Collaborative Research: Climate Change and Predatory Invasion of the Antarctic Marine Environment

合作研究：气候变化与南极海洋环境的掠夺性入侵

• 批准号: 0838844
• 负责人: James McClintock
• 金额: $ 14.89万
• 依托单位: University of Alabama at Birmingham
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-01 至 2013-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0838844&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Climate; Change; Predatory

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Global climate change is altering polar marine ecosystems through rising temperatures and ocean acidification. Marine communities in Antarctica face an additional threat: climatically driven biological invasions from temperate and subpolar latitudes. Durophagous (skeleton-breaking) crabs from warmer environments are on the verge of invading shallow-benthic habitats, and could significantly impact the endemic shelf fauna and its unique trophic structure. This study will assess the status of crab populations in western Antarctica and their potential to disrupt benthic communities. The Swedish Icebreaker RVIB Oden provides the ideal opportunity to sample areas of the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Seas, as her ice-capability exceeds that of U.S. research icebreakers. The extent and consequences of the ongoing invasion will be assessed by: (1) sampling the water column for larvae; and (2) surveying the benthos for juveniles and adults, and for localized changes in community structure. An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) will be used to image the bottom fauna, providing density estimates of crabs on the slope and, perhaps, on the shelf, and will provide a rare glimpse of the fauna underneath the ice shelves of the Bellingshausen and Amundsen seas. Use of AUVs under ice shelves is highly exploratory and high risk, but the results are potentially transformative. The study will promote collaboration between scientific teams from the U.S., Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The project also will provide undergraduate and graduate training, include a research component for minority students, promote the advancement of women in scientific careers, and generate curricular materials for K-12 education. Finally the project will generate data on marine invasions, which are urgently needed for long-term tracking of ecological change in Antarctica.

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏与再投资法》（公法111-5）资助的。全球气候变化正在通过温度升高和海洋酸化来改变极地海洋生态系统。南极洲的海洋社区面临着额外的威胁：温带和下极纬度的气候驱动的生物学入侵。来自较温暖的环境的北极蟹（骨骼破裂）螃蟹处于入侵浅 - 三基因栖息地的边缘，可能会严重影响地方性的架子动物群及其独特的营养结构。这项研究将评估南极西部螃蟹种群的状况及其破坏底栖群落的潜力。瑞典破冰船RVIB ODEN为贝林斯豪森和阿蒙森海域的样品提供了理想的机会，因为她的取冰能力超过了美国研究破冰船。正在进行的入侵的程度和后果将通过以下方式评估：（1）对幼虫的水柱进行取样； （2）对少年和成人的底栖生物进行调查，以及社区结构的局部变化。自动驾驶水下车辆（AUV）将用于成像底部动物区系，从而提供斜坡上的螃蟹的密度估计，也许是在架子上，并将在贝林斯豪森和阿蒙森海洋的冰架下罕见地瞥见动物群。在冰架下使用AUV是高度探索性和高风险，但结果可能具有变革性。该研究将促进来自美国，瑞典和英国的科学团队之间的合作。该项目还将提供本科和研究生培训，包括针对少数民族学生的研究组成部分，促进妇女在科学职业中的进步，并为K-12教育生成课程材料。最终，该项目将生成有关海洋入侵的数据，这是迫切需要的南极生态变化所需的数据。