The Sensory Basis for Ecological Paradigms on Wave-Swept Shores

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"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."A marine ecosystem, circumscribed by oceanographic processes, reflects the composite attributes of its inhabitants. System-level processes, such as primary productivity, disease dynamics, and stability in the face of natural and human-induced climate forcing, have profound global significance. These properties are highly dependent on networks of interactions among individuals both within and between species. Relying on sensory information to shape decisions, organisms exploit beneficial and avoid detrimental interactions. Stimulus-response dynamics can influence every level of organization, from demes to ecosystems.The chemistry (smell and taste) of food is a basic property determining eating preferences, and hence, functional-response relationships between predators and prey, irrespective of habitat. Remarkably, there has been no complete structural elucidation of any compound exploited by marine predators tracking live, intact prey. In this project, the investigators will study sensory basis for predator-prey interactions across multiple trophic levels, in a tractable field environment, and on a chemical cue for which isolation, purification, and identification can be attained using existing, chemical-analytical techniques. The investigators will determine the complete structures of molecules that trigger predation by keystone (seastars and whelks) on foundation (barnacles and mussels) species in the rocky intertidal. Whereas studies once asked if a given predator consumed a given prey, we now are uniquely poised to answer what, exact, prey compound triggers a predator and, thus, what are the sensory determinants for established, community-ecological paradigms? Research on sensory systems, in conjunction with behavioral and population studies, will establish linkages between stimulus space, behavior, and the demographic consequences of decision making processes.The broader impacts include public outreach through publication in high profile journals and popular press outlets. Training opportunities are planned for students at all levels with significant emphasis on under-represented groups in science through university programs in which the investigators are actively involved.