RAPID Deep water Horizon Oil spill: Trophic organization of sandy beach ecosystems across gradients of development and oiling

知识专长：桑迪是最丰富的沿海生态系统之一，具有独特的生物多样性，代表生态交错生境，并受到独特的生态过程的驱动，提供关键的生态系统服务。桑迪上的食物网可能在海滩-海洋界面显示出高度的营养耦合，消费者利用沿海沃茨产生的高生产力，补贴海岸，并提供兼性、季节性甚至常年性的替代资源利用机会。然而，许多海滩生态系统被困在城市化和海平面上升之间的“海岸挤压”中。这些系统也受到石油开采的威胁，就像佛罗里达的海滩一样，可能还有美国东南部的深水地平线正在发生的大规模泄漏。因此，这些重要沿海地区的营养组织可能会受到某些人类活动的干扰。（1）记录关键海滩消费者的数量，描述桑迪海滩生境的营养结构，重点是大型底栖动物，以及急性海滩破坏和/或慢性人为干扰可能造成的变化（即发展）。根据一般的抽样设计，我们会在泳滩泳取样的桑迪还将跨越不同程度的溢油前人为干扰（例如，人口密度、固定结构的数量、生境破碎化程度）。将对主要的底栖生物及其食物来源进行天然存在的重稳定碳同位素（d13 C）和氮同位素（d15 N）的表征，以1）揭示食物网结构; 2）使用“混合模式”详细说明各种食物来源对消费者饮食的贡献;以及3）评估主要消费者的营养位置、饮食变化以及不同发展水平的海滩之间的补贴整合的可变性。研究所还希望通过这种方法可以检测到通过食物网揭示的生物对生态系统的影响。更广泛的影响：一名博士后助理将在这个快速项目中接受培训和指导。一名研究生将接受实地技术和稳定同位素分析方面的培训。进行本科研究的学生将接受培训，汇编有关海滩的人类使用和表征海滩特征的数据。一个记录采样活动和海滩特征的视频将作为一个教育工具汇编，并将张贴在USF综合生物学系网站上。这项研究将为研究小组提供一个机会，与大量的地方、州和联邦机构进行互动，所有这些机构都参与漏油监测、评估和清理的某些方面。同样，收集到的关于桑迪海滩生态系统结构和动态的数据可作为检测未来对这些沿海生态系统的急性或慢性影响的基线。研究结果将通过在同行评审的期刊上发表来传播。

Intellectual Merit:Sandy beaches, one of the most abundant coastal ecosystems, contain unique biodiversity, represent ecotonal habitats and are driven by distinctive ecological processes that provide critical ecosystem services. Food webs on sandy beaches may display a high level of trophic coupling at the beach-ocean interface where consumers take advantage of the high productivity generated in coastal waters, subsidizing the shore and providing facultative, seasonal or even perennial opportunities for alternative resource use. However, many beach ecosystems are trapped in a 'coastal squeeze' between urbanization and rising sea levels. These systems are also under threat from oil extraction, as is the case for beaches in Florida and possibly the SE USA as a result of the ongoing and extensive Deepwater Horizon spill. Therefore, trophic organization of these important coastal areas may be disrupted by selected human activities.The main objectives of this RAPID project are to: (1) document the abundance of critical beach consumers, and (2) describe the trophic structure across sandy beach habitats with an emphasis on the macrobenthic fauna and in the context of potential changes resulting from acute beach oiling and/or chronic anthropogenic disturbance (i.e. development). The general sampling design calls for a series of beaches to be sampled both pre- and post oiling. The sandy beaches sampled will also span different levels of pre-spill anthropogenic disturbance (e.g., human population density, quantity of fixed structures, levels of habitat fragmentation). Characterization of the naturally occurring heavy stable isotopes of carbon (d13C) and nitrogen (d15N) will be conducted on the major benthic organisms and their food sources to 1) unravel food web structure; 2) detail the contribution of various food sources to consumer diets using 'mixing models'; and 3) evaluate variability of trophic position of major consumers, diet shifts, and subsidy integration across beaches with varying levels of development. The PIs also expect that ecosystem- level impacts of oiling as revealed via the food web may be detected with this approach.Broader Impacts:A post-doctoral associate will be trained and mentored in this RAPID project. One graduate student will be trained in field techniques and stable isotope analyses. Students conducting undergraduate research will receive training in compiling data on human usage of beaches and characterizing beach characteristics. A video documenting sampling activities and beach features will be assembled as an educational tool and will be posted on the USF, Department of Integrative Biology, website. The study will provide an opportunity for the research team to interact with a large group of local, state and federal agencies, all involved in some aspect of oil spill monitoring, assessment and clean-up. Likewise, the data collected on sandy beach ecosystem structure and dynamics can serve as a baseline for detecting future acute or chronic impacts on these coastal ecosystems. Results will be disseminated by publication in a peer- reviewed journal.