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：线虫作为河口指示物种，用于评估深水地平线漏油的分子和生理影响

• 批准号: 1057354
• 负责人: Ann Tarrant
• 金额: $ 7.49万
• 依托单位: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• 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=1057354&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Collaborative; Research; Nematostella; Estuarine

PROJECT SUMMARY Collaborative Research: Nematostella as an estuarine indicator species for assessing molecular and physiological impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.Dr. Matthew J. Jenny (PI), Dept. Biological Sciences, University of AlabamaDr. Ann M. Tarrant (Co-PI), Biology Dept., Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionAs 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.

合作研究：线虫作为河口指示物种评估深水地平线石油泄漏的分子和生理影响。Matthew J. Jenny (PI)，美国阿拉巴马大学生物科学系安·m·塔兰特（共同负责人），伍兹霍尔海洋研究所生物系：由于“深水地平线”漏油事件，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被冲刷到美国墨西哥湾沿岸。为了尽量减少到达海岸的石油量，在海面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、食物网和石油的生物利用度的影响仍有待调查。此外，海洋环境或河口沼泽中石油和分散的石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其他非生物应激源（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是一种海葵（一种与造礁珊瑚有关的生物），发现于墨西哥湾和美国大西洋沿岸的盐沼。该项目将以Nematostella为模型，解决河口无脊椎动物对石油暴露、石油和分散剂联合暴露以及石油暴露与缺氧（低氧）之间可能的协同作用的迫切需求。首先，将从墨西哥湾沿岸的人群中收集线虫。污染物负荷、能量储存和繁殖状态将被量化。分子技术将用于确定哪些基因受到影响(？打开吗?还是?关闭？)在暴露于石油的地方的海葵中。其次，将进行实验室实验，以确定在正常氧（常氧）和缺氧条件下石油暴露和石油和分散剂联合暴露的影响。盐水虾将在一定浓度的油、分散剂和含有分散剂的油中饲养。这些虾将在常氧和缺氧条件下喂给线虫。暴露的影响将通过评估基因表达、脂质分析、组织学检查和生化分析的变化来表征。这些实验的结果将提供对不同的分子和细胞过程的洞察，这些过程被用来保护生物体免受与石油泄漏和暴露于石油或分散的石油相关的压力源的组合。该项目还将促进生物标志物的开发，这些生物标志物可用于评估在该领域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。现场采样的结果将被公布，并与其他新出现的结果（例如，EPA沉积物分析）联系起来。基因表达和序列数据将被整理并发布到可公开访问的数据库中。两名博士生将接受脂质分析和生态基因组学方面的培训。本项目将确定刺胞动物（海葵，与造礁珊瑚有关）通过未充分研究的暴露途径（进食）对石油暴露的细胞和分子反应。此外，该项目将提供基因表达、脂质储存和污染物负担的直接测量，这是墨西哥湾沿岸可能受影响的海葵种群的指示物种。识别和描述受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及其对当地人口和生态系统的后续影响。