Subtropical North Pacific variability in primary production and nutrient utilization inferred from compound specific isotopes in Hawai'ian deep-sea coral gorgonin.

根据夏威夷深海珊瑚戈尔贡宁的复合特定同位素推断北太平洋副热带初级生产和养分利用的变异性。

• 批准号: 1061689
• 负责人: Thomas Guilderson
• 金额: $ 42.67万
• 依托单位: University of California-Santa Cruz
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-03-15 至 2015-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1061689&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Subtropical; North; Pacific; variability; primary

The project will investigate whether the compound-specific isotope signature of amino acids in deep-sea proteinaceous corals can be used to interpret changes in the upper ocean ecosystem and its biogeochemical cycling. As these corals feed on particulate material (POM) derived from the surface they potentially can be used to deconvolute the factors that combine to drive bulk isotope change, and may provide an important expansion of proxy tools for examining longer-term changes in ocean productivity and particulate production and cycling. It is hypothesized that the compound-specific analysis can indicate both the average trophic position of exported POM as well as original signature at the base of food webs, creating independent records of both factors. Additionally, it is proposed that the results will allow a measure of relative microbial alteration, and a direct record of the average C signature of exported production. An archived set of proteinaceous coral (Gerardia) samples from contrasting regions of the subtropical North Pacific Ocean will be analyzed and the information used to construct records of trophic structure, and C and N signatures at the base of the food webs over 100-2000 years. Such information will allow examination of the validity of current interpretations from bulk isotope records, as well as provide additional details. The research will develop and validate a potentially important paleoceanographic tool using proteinaceous coral archives.The scientific merits and broader impacts of the project are clear and far-reaching, and will impact not only Chemical Oceanography but also the other branches of the marine community. The approach could be generalized and used to understand different processes and ecosystems once it has been properly demonstrated. The project will train a graduate student and will involve additional training of undergraduates and has an additional outreach component.

该项目将调查深海蛋白质珊瑚中氨基酸的特定化合物同位素特征是否可用于解释海洋上层生态系统及其生物地球化学循环的变化。由于这些珊瑚以来自表面的颗粒物质（POM）为食，它们可能被用来解卷积联合收割机驱动大量同位素变化的因素，并可能为研究海洋生产力和颗粒生产和循环的长期变化提供重要的代理工具。据推测，化合物的具体分析可以表明出口POM的平均营养位置以及在食物网的基础上的原始签名，创建两个因素的独立记录。此外，它建议的结果将允许相对微生物的变化的措施，并直接记录出口产品的平均C签名。一组存档的蛋白质珊瑚（Gerardia）样本从亚热带北太平洋的对比区域将进行分析和信息用于构建记录的营养结构，和C和N的签名在底部的食物网超过100-2000年。这些资料将使人们能够检查目前从大量同位素记录中所作解释的有效性，并提供更多的细节。该研究将利用蛋白质珊瑚档案开发和验证一个潜在的重要古海洋学工具，该项目的科学价值和广泛影响是明确和深远的，不仅将影响化学海洋学，而且将影响海洋界的其他分支。这种方法一旦得到适当的证明，就可以加以推广，用于了解不同的进程和生态系统。 该项目将培训一名研究生，并将涉及对本科生的额外培训，并有一个额外的外联部分。