RAPID: Collaborative Research: Nematostella as an Estuarine Indicator Species for Assessing Molecular and Physiological Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

RAPID：合作研究：线虫作为评估深水地平线漏油分子和生理影响的河口指示物种。

• 批准号: 1057152
• 负责人: Matthew Jenny
• 金额: $ 10.99万
• 依托单位: University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
• 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: 2010-09-01 至 2012-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1057152&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Collaborative; Research; Nematostella; Estuarine

As a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, millions of gallons of oil have leaked into the Gulf of Mexico and much of that oil has and will continue to wash up along the Gulf Coast of the United States. In an attempt to minimize the amount of oil to reach the coast, an unprecedented of amount of dispersant has been used both on surface oil and at the source of the leak. The impact of this unprecedented use of dispersant on the marine environment, food webs and the bioavailability of oil remains to be investigated. Furthermore, the microbial degradation of oil and dispersed oil in the marine environment or estuarine marshes can produce very low oxygen levels (hypoxia) that will further stress marine and estuarine invertebrates. Unfortunately, very little information is available on the impact of oil or dispersed oil and additional abiotic stressors (hypoxia) on the physiology of marine and estuarine invertebrates. Nematostella vectensis is a sea anemone (an organism related to reef-building corals) found in salt marshes along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coast of the United States. This project will use Nematostella as a model to address the urgent need to understand the physiological responses of estuarine invertebrates to oil exposure, combined exposure of oil and dispersant and possible synergism between oil exposure and hypoxia (low oxygen). First, Nematostella will be collected from Gulf Coast populations. Contaminant load, energetic stores and reproductive status will be quantified. Molecular techniques will be used to determine which genes are affected ("turned on" or "turned off") in anemones from oil-exposed sites. Second, laboratory experiments will be conducted to determine the effects of oil exposure and combined exposure to oil and dispersant under normal oxygen (normoxic) and hypoxic conditions. Brine shrimp will be reared in the presence of a range of concentrations of oil, dispersant, and oil with dispersant. These shrimp will be fed to Nematostella under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Effects of exposure will be characterized by assessing changes in gene expression, lipid analysis, histological examination and biochemical assays. The results of these experiments will provide insight into the different molecular and cellular processes that are used to protect the organism from combinations of stressors that are associated with the oil spill and exposure to oil or dispersed oil. This project will also enable development of biomarkers that can be used to assess responses of organisms collected in the field. Broader Impacts: This project will provide insight into the ecological consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Results from field sampling will be posted and linked with other emerging results (e.g., EPA sediment analysis). Gene expression and sequence data will be curated, and posted to publicly accessible databases. Two PhD students will be trained in lipid analysis and ecological genomics. This project will identify cellular and molecular responses of a cnidarian (sea anemone, related to reef-building corals) to oil exposure through an understudied route of exposure (feeding). In addition this project will provide direct measurements of gene expression, lipid stores and contaminant burdens an indicator species of anemones from potentially impacted populations along the Gulf Coast. The identification and characterization of various pathways being affected by oil exposure and related stressors (e.g., hypoxia) will assist in development of ecological forecasting tools to predict the physiological responses of organisms and subsequent impacts on local populations and ecosystems.

由于深水地平线漏油事件的结果，数百万加仑的石油已泄漏到墨西哥湾，大部分石油已经并将继续在美国墨西哥湾沿岸洗涤。 为了最大程度地减少到达海岸的石油量，在表面油和泄漏来源上都使用了史无前例的分散剂。 这种前所未有的分散剂对海洋环境，食物网和石油生物利用度的影响尚待研究。 此外，在海洋环境或河口沼泽中石油和分散油的微生物降解会产生非常低的氧气水平（缺氧），这将进一步强调海洋和河口无脊椎动物。 不幸的是，关于石油或分散的石油以及其他非生物压力源（缺氧）对海洋和河口无脊椎动物生理的影响的信息很少。 Nematostella vectensis是在墨西哥湾和美国大西洋沿岸的盐沼中发现的海葵（与礁石建造珊瑚有关的有机体）。 该项目将使用Nematostella作为模型，以解决迫切需要了解河口无脊椎动物对石油暴露的生理反应，石油和分散剂的联合暴露以及油暴露和缺氧之间可能的协同作用（低氧气）。首先，将从墨西哥湾沿岸人口收集Nematostella。将量化污染物载荷，能量存储和生殖状态。分子技术将用于确定来自暴露于油的位点的海葵中的哪些基因（“打开”或“关闭”）。其次，将进行实验室实验，以确定在正常氧（正常氧）和低氧条件下石油暴露以及对石油和分散剂的综合接触的影响。盐虾将在具有分散剂的一系列油，分散剂和油浓度的情况下饲养。这些虾会在常氧和低氧条件下喂入黑肿瘤。暴露的影响将通过评估基因表达，脂质分析，组织学检查和生化测定的变化来表征。这些实验的结果将提供有关用于保护有机体免受与漏油以及暴露于油或油或分散油相关的压力组合的不同分子和细胞过程的见解。该项目还将能够开发生物标志物，这些生物标志物可用于评估该领域收集的生物的反应。 更广泛的影响：该项目将洞悉深水地平线溢油的生态后果。现场采样的结果将发布并与其他新兴结果（例如EPA沉积物分析）相关。基因表达和序列数据将进行策划，并将其发布到可公开访问的数据库中。两名博士学位学生将接受脂质分析和生态基因组学的培训。该项目将通过研究的暴露途径（进食）来鉴定cNidarian（海葵，与礁石建造珊瑚有关）的细胞和分子反应。此外，该项目还将直接测量基因表达，脂质存储和污染物负担来自墨西哥湾沿岸潜在受影响人群的海葵的指标。鉴定和表征受到石油暴露和相关压力源（例如缺氧）影响的各种途径将有助于开发生态预测工具，以预测生物体的生理反应以及随后对局部人群和生态系统的影响。