including both Euphausia superba and crystallorophias. Historically, Pleuragramma have been an important food source for Adélie Penguins of the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), but during the last decade Pleuragramma have disappeared from the Adélie diet. We suggest that Pleuragramma?s absence from the diets of top predators is linked to the declining sea ice canopy, which serves as a nursery for eggs and larvae during the austral spring. The research will investigate four hydrographic regimes over the WAP continental shelf with the following features: (1) persistent gyral flows that act to retain locally spawned larvae, (2) spring sea ice that has declined in recent years (3) the prevalence of adult silverfish, and (4) the presence of breeding Adélie penguins whose diets vary in the proportions of silverfish consumed. The research will evaluate the importance of local reproduction versus larval advection, and the extent to which populations in the subregions of study are genetically distinct, via analysis of population structure, otolith microchemistry and molecular genetics of fish. The Pleuragramma data will be compared with penguin diet samples taken synoptically. Broader Impacts: The proposed research brings together an international group of scientists with highly complimentary suites of skills to address the fate of Pleuragramma on the WAP shelf. Graduate students will use the data acquired as part of their Ph.D research, and will receive cross-training in ornithological field techniques, molecular genetic methods and otolith isotope chemistry. The PIs will work actively with the St. Petersburg Times to produce a blog in real time with pictures and text, which will be used to interact with local schools while we are at sea and after our return. The investigators also will collaborate with the COSEE center at USF and at local schools and museums to disseminate results to the K-12 community throughout the region.