权益分类	功能权益	普通用户	{{item.name}}会员
{{category.name}}	{{benefitItem.name}}

LTER: MCR IIB: Long-Term Dynamics of a Coral Reef Ecosystem

LTER：MCR IIB：珊瑚礁生态系统的长期动态

基本信息

批准号：
1236905
负责人：
Russell Schmitt
金额：
$ 296.4万
依托单位：
University of California-Santa Barbara
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Continuing Grant
财政年份：
2012
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2012-09-01 至 2018-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1236905&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
LTER MCR IIB Long Term

项目摘要

Intellectual Merit: The Moorea Coral Reef (MCR) LTER was established in 2004 to investigate community and ecosystem effects of pulsed perturbations and slowly changing environment from local and global stressors. The site is the coral reef complex surrounding the island of Moorea, French Polynesia, which includes a lagoon system (with fringing reef and back reef habitats) and a steeply sloping fore reef offshore. The core issue that unifies MCR research centers on ecological resilience, specifically the processes and attributes that affect the capacity of a coral reef to absorb perturbations and reassemble to a community dominated by stony corals without degrading to an alternative state (e.g., one dominated by macroalgae). At the end of MCR I, virtually all of the coral on the outer fore reef surrounding Moorea was killed by a natural but brief outbreak of a coral predator, which was followed by storm waves that removed dead coral skeletons from the fore reef on one of the three shores of the island. These perturbations had little effect on corals in lagoon habitats. Spatial variation in the landscape scale effects of these qualitatively different perturbations provides the MCR with an unparalleled scientific opportunity to address fundamental, unresolved questions regarding disturbance and recovery of coral reefs, together with the effects of community structure on reef functioning. The MCR research program addresses two time horizons and hence research activities are organized into two corresponding themes. Research Theme 1 (Resilience of Contemporary Reefs) focuses on factors that promote or inhibit the return of a perturbed reef community to a coral-dominated state under current levels of stressors from Global Climate Change (GCC) and Ocean Acidification (OA). Research Theme 2 (Structure and Function of Reefs in the Future) addresses the longer time horizon and seeks insight into how forecasted changes in GCC- and OA-related drivers may alter the structure of the benthic community, together with the consequences of those changes to ecosystem processes. This integrated research program for these inter-related themes includes question-driven time series measurements, long term field experiments, shorter-term field and laboratory experiments and measurements, and modeling and synthesis activities to integrate and generalize the results. The six goals of MCR IIB are to: (a) contribute to understanding what factors influence reef resilience and how GCC- and OA-related drivers will affect coral reefs; (b) continue our long term datasets on community dynamics, ecosystem processes and physical and chemical drivers; (c) maintain 3 long term field experiments and initiate 1 new one; (d) develop and test ecological theory; (e) continue to enhance our information management system to more fully meet the needs of the LTER network and the broader scientific community; and (f) maintain the effectiveness of MCR outreach components. Broader Impacts: Coral reefs are not just ecologically important - they yield upwards of $375 billion annually in goods and services (most of it in the developing world) that are vulnerable to human activities and climate forcing. Hence this research has relevance and application to resource managers, policy makers and stakeholders worldwide. LTER findings are presented annually to the Minister of the Environment of French Polynesia and have been used in the development of Marine Protected Areas for Moorea. Broader impacts arising from LTER educational activities include postdoctoral mentoring, research that integrates undergraduate and graduate training, active participation of faculty researchers and K-12 teachers in MCR research, incorporation of MCR findings in teaching curricula, progress towards an ethnically diverse MCR student community, and involvement of faculty and students from predominantly undergraduate and minority-serving institutions. Additional impacts are realized by MCR outreach efforts, including partnerships with three local schools that serve socioeconomically disadvantaged and minority students, with the University of California - Santa Barbara REEF (Research Experience & Education Facility) that exposes over 10,000 K-12 and public visitors annually to MCR research, and with the Atitia Center on Moorea to reach Tahitian school children and the public.

智力优势：Moorea Coral Reef（MCR）LTER成立于2004年，旨在调查脉冲扰动和当地和全球压力源缓慢变化的环境对社区和生态系统的影响。该地点是法属波利尼西亚莫雷阿岛周围的珊瑚礁复合体，其中包括泻湖系统（具有边缘礁和后礁栖息地）和离岸陡峭倾斜的前礁。将MCR研究统一起来的核心问题是生态恢复力，特别是影响珊瑚礁吸收扰动并重新组装成由石珊瑚主导的社区而不会退化到另一种状态（例如，一种以大型藻类为主）。在MCR I结束时，莫雷阿岛周围的外部前礁上几乎所有的珊瑚都被珊瑚捕食者的自然但短暂的爆发杀死，随后是风暴浪潮，从岛上三个海岸之一的前礁上移走了死亡的珊瑚骨骼。这些扰动对泻湖栖息地的珊瑚影响不大。这些质量不同的扰动景观尺度效应的空间变化提供了一个无与伦比的科学机会，以解决基本的，悬而未决的问题，干扰和恢复珊瑚礁，以及社区结构对珊瑚礁功能的影响MCR。MCR研究计划涉及两个时间范围，因此研究活动分为两个相应的主题。研究主题1（当代珊瑚礁的复原力）侧重于促进或抑制扰动珊瑚礁群落在当前全球气候变化（GCC）和海洋酸化（OA）的压力下恢复到珊瑚主导状态的因素。研究主题2（未来珊瑚礁的结构和功能）涉及较长的时间范围，并寻求深入了解GCC和OA相关驱动因素的预测变化如何改变底栖生物群落的结构，以及这些变化对生态系统过程的影响。这些相互关联的主题的综合研究计划包括问题驱动的时间序列测量，长期现场实验，短期现场和实验室实验和测量，以及建模和综合活动，以整合和概括结果。第二次监测和报告B部分的六个目标是：（a）帮助了解哪些因素影响珊瑚礁的复原力，以及海湾合作委员会和野生动物园相关驱动因素将如何影响珊瑚礁;（B）继续提供关于群落动态、生态系统进程以及物理和化学驱动因素的长期数据集;（c）维持3个长期实地实验，并启动1个新的实验;（d）发展和测试生态理论;（e）继续加强我们的信息管理系统，以更充分地满足长期应急反应网络和更广泛的科学界的需要;以及（f）保持监测和报告制度外展部分的有效性。更广泛的影响：珊瑚礁不仅在生态上具有重要意义-它们每年产生价值超过3750亿美元的商品和服务（其中大部分在发展中国家），这些商品和服务易受人类活动和气候变化的影响。因此，这项研究具有相关性和应用的资源管理者，政策制定者和利益相关者在世界各地。LTER的调查结果每年提交给法属波利尼西亚环境部长，并已用于发展莫雷阿海洋保护区。LTER教育活动产生的更广泛的影响包括博士后指导，研究，整合本科和研究生培训，教师研究人员和K-12教师积极参与MCR研究，将MCR研究结果纳入教学课程，走向种族多元化的MCR学生社区的进展，以及教师和学生主要来自本科和少数民族服务机构的参与。MCR外展工作实现了其他影响，包括与三所为社会经济弱势群体和少数民族学生服务的当地学校建立伙伴关系，与加州大学-圣巴巴拉REEF（研究体验教育设施）建立伙伴关系，每年向10，000多名K-12和公众游客提供MCR研究，并与莫雷阿岛的Atitia中心接触塔希提学校儿童和公众。