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.

项目摘要合作研究：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。首页--期刊主要分类--期刊细介绍阿拉巴马州大学生物科学博士。安·M·塔兰特(合伙)，伍兹霍尔海洋研究所生物系。由于深水地平线石油泄漏，数百万加仑的石油已经泄漏到墨西哥湾，其中大部分已经并将继续被冲上美国墨西哥湾沿岸。为了尽量减少到达海岸的石油数量，在地面石油和泄漏源头都使用了前所未有的数量的分散剂。这种史无前例的分散剂使用对海洋环境、食物网和石油的生物可获得性的影响仍有待调查。此外，海洋环境或河口沼泽中石油和分散石油的微生物降解可产生极低的氧气水平(缺氧)，这将进一步加重海洋和河口无脊椎动物的压力。不幸的是，关于石油或分散的石油以及其他非生物应激源(缺氧)对海洋和河口无脊椎动物生理的影响的信息很少。维氏线虫是一种海葵(一种与造礁珊瑚有亲缘关系的生物)，发现于美国墨西哥湾和大西洋沿岸的盐沼中。该项目将使用线虫作为模型，以解决迫切需要了解河口无脊椎动物对石油暴露、联合暴露石油和分散剂以及石油暴露和低氧(低氧)之间可能的协同作用的生理反应。首先，线虫将从墨西哥湾沿岸的种群中收集。污染物负荷、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(？开启？或者？关闭？)在来自石油暴露点的海葵中。其次，将进行实验室实验，以确定在常氧(常氧)和低氧条件下接触石油以及联合接触石油和分散剂的影响。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。这些虾将在常氧和低氧条件下喂给线虫。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，这些过程用于保护有机体免受与石油泄漏和接触石油或分散的石油有关的应激因素的组合。该项目还将使生物标志物的开发成为可能，这些生物标志物可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漏油事件的生态后果。现场采样的结果将被公布，并与其他新出现的结果(例如，环境保护局沉积物分析)联系起来。基因表达和序列数据将被整理，并发布到公众可访问的数据库中。两名博士生将接受脂质分析和生态基因组学方面的培训。该项目将通过一种未被充分研究的暴露(摄食)途径，确定刺齿动物(海葵，与造礁珊瑚有关)对石油暴露的细胞和分子反应。此外，该项目还将提供对墨西哥湾沿岸潜在受影响种群的基因表达、脂肪储存和污染物负担的直接测量，作为指示物种的海葵。确定和确定受石油暴露和相关应激源(如缺氧)影响的各种途径将有助于开发生态预测工具，以预测生物的生理反应以及随后对当地人口和生态系统的影响。