Tracking the Seasonal Contribution of Algal Fatty Acids to the Arctic Marine System

白令海拥有北极最高的季节性海冰体系之一，也是观测到的变化率最高的地区之一。海冰季节性变化的级联效应预计将影响初级生产，并通过北极的海洋生态系统传播。提供资金用于支持一种变革性的办法，以便更好地跟踪北冰洋海洋初级生产和白令海北冰洋海洋食物网组成部分之间复杂的季节相互依存关系。首席调查员将跟踪来自两个主要初级生产者--海冰藻类和远洋浮游植物--的特定生物标志物对白令海较高营养水平(浮游、浮游和底栖无脊椎动物和冰海豹)的季节性和比例贡献。这一建议的总体目标是通过以下方式提供特殊水平的生态细节：1)利用复杂的脂肪酸概况和新颖的化合物特有稳定同位素分析，通过海洋食物网追踪来自海冰藻和公海浮游植物的特定脂肪酸生物标志物的季节性输入；2)追踪这些生物标志物在症状、中上层和底栖北极海洋无脊椎动物中所占比例的季节性(春季和夏季)变化；3)这些生物标志物是该区域阿拉斯加土著社区的重要生存资源。他们的详细和季节性观点将有助于正在进行的白令海食物网络研究(例如，由NSF和北太平洋研究委员会资助的白令生态系统研究和白令海综合生态系统研究计划-BEST/BSIERP)，包括阿拉斯加土著健康研究中心(CANHR)正在进行的关于阿拉斯加土著社区使用的海洋生存资源的研究。

The Bering Sea has one of the highest seasonal sea ice regimes in the Arctic and one of the highest rates of observed change. Cascading effects of seasonal changes in sea ice are expected to influence primary production and propagate through marine ecosystems in the Arctic. Funds are provided to support a transformative approach to better track the complex seasonal interdependencies between arctic marine primary production and arctic marine food web components in the Bering Sea. The Principal Investigators will track the seasonal, proportional contributions of specific biomarkers derived from the two main primary producers, sea ice algae and open ocean phytoplankton, into higher trophic levels (sympagic, pelagic and benthic invertebrates and ice seals) in the Bering Sea. The overall goal of this proposal relates to providing an exceptional level of ecological detail by: 1) tracing the seasonal inputs of specific fatty acid biomarkers deriving from sea ice alga and open ocean phytoplankton through the marine food web using sophisticated fatty acid profiling and novel compound-specific stable isotope analyses (CSIA); 2) tracing the seasonal (spring and summer) changes in the proportions of these biomarkers in sympagic, pelagic and benthic arctic marine invertebrates; 3) which are an important subsistence resource to Alaskan Native communities in the region. Their detailed and seasonal perspective will contribute to ongoing food web studies in the Bering Sea (e.g., the Bering Ecosystem Study and Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program - BEST/BSIERP, funded by the NSF and North Pacific Research Board), including research being conducted by the Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR) on marine subsistence resources used by Alaskan Native communities.