Collaborative: Benthic-pelagic coupling in an intact ecosystem: the role of top predators in McMurdo Sound

协作：完整生态系统中的底栖-中上层耦合：麦克默多海峡顶级捕食者的作用

• 批准号: 0944694
• 负责人: David Ainley
• 金额: $ 11.6万
• 依托单位: H.T. Harvey & Associates
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-06-01 至 2015-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0944694&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Benthic; pelagic; coupling; intact

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.

该研究项目将调查自上而下强迫在上层食品网上的重要性。相对原始的罗斯海包括大量的高层捕食者，例如Minke和Killer Whales，Adélie和Emperor Penguins以及南极牙鱼。该项目将重点关注食品网络互动，阿德利企鹅，米克鲸和吃鱼的罗斯海杀鲸，所有这些鲸鱼都会施加觅食的压力，其主要猎物，水晶磷虾（euphausia cyrstalstallorophias）和麦克莫尔多（McMmurdo Antarcticum）的euphausia cyrylagramma silver Fish（pleuragragramma antarcticum）。这项研究将采用异常的实验设计，利用开放频道对McMurdo站进行启用，以研究“之前”（无捕食者访问）和“捕食者访问”（捕食者访问）对猎物分布和生态过程的影响。研究人员将使用具有环境传感器的视频和声学能力的ROV来量化猎物和猎物食品资源的抽象和分布，以及卫星标签以及直升机的勘测来研究捕食者的觅食和运动。其他测量值将跟踪有机材料的重新分布，这是改变捕食者和猎物行为和活动的函数，从而可以对顶部捕食者对能量的影响进行下游量化。这项研究将是最早评估罗斯海生态系统中自上而下的强迫的研究之一，将来将构成多学科研究的基础。进行多学科调查。这项工作的相关性将通过出版物传达给科学家，学生和公众，参与科学会议，研究生和本科生参与现场和实验室工作，并作为论文和顶峰项目的一部分工作以及与K-12的班级和俱乐部的互动。工程和ROV的工作将与大学，社区大学和高中一起纳入正在进行的心理计划中。