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.

该奖项根据 2009 年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法 111-5）提供资金。全球气候变化正在通过气温上升和海洋酸化改变极地海洋生态系统。南极洲的海洋群落面临着额外的威胁：气候驱动的来自温带和亚极地纬度的生物入侵。来自温暖环境的硬食性（破坏骨骼）螃蟹正处于入侵浅层底栖栖息地的边缘，可能会对特有的陆架动物群及其独特的营养结构产生重大影响。这项研究将评估南极洲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 提供了对别林斯高晋海和阿蒙森海进行采样的理想机会，因为她的破冰能力超过了美国研究破冰船。将通过以下方式评估持续入侵的程度和后果：(1) 对水体进行幼虫取样； (2) 调查底栖生物的幼体和成体，以及群落结构的局部变化。自主水下航行器（AUV）将用于对海底动物群进行成像，提供斜坡上甚至大陆架上螃蟹的密度估计，并将提供别林斯高晋海和阿蒙森海冰架下动物群的罕见一瞥。在冰架下使用 AUV 具有高度探索性和高风险，但其结果具有潜在的变革性。该研究将促进美国、瑞典和英国科学团队之间的合作。该项目还将提供本科生和研究生培训，包括针对少数族裔学生的研究部分，促进女性在科学职业生涯中的进步，并为 K-12 教育提供课程材料。最后，该项目将生成有关海洋入侵的数据，这是长期跟踪南极洲生态变化所迫切需要的。