OCE-PRF: ZOOPREDICT - A study of ZOOPlankton Responses to Environmental Determinants with Interns, Classes, and Teachers

OCE-PRF：ZOOPREDICT - 一项关于 ZOOPlankton 对实习生、班级和教师环境决定因素的反应的研究

• 批准号: 1225817
• 负责人: David Elliott
• 金额: $ 17万
• 依托单位: Elliott David T
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-02-01 至 2015-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1225817&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: OCE; PRF; ZOOPREDICT; study; ZOOPlankton

In this project, the investigator will study the response of estuarine zooplankton to predicted consequences of climate change, focusing on the direct effects of changes in water temperature, and indirect effects through changes in food environment and mortality. Changing environmental conditions can have disparate effects on the phenologies of different trophic groups within the plankton community, resulting in an uncoupling of population growth peaks of zooplankton, their predators and prey, changes in the relative roles of bottom-up and top-down factors in regulating zooplankton populations, and a restructuring of the dynamics of the entire plankton community. For example, zooplankton growth often responds more strongly than phytoplankton to temperature changes. Therefore, warmer temperatures may ultimately increase resource limitation of zooplankton. Potential ecosystem level effects include changes in fish recruitment and degree of benthic-pelagic coupling due to the roles of zooplankton as prey for fish and facilitators of vertical flux of organic matter. The investigator will study zooplankton dynamics along the James River, using combined experimental, observational, and quantitative modeling approaches to evaluate the relative importance of temperature, food quantity and quality, and mortality in limiting zooplankton growth under present conditions and predicted scenarios of climate change. Research results will be useful to zooplankton ecologists and ecosystem scientists studying the Chesapeake Bay and other coastal ecosystems. The research activities will address the extent of change in temporal dynamics of the region's zooplankton community since 1985, contribute directly to advance understanding of zooplankton ecology, and improve quantitative modeling of Chesapeake Bay zooplankton population dynamics. The broader impacts include broadening participation in ocean sciences through recruitment of undergraduate students to participate directly in research during eight-week summer internships. The students will be selected with the goal of broadening participation of under-represented groups in ocean sciences, in collaboration with VCU's Environmental Studies program and Hampton University. In addition, the investigator will work in coordination with summer interns, local schools, and VCU's University Special Programs staff to develop semi-annual and summer educational activities that introduce K-12 students to aquatic sciences and plankton ecology. This project is supported under the NSF Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (OCE PRF) program, with goals to support novel research by early career scientists and increase the diversity of the U.S. ocean sciences workforce and research community. With OCE-PRF support, this project will enable a promising early career researcher to establish themselves in an independent research career related to ocean sciences and broaden participation of under-represented groups in the ocean sciences.

在这个项目中，调查者将研究河口浮游动物对气候变化预期后果的反应，重点是水温变化的直接影响，以及通过食物环境和死亡率变化的间接影响。不断变化的环境条件可能对浮游生物群落内不同营养类群的物候产生不同的影响，导致浮游动物及其捕食者和猎物种群增长高峰的分离，自下而上和自上而下因素在调节浮游动物种群中的相对作用发生变化，整个浮游生物群落的动态发生重组。例如，浮游动物的生长往往比浮游植物对温度变化的反应更强烈。因此，气温升高最终可能会增加浮游动物的资源限制。潜在的生态系统一级影响包括由于浮游动物作为鱼类猎物和促进有机物质垂直流动的作用而引起的鱼类补充量和底栖-中上层耦合程度的变化。研究人员将研究詹姆斯河沿岸的浮游动物动态，采用实验、观测和定量建模相结合的方法，评估在当前条件和预测的气候变化情景下，温度、食物数量和质量以及死亡率在限制浮游动物生长方面的相对重要性。研究结果将有助于浮游动物生态学家和生态系统科学家研究切萨皮克湾和其他沿海生态系统。研究活动将探讨该区域浮游动物群落自1985年以来的时间动态变化程度，直接促进对浮游动物生态学的了解，并改进切萨皮克湾浮游动物种群动态的定量模拟。更广泛的影响包括通过招募本科生在为期八周的暑期实习期间直接参与研究，扩大对海洋科学的参与。这些学生将被选中，目标是与VCU的环境研究项目和汉普顿大学合作，扩大海洋科学中代表不足的群体的参与。此外，调查员将与暑期实习生、当地学校和VCU的大学特别项目工作人员合作，制定半年一次的暑期教育活动，向K-12学生介绍水生科学和浮游生物生态学。该项目得到美国国家科学基金会海洋科学博士后研究奖学金(OCE PRF)计划的支持，旨在支持早期职业科学家的创新研究，并增加美国海洋科学劳动力和研究社区的多样性。在海洋科学和可持续发展基金的支持下，该项目将使有前途的早期职业研究人员能够从事与海洋科学有关的独立研究事业，并扩大未被充分代表的群体在海洋科学领域的参与。