Collaborative: Benthic-Pelagic Coupling in an Intact Ecosystem: The Role of Top Predators in McMurdo Sound

该研究项目将调查自上而下的强迫对远洋食物网的重要性。相对原始的罗斯海生活着大量的上层食肉动物，如小须鲸和虎鲸，海鲈和帝企鹅，以及南极犬牙鱼。这个项目将集中在食物网的相互作用上，研究海企鹅、小须鲸和以鱼为食的罗斯海虎鲸，它们都对麦克默多湾的主要猎物——水晶磷虾（Euphausia cystallorophias）和银鱼（Pleuragramma antarcticum）施加觅食压力。该研究将采用一种不同寻常的实验设计，利用麦克默多站通道的开放来研究“之前”（没有捕食者进入）和“之后”（捕食者进入）对猎物分布和生态过程的影响。研究人员将使用带有环境传感器的具有视频和声学功能的rov来量化猎物和猎物食物资源的丰度和分布，并使用卫星标签和直升机调查来研究捕食者的觅食和运动。额外的测量将跟踪有机物质的再分配，作为改变捕食者和猎物行为和活动的功能，允许下游量化顶级捕食者对能量流的影响。这项研究将是首批评估罗斯海生态系统自上而下强迫的研究之一，并将为未来的多学科研究奠定基础。进行多学科调查。这项工作的相关性将通过出版物、参与科学会议、研究生和本科生参与论文和顶点项目的实地和实验室工作，以及与K-12班级和俱乐部的互动，传达给科学家、学生和公众。工程和ROV工作将被纳入与大学、社区学院和高中的持续指导计划中。

The research project will investigate the importance of top down forcing on pelagic food webs. The relatively pristine Ross Sea includes large populations of upper-level predators such as minke and killer whales, Adélie and Emperor penguins, and Antarctic toothfish. This project will focus on food web interactions Adélie penguins, minke whales, and the fish-eating Ross Sea killer whales, all of which exert foraging pressure on their main prey, crystal krill (Euphausia cyrstallorophias) and silver fish (Pleuragramma antarcticum) in McMurdo Sound. The research will employ an unusual experimental design, taking advantage of the opening of channel to resupply McMurdo Station to study 'before' (no predator access) and 'after' (predator access) impacts on prey distributions and ecological processes. The investigators will use video- and acoustic-capable ROVs with environmental sensors to quantify the abundance and distribution of prey and prey food resources, and satellite tags and helicopter surveys to study predator foraging and movements. Additional measurements will track the redistribution of organic materials as a function of changing predator and prey behavior and activity, allowing downstream quantification of top predator effects on energy flow. This study will be among the first to assess top-down forcing in the Ross Sea ecosystemand will form the basis for a multidisciplinary studies in the future. to a multi-disciplinary investigation. The relevance of this work will be communicated to scientists, students and the public via publications, participation in scientific conferences, involvement of graduate and undergraduate students in field and lab work as part of thesis and capstone projects, and interactions with K-12 classes and clubs. Engineering and ROV work will be incorporated into ongoing mentoring programs with universities, community colleges, and high schools.