RUI-The ecophysiological basis of the response of coral larvae and early life history stages to global climate change

“这个奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公法第111-5条)资助的。”热带珊瑚礁面临着一系列的环境攻击，从锚的破坏到全球气候变化的影响(GCC)。其后果在整个热带地区都很明显，那里的许多珊瑚礁在几十年内失去了相当大一部分珊瑚覆盖。尽管减少环境压力的影响很重要，但这些生态系统能够恢复(或仅仅是持续)的唯一手段是招募硬壳动物，这是幼虫成功发育、交付、定居、变态和定居后事件的一种功能。尽管人们广泛认识到这些过程的重要性，但很少有相关的经验数据，而且几乎没有任何数据涉及在多个时空尺度变化的物理环境中调解早期珊瑚生命阶段成功的机制。这项研究的目的是通过描述：(1)珊瑚在正常条件下的功能，以及(2)珊瑚对GCC的主要驱动因素的反应，完成对珊瑚早期生命阶段的最全面的生态生理分析之一。这些分析将在两个地点完成，一个(台湾)提供无与伦比的珊瑚繁殖生物学经验和一流的微观世界设施，另一个(Moorea)，获得相对原始的环境，描述良好的生态和海洋背景(通过MCR-LTER)，并有能力与项目形成强烈的生物地理对比。这项研究的结果将通过模型整合，以探索GCC对下个世纪珊瑚群落结构的影响。更广泛的影响包括为多元化社区的教师、本科生和高中生提供培训和研究机会，为台湾和莫雷亚的学生提供国际培训和活动，以及参与三洋海洋生物学计划。三洋海洋生物学项目提供了一个渠道，可以将结果迅速纳入高级本科生的课程，项目人员提供教学和学生建议的机会，并有可能招收顶尖学生进入CSUN研究生项目。

"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."Tropical coral reefs face a suite of environmental assaults ranging from anchor damage to the effects of global climate change (GCC). The consequences are evident throughout the tropics, where many coral reefs have lost a substantial fraction of their coral cover in a few decades. Notwithstanding the importance of reducing the impacts of environmental stresses, the only means by which these ecosystems can recover (or simply persist) is through the recruitment of scleractinians, which is a function of successful larval development, delivery, settlement, metamorphosis, and post-settlement events. Despite wide recognition of the importance of these processes, there are few pertinent empirical data, and virtually none that address the mechanisms mediating the success of early coral life stages in a physical environmental varying at multiple spatio-temporal scales. The objective of this research is to complete one of the first comprehensive ecophysiological analyses of the early life stages of corals through a description of: (1) their functionality under 'normal' conditions, and (2) their response to the main drivers of GCC. These analyses will be completed for 2 species representative of a brooding life history strategy, and the experiments will be completed in two locations, one (Taiwan) that provides unrivalled experience in coral reproductive biology, and superb microcosm facilities, and the other (Moorea), with access to a relatively pristine environment, a well described ecological and oceanographic context (through the MCR-LTER), and the capacity to bring a strong biogeographic contrast to the project. The results of the study will be integrated through modeling to explore the effects of GCC on coral community structure over the next century. The broader impacts include training and research opportunities to teachers, undergraduates, and high school students in a diverse community, international training and activities for students in Taiwan and Moorea, and involvement in the Three Seas Marine Biology Program. The Three Seas Marine Biology Program provides a channel for the rapid incorporation of results in the curriculum for advanced undergraduates, opportunities for teaching and student advising by project personnel, and the potential to recruit top students into the CSUN graduate program.