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.

由于深水地平线石油泄漏，数百万加仑的石油泄漏到墨西哥湾，其中大部分石油已经并将继续沿着沿着美国墨西哥湾沿岸冲刷。 为了尽量减少到达海岸的石油数量，在表面石油和泄漏源都使用了前所未有的分散剂。 这种前所未有的分散剂使用对海洋环境、食物网和石油生物利用率的影响仍有待调查。 此外，海洋环境或河口沼泽中的石油和分散的石油的微生物降解可产生非常低的氧气水平（缺氧），这将进一步对海洋和河口无脊椎动物造成压力。 不幸的是，关于石油或分散的石油和额外的非生物压力（缺氧）对海洋和河口无脊椎动物的生理影响的信息很少。Nematostella vectensis是一种海葵（一种与造礁珊瑚有关的生物），发现于沿着墨西哥湾和美国大西洋海岸的盐沼中。 该项目将使用Nematostella作为模型，以解决了解河口无脊椎动物对石油暴露、石油和分散剂的联合暴露以及石油暴露和缺氧（低氧）之间可能的协同作用的生理反应的迫切需要。首先，将从墨西哥湾沿岸种群中收集线虫。污染负荷、能量储存和生殖状况将被量化。分子技术将被用来确定哪些基因受到影响（“打开”或“关闭”）海葵从石油暴露的网站。第二，将进行实验室实验，以确定在正常氧气（常氧）和低氧条件下，石油暴露以及石油和分散剂联合暴露的影响。将在一系列浓度的油、分散剂和含有分散剂的油的存在下饲养盐水虾。这些虾将在常氧和低氧条件下喂养Nematostella。将通过评估基因表达变化、脂质分析、组织学检查和生物化学测定来表征暴露的影响。这些实验的结果将提供洞察不同的分子和细胞过程，用于保护生物体免受与石油泄漏和暴露于石油或分散的石油有关的压力源的组合。该项目还将开发生物标志物，用于评估实地收集的生物体的反应。 更广泛的影响：该项目将深入了解深水地平线石油泄漏的生态后果。实地取样的结果将张贴并与其他新出现的结果（例如，EPA沉积物分析）。基因表达和序列数据将被整理，并发布到公开访问的数据库。两名博士生将接受脂质分析和生态基因组学方面的培训。该项目将确定刺胞动物（海葵，与造礁珊瑚有关）通过未充分研究的接触途径（进食）对石油接触的细胞和分子反应。此外，该项目还将提供基因表达、脂质储存和污染物负荷的直接测量，这是墨西哥湾沿岸沿着潜在受影响种群的海葵指标物种。确定和描述受石油暴露和相关压力因素影响的各种途径（例如，缺氧）将有助于开发生态预报工具，以预测生物体的生理反应以及随后对当地人口和生态系统的影响。