THE DRIVE TO SURVIVE: COPEPODS vs ICHTHYOPLANKTON

这项研究将从实验上阐明不同种类和不同生命阶段的桡足类动物对一种模式幼虫捕食者的逃避动力学。PI将使用标准和高速视频以及尖端全息技术。浮游生物群落内的捕食者和猎物之间的相互作用是理解能量如何在复杂的海洋食物网中转移的关键。特别令人感兴趣的是数量极多的桡足类和它们更重要的捕食者之一--浮游鱼(鱼类的浮游幼体阶段)之间的那些生物。大多数鱼类的幼体是浮游性食肉动物，严重依赖桡足类作为食物。一般来说，在桡足类中，逃避的成功率随着年龄的增加而增加，而随着捕食者的年龄的增加而减少。在决定捕食性攻击的结果以及这些对捕食者和猎物生存的影响方面，这一过程的细节是至关重要的。为了解决这个问题，将针对不同的捕食者能力水平测试不同的桡足类发育阶段，并检查结果：1)不同捕食者和猎物年龄组的攻击成功或失败；2)不同年龄组的桡足类成功和不成功的逃跑尝试的运动学(反应潜伏期和轨迹方向)；3)不同年龄和捕食者的攻击策略产生的水动力学线索，以及不同猎物阶段对这些线索的敏感性；以及4)每个猎物阶段的捕食方法和攻击策略的成功或失败。获得的数据将用于向浮游动物种群动态的关键问题提供信息。对于捕食者来说，这些包括：躲避捕食者的能力和探测能力的重要性、反应速度、逃逸速度、逃逸方向和轨迹不规则性；对于捕食者来说，这些是：嘴巴大小、隐蔽性、流体动力干扰产生和突进运动学的能力和重要性。这个项目的更广泛的影响将是：1)提高对捕食者-猎物动态的科学洞察力，因为它们影响着世界渔业；2)对本科生，包括代表不足的群体，进行研究方面的培训(夏威夷大学马诺阿分校是一所为少数群体服务的机构，P.I.是密歇根大学少数群体获取研究项目的联合主任，该项目为合格的本科生提供便利的途径)；3)在外联活动中培训本科生和研究生，教育K-12岁的儿童海洋系统内的生物多样性，神经系统在动物行为中的作用，以及在他们的研究中的科学方法；4)一个以技术为导向的外展和本科教育项目，重点是吸引高中生和早期本科生欣赏慢动作(高速视频)技术揭示的动物行为奇观。

This study will experimentally elucidate the dynamics of predator evasion by different species and life stages of copepod responding to a model larval fish predator. The PIs will use standard and high-speed videographic and cutting-edge holographic techniques. Predator-prey interactions within planktonic communities are key to understanding how energy is transferred within complex marine food webs. Of particular interest are those between the highly numerous copepods and one of their more important predators, the ichthyoplankton (the planktonic larval stages of fishes). The larvae of most fishes are planktivorous and heavily dependent on copepods for food. In general, evasion success increases with age in copepods and decreases with the age of the fish predator. How this plays out in detail is critical in determining predatory attack outcomes and the effect these have on predator and prey survival. To address this problem, different copepod developmental stages will be tested against several levels of predator competence, and the results examined for: 1) the success or failure of attacks for different combinations of predator and prey age class; 2) the kinematics (reaction latencies and trajectory orientation) for escape attempts, successful and unsuccessful, for different age classes of copepod; 3) the hydrodynamic cues generated by different ages and attack strategies of the predator and the sensitivity of different prey stages to these cues; and 4) the success or failure of the predatory approach and attack strategies at each prey stage. The data obtained will be used to inform key issues of zooplankton population dynamics. For the prey these include: predator-evasion capabilities and importance of detection ability, reaction speed, escape speed, escape orientation, and trajectory irregularity; for the predator they are: capabilities and importance of mouth gape size, stealthiness, hydrodynamic disturbance production, and lunge kinematics. The broader impacts of this project will be 1) improved scientific insight into predator-prey dynamics as they affect the world's fisheries; 2) training of undergraduates, including underrepresented groups, in research (the University of Hawaii at Manoa is a minority-serving institution, and the P.I. is co-director of the UH Minority Access to Research Program, which provides ready access to qualified undergraduates); 3) training undergraduates and graduate students in outreach activities that educate K-12 age children in biodiversity within marine systems, the role of nervous systems in animal behavior, and the scientific method in their study; 4) a technology-oriented outreach and undergraduate education project focused on drawing high-school and early undergraduates into the appreciation of the wonders of animal behavior as revealed by slow-motion (high-speed video) techniques.