The effects of temperature on ecological processes in a rocky intertidal community: a mechanistic approach

温度对岩石潮间带群落生态过程的影响：机械方法

• 批准号: 0824903
• 负责人: Emily Carrington
• 金额: $ 54.27万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 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: 2008-09-15 至 2013-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0824903&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: effects; temperature; ecological; processes; rocky

Temperature influences organismal physiology, behavior, community interactions, and ecosystem function; yet rarely are the mechanisms understood. Accurately predicting the consequences of temperature for a species requires knowledge of: local climatic conditions, the relationship between climate and organismal body temperature, and the physiological and ecological consequences of body temperature. Few studies to date have explored all three areas concurrently. This project will examine in detail the biophysical, physiological, and ecological effects of temperature on a rocky intertidal community, a marine ecosystem that has emerged as a model system for studying the ecological consequences of temperature. It will focus on three major species, representative of rocky marine shore species worldwide: the barnacle, Balanus glandula, its predator Nucella ostrina, and the rockweed Fucus gardneri, which provides shelter for both species. The research is centered around three major goals: to develop biophysical models to explicitly link local climate to organismal body temperatures; to develop energy budget models to relate organismal body temperature to individual performance; and to identify the effect of temperature on interactions among the three species through a series of laboratory and field experiments. This research will provide a model system for understanding the effects of temperature on both individual performance and species interactions. It represents a significant contribution to understanding basic ecological questions, such as the role of temperature in structuring communities, and will also contribute to a more mechanistic understanding of the ecological consequences of future climate changes.This research will promote a broader understanding of how temperature affects organisms and communities among scientists, students, and the general public in at least four ways. First, the research themes address a basic, yet poorly resolved, question in ecology: the influence of temperature on organismal performance and species interactions. This multiscale, integrated approach has the potential to transform current paradigms of how environmental change affects species and communities. Understanding the role of temperature in structuring communities is directly relevant to Biological Oceanography's special emphasis on biological diversity in marine systems. Second, the project is highly interdisciplinary by nature, and will forge new research partnerships among three female scientists (the PI, a postdoc, and a collaborator at an RUI institution) and will provide new educational opportunities for several graduate and undergraduate students. The investigators will offer undergraduate research opportunities to underrepresented groups with their continued participation in the FHL Blinks Program to Enhance Diversity each summer, and expect to provide several REU experiences as well (separate NSF proposal resubmission pending). Third, The PI will incorporate research results and techniques into her undergraduate and graduate courses at FHL and the UW Seattle campus. The FHL undergraduate course integrates public outreach into the curriculum; these activities are part of FHL's broader Science Outreach Program that promotes science education and environmental stewardship. Finally, the results of this project will be incorporated into ongoing conservation and monitoring efforts conducted in the upper Puget Sound region by the University of Washington and the Friday Harbor Laboratories. The project will also enhance understanding of the ecological consequences of climate change, a significant societal problem.

温度影响生物体的生理、行为、群落相互作用和生态系统功能；但很少有人了解其中的机制。准确预测温度对物种的影响需要了解：当地气候条件、气候与生物体体温之间的关系以及体温的生理和生态后果。迄今为止，很少有研究同时探索这三个领域。该项目将详细研究温度对岩石潮间带群落的生物物理、生理和生态影响，潮间带群落是一种海洋生态系统，已成为研究温度生态后果的模型系统。它将重点关注全球岩石海岸物种的代表的三个主要物种：藤壶、腺龟头、其捕食者 Nucella ostrina 和为这两个物种提供庇护所的岩藻 Fucus Gardneri。该研究围绕三个主要目标：开发生物物理模型，将当地气候与有机体体温明确联系起来；开发能量预算模型，将有机体体温与个人表现联系起来；并通过一系列实验室和现场实验来确定温度对这三个物种之间相互作用的影响。这项研究将为理解温度对个体表现和物种相互作用的影响提供一个模型系统。它对理解基本生态问题（例如温度在构建群落中的作用）做出了重大贡献，也将有助于对未来气候变化的生态后果有更机械的理解。这项研究将促进科学家、学生和公众对温度如何影响生物体和群落至少在四个方面有更广泛的了解。首先，研究主题解决了生态学中一个基本但尚未解决的问题：温度对有机体性能和物种相互作用的影响。这种多尺度、综合的方法有可能改变当前环境变化如何影响物种和群落的范式。了解温度在构建群落中的作用与生物海洋学特别强调海洋系统中的生物多样性直接相关。其次，该项目本质上是高度跨学科的，并将在三名女科学家（PI、一名博士后和 RUI 机构的合作者）之间建立新的研究伙伴关系，并将为几名研究生和本科生提供新的教育机会。研究人员将为代表性不足的群体提供本科生研究机会，让他们每年夏天继续参与 FHL Blinks 计划以增强多样性，并期望提供一些 REU 经验（单独的 NSF 提案正在等待重新提交）。第三，PI 将把研究成果和技术融入她在 FHL 和华盛顿大学西雅图校区的本科生和研究生课程中。 FHL本科课程将公共宣传纳入课程；这些活动是 FHL 更广泛的科学推广计划的一部分，该计划旨在促进科学教育和环境管理。最后，该项目的结果将被纳入华盛顿大学和星期五港实验室在普吉特海湾上游地区正在进行的保护和监测工作中。该项目还将增进对气候变化这一重大社会问题的生态后果的了解。