Effects of Marine Preserves and Nonindigenous Species on Rocky Subtidal Communities: Indirect Interactions, Disturbance and Community Dynamics

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。世界温带地区的潮下群落正面临着捕捞、气候变化、栖息地改变和物种入侵等因素引起的变化，但我们对其群落动态知之甚少。大型捕食者的消失（物种的消失）和非本地物种的引入（物种的增加）可能会对潮下群落的结构、恢复力和功能产生直接而巨大的影响。最近在许多沿海地区建立了海洋保护区，包括华盛顿州的圣胡安群岛。虽然它们被证明对某些鱼类种群有积极影响，但对其他潮下群落的影响通常尚不清楚。海洋保护区对渔业的好处仍有待逐案确定。不管对渔业有什么好处，它们都可以有效地作为保护区，类似于陆地公园，在没有人类开采的情况下，原始物种群落可以恢复。与附近的非保护区相比，它们也为研究大型食肉动物对相对完整的群落的影响提供了很好的场所。为了维持或增加生物多样性，了解大型捕食者的保护如何影响小型猎物和非猎物物种是很重要的。确定鱼类开采的生态影响是日益增长的海洋保护区科学的主要兴趣所在。高级捕食者可以减少猎物的丰度，但也可以通过营养级联间接增加比它们低两个营养级的生物的丰度。此外，在大型捕食者恢复后，非营养性相互作用可能导致物种丰度以不可预测的方式变化。该项目的研究人员将探索普吉特海湾地区入侵海鞘物种的相互作用，包括它们成功入侵的地点和它们失败的地点。这项研究的大部分将在圣胡安公司的海洋保护区区域网络内（或外）进行，重点是这些海岸的岩石潮下群落。本研究的意义适用于任何具有岩石基质的近岸温带生态系统；因此，它具有广泛的生态学意义，特别是在沿海生态系统的管理方面。由于开采、入侵物种和气候变化，沿海社区正在发生变化，但我们对这些对浅层岩石潮下带的影响知之甚少。FHL研究学徒计划是一个成功的工具，为本科生提供密集的研究经验，并激励许多人追求研究生和专业培训。FHL Blinks研究员（不同背景的本科生研究人员）和REU学生也将有机会参与这个项目。自然资源基金的研究，包括由学生完成的研究，也支持以公民为主导的保护优先事项。一个主要的联系是通过圣胡安县海洋资源委员会（MRC）。本研究亦将为若干研究生及本科生提供培训，以了解当前潮下生态研究的技术及先进的水肺研究与操作。他们还将被鼓励参加FHL的K-12外展活动，以及FHL（和西雅图）的新GK-12项目。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Subtidal communities in temperate geographic zones of the world are faced with changes caused by fishing, climate change, habitat alteration and invasive species, yet we know fairly little about their community dynamics. The loss of large predators (species removals), and the introduction of nonindigenous species (species additions), are likely to have immediate and large consequences for the structure, resilience and function of subtidal communities. Marine preserves have recently been established in many coastal locations, including the San Juan Archipelago of Washington State. While they are demonstrated to have positive effects on certain fish populations, effects on the rest of the subtidal community are generally not known. The benefit of marine preserves to fisheries remains to be determined on a case-by-case basis. Regardless of the benefit to fisheries, they can serve effectively as conservation zones, similar to terrestrial parks, where original species assemblages can recover in the absence of human extraction. They also provide excellent venues to study the effects of large predators in relatively intact communities, in comparison to nearby non-preserve locations.With goals such as maintaining or increasing biodiversity, it is important to understand how the protection of large predators influences small prey and non-prey species. Determining the ecological effects of fish extraction is of prime interest in the growing body of marine protected area science. Higher level predators can decrease the abundance of their prey, but can also indirectly increase the abundance of organisms two trophic levels beneath them through a trophic cascade. Additionally, non-trophic interactions may cause species abundances to change in unpredicted ways after the recovery of large predators. The investigators in this project will explore the interaction of invasive ascidian species in the Puget Sound region, including sites where they have invaded successfully and sites where they have not. Much of this research will be conducted in (and out of) a regional network of MPAs in San Juan Co., WA, with a focus on the rocky subtidal community on these shores. The significance of this research applies to any nearshore temperate ecosystem with rocky substrate; thus it has broad ecological relevance, particularly with regard to management of coastal ecosystems. Coastal communities are changing due to extraction, invasive species, and climate change, yet we know little about these effects in the shallow rocky subtidal zone. The FHL Research Apprenticeship Program is a successful vehicle to provide intensive research experiences to undergraduates, and it motivates many to pursue graduate and professional training. There will also be an opportunity for summer FHL Blinks Fellows (undergraduate researchers of diverse background) and REU students to work on this project. FHL research, including that done by students, also supports citizen-driven conservation priorities. A primary connection is through the San Juan County Marine Resources Committee (MRC). This research will also provide training for several graduate and undergraduate students in current techniques in subtidal ecological research and advanced SCUBA based research and operations. They will also be encouraged to take part in FHL K-12 Outreach activities, and the new GK-12 Program at FHL (and Seattle).