Collaborative Research: The Role of Sponges in the Coastal Nitrogen Cycle

合作研究：海绵在沿海氮循环中的作用

• 批准号: 1132155
• 负责人: Christopher Martens
• 金额: $ 97.32万
• 依托单位: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• 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: 2011-09-01 至 2015-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1132155&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Role; Sponges; Coastal

Sponges dramatically alter ecosystem water quality through the combination of extraordinary pumping rates and rapid, dynamic biogeochemical transformations. Sponge communities are ubiquitous in marine environments and can inhabit over 40% of the benthic area in tropical ecosystems. In this project, a research team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and the University of Washington will continue their ongoing investigations of the importance of sponge nitrogen (N) transformations and fluxes in coastal environments through quantifying their role in the N cycle of Florida Bay, specifically the importance of these dominant benthic organisms in meeting the N demands of primary producers throughout the Bay. The team's previous research demonstrated that sponge dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) flux to overlying waters at Conch Reef, Florida Keys, was larger than any other benthic nitrogen (N) source. In choosing Florida Bay as their study area, the team will benefit from the wealth of available data concerning N sources and recycling, including estimated values for new N inputs, and quantitative sponge benthic biomass. By performing in situ sponge N flux measurements they expect be able to contribute information about a potentially important recycled N source that has not previously been quantified in N budgets. The overarching goal of this research is to establish the importance of sponge-mediated N cycling processes in Florida Bay where sponges are abundant, their biomass has been quantified at hundreds of stations and their key role in water filtration has been established, by quantifying rates and mechanisms of transformations of both dissolved and particulate organic nitrogen to DIN and N2 (nitrogen gas) by key sponge species, and elucidating controls on N2 production by natural factors such as sponge tissue dissolved oxygen concentrations. Broader Impacts: Sponges play a crucial role in the nutrient balance of coastal environments because they are abundant in tropical, temperate and polar habitats, they process tremendous volumes of water, and many common species host abundant and active microbial populations. Their impact on biogeochemical cycling in most environments, however, remains largely unknown. During this study, graduate and undergraduate students and a postdoctoral fellow will learn in both laboratory and field settings a spectrum of state-of-the-art techniques and instrumentation firsthand and, when the results are ultimately synthesized for publication, they will benefit from participation in the exchange of ideas with established researchers from diverse fields.

海绵通过非凡的抽水率和快速、动态的生物地球化学变化相结合，极大地改变了生态系统的水质。海绵群落普遍存在于海洋环境中，可以栖息在热带生态系统40%以上的底栖生物区域。在这个项目中，来自北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校、夏威夷大学马诺阿分校和华盛顿大学的一个研究小组将通过量化海绵氮(N)在佛罗里达州海湾N循环中的作用，继续他们正在进行的关于海绵氮(N)转化和沿海环境通量的研究，特别是这些优势底栖生物在满足整个海湾初级生产者对N的需求方面的重要性。该团队之前的研究表明，海绵溶解的无机氮(DIN)通量到佛罗里达群岛海螺礁上覆水域的流量比任何其他底栖氮(N)源都大。选择佛罗里达州海湾作为他们的研究区域，该团队将受益于丰富的关于氮源和再循环的现有数据，包括新N投入的估计值和海绵底栖生物量的定量。通过进行现场海绵N通量测量，他们希望能够提供关于以前没有在N预算中量化的潜在重要的再循环N源的信息。这项研究的总体目标是通过量化关键海绵物种将溶解和颗粒有机氮转化为DIN和N2(氮气)的速率和机制，以及阐明海绵组织溶解氧浓度等自然因素对氮气产生的控制，确定海绵丰富的佛罗里达州海湾海绵介导的N循环过程的重要性，并在数百个站点对海绵生物量进行量化，确定其在水过滤中的关键作用。更广泛的影响：海绵在沿海环境的营养平衡中发挥着关键作用，因为它们在热带、温带和极地生境中丰富，它们处理大量的水，许多常见物种拥有丰富和活跃的微生物种群。然而，它们对大多数环境中的生物地球化学循环的影响在很大程度上仍不清楚。在这项研究中，研究生、本科生和博士后研究员将在实验室和现场环境中第一手学习一系列最先进的技术和仪器，当结果最终综合发表时，他们将受益于参与与来自不同领域的知名研究人员的思想交流。