Synergistic Effects of Climate-Related Variables on Larval Sea Urchins: Performance to Gene Expression

Gretchen E.Hofmann IOS-1010536标题：气候相关变量对海胆幼体的协同效应：基因表达的表现由于全球气候变化，海洋和生活在其中的生物未来面临重大挑战。总体而言，海洋变暖和海洋酸化(由于大气二氧化碳的吸收导致海洋pH值上升)给海洋生物带来了“双重危险”，从繁殖到生长，甚至是生存，都对海洋生物的许多方面构成了挑战。由于海洋条件将迅速变化(几乎没有时间适应)，因此研究当今海洋生物的耐受性是至关重要的，因为它们及其后代将面临海洋栖息地气候变化的后果。本项目的目标是研究紫海胆(StrongyLoctus PurPuratus)的早期发育阶段，并调查幼虫在游泳和取食阶段对温度和pH同时变化(海洋酸化)的反应。在实验室中，在模拟未来海洋的预计pH和温度的海水条件下饲养幼虫后，研究人员将测量耗氧量、脂肪含量等新陈代谢特征，并检查它们的基因如何在更高的温度和更酸性的pH条件下被激活。这项研究项目的成果和课堂上教师和学生的资源将通过http://hofmannlab.msi.ucsb.edu/.Although提供，海胆可能不像鲑鱼或牡蛎那样为普通公众所熟悉，它们是美国西海岸重要的生态和经济物种。例如，加利福尼亚州海岸的海胆养活了一项重要的野生渔业；2008年，仅在加利福尼亚州，海胆潜水捕捞的渔获量就达到了约1000万美元。作为食草动物，海胆对健康的沿海海洋生态系统非常重要。海胆是一个很好的研究系统，允许使用现代研究工具来阐明气候变化对重要的人类关切的影响，如食物来源、提供食物和就业的渔业以及健康的海洋生态系统。

Gretchen E.Hofmann IOS-1010536 Title: Synergistic effects of climate­related variables on larval sea urchins: Performance to gene expressionOceans and the creatures living in them face significant challenges in the future as a result of global climate change. Together, ocean warming and ocean acidification (an increase in ocean pH due to the absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide) present a "double jeopardy" situation for marine organisms, challenging many aspects of their biology from reproduction to growth and perhaps even survival. Since the conditions in the oceans will change rapidly (leaving little time for adaptation), it is a critical priority to study the tolerances of today's marine organisms, because they and their offspring will be the ones facing the consequences of climate change in their marine habitat.The goal of this project is to study an early developmental stage of the purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) and investigate how the larvae, at swimming and feeding stage, will respond to the simultaneous change in temperature and pH (ocean acidification). After larvae are raised in the laboratory in seawater conditions that mimic the projected pH and temperature of future oceans, the investigators will measure oxygen consumption, characteristics of their metabolism such as fat content, and examine how their genes are activated in response to the stress of higher temperatures and more acidic pH conditions. The outcomes of this research projects and resources for teachers and students in classrooms will be made available through http://hofmannlab.msi.ucsb.edu/.Although sea urchins may not be as familiar to the general public as salmon or oysters, they are an ecologically and economically important species on the West Coast of the United States. For example, the sea urchins on the California coast support an important wild fishery; in 2008, the catch from sea urchin diving had a value of ~$10 million in California alone. As grazing herbivores, sea urchins are important to healthy coastal marine ecosystems. The sea urchin is a excellent study system, allowing the use of modern research tools to illuminate the implications of climate change for important human concerns such as food sources, fisheries that provide food and jobs, and healthy marine ecosystems.