CAMEO: Collaborative Research: Patterns of Connectivity in Northwest Atlantic Fishery Ecosystems

CAMEO：合作研究：西北大西洋渔业生态系统的连通模式

• 批准号: 1041722
• 负责人: Jeremy Collie
• 金额: $ 12.27万
• 依托单位: University of Rhode Island
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-08-01 至 2014-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1041722&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAMEO; Collaborative; Research; Patterns; Connectivity

Intellectual Merit: The importance of fluxes across ecosystem boundaries is a characteristic of marine ecosystems that differentiates them from their terrestrial counterparts. From this viewpoint, any comparative analysis of marine ecosystems should address the patterns and degree of connectivity among ecosystems to be of highest utility. Here the investigators will conduct a suite of analyses that seek to quantify the sources, patterns and consequences of connectivity among 10 marine fishery ecosystems that together from the northwest Atlantic coastal shelf ecosystem. By conducting analyses in a hierarchical fashion with smaller ecosystems nested spatially within larger ecosystems they hope to identify scaling relationships in the ecological processes that characterize the dynamics of key species within these ecosystems. This work seeks to quantify the patterns and degree of connectivity among ecosystems in the Northwest Atlantic. Specifically, the investigators will conduct statistical analyses of empirical data from each ecosystem to quantify patterns in univariate, distribution and multivariate descriptors of their structure. They will also undertake time series analyses to describe relationships in the responses of different taxa and groups within each ecosystem. They will use the results of analyses conducted on the highly studied nearshore ecosystems as hypotheses to be tested on the somewhat sparser data of the offshore ecosystems. These analyses will delineate patterns of functional connectivity among ecosystems. They will also construct dynamic models of differing complexity to understand the principal consequences of the connectivity demonstrated in the first two objectives on ecosystem function. Models will include biomass dynamic and coupled predator-prey simulations that will consider the impacts of removals from the overall region globally and more specific patterns of localized spatial depletion.Broader Impacts: Agencies, at all levels, are seeking to develop ecosystem-approaches to management (EAM) of fisheries in efforts to ensure long-term sustainability of the exploited marine resources and ecosystems. Central to EAM are Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs), which provide the societal, legal, and scientific basis to examine marine ecosystems at multiple scales -spatially, temporally, and jurisdictionally - and to coordinate the management of coastal ecosystem resources across multiple sectors. The open nature of marine ecosystems is a challenge for IEAs and EAM and particularly so for the Northwest Atlantic Coastal Shelf (NWACS) ecosystem. Key to management in this open ecosystem is assessment of the connectivity among key biota across space and time in the different regions. Here, the investigators will analyze ecosystem structure and function at a range of scales in a suite of interconnected regional ecosystems to support IEA development.

智力优势：跨生态系统边界通量的重要性是海洋生态系统区别于陆地生态系统的一个特点。从这一观点出发，对海洋生态系统的任何比较分析都应探讨具有最高效用的生态系统之间的联系模式和程度。在这里，研究人员将进行一系列分析，试图量化来自西北大西洋沿海陆架生态系统的10个海洋渔业生态系统之间连通性的来源，模式和后果。通过对较大生态系统中嵌套的较小生态系统进行分层分析，他们希望确定生态过程中的尺度关系，这些生态系统中的关键物种的动态特征。这项工作旨在量化西北大西洋生态系统之间的连接模式和程度。具体而言，调查人员将对每个生态系统的经验数据进行统计分析，以量化其结构的单变量，分布和多变量描述符的模式。他们还将进行时间序列分析，以描述每个生态系统内不同分类群和群体的反应之间的关系。他们将利用对经过深入研究的近岸生态系统进行分析的结果，作为对近海生态系统较为稀疏的数据进行检验的假设。这些分析将描绘出生态系统之间的功能连接模式。他们还将构建不同复杂性的动态模型，以了解生态系统功能的前两个目标中所展示的连通性的主要后果。模型将包括生物量动态和捕食者-被捕食者耦合模拟，将考虑从全球整个区域清除的影响和更具体的局部空间耗尽模式。更广泛的影响：各级机构正在努力制定渔业管理的生态系统方法，以确保开发的海洋资源和生态系统的长期可持续性。综合生态系统评估的核心是综合生态系统评估，它提供了社会、法律的和科学基础，以在空间、时间和管辖范围等多个尺度上审查海洋生态系统，并协调多个部门对沿海生态系统资源的管理。海洋生态系统的开放性是对国际环境评估机构和环境管理机制的挑战，尤其是对西北大西洋沿海大陆架生态系统的挑战。管理这一开放生态系统的关键是评估不同区域关键生物区系在空间和时间上的连通性。在这里，研究人员将在一系列相互关联的区域生态系统中分析生态系统的结构和功能，以支持IEA的发展。