Testing the Invasion Process: Survival, Dispersal, Genetic Characterization, and Attenuation of Marine Biota on the 2011 Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris Field

该项目将研究抵达美国西海岸的海洋生物，以及2011年3月日本北部东北地震和海啸带来的漂浮海洋垃圾。碎片的体积很大，有可能开启大量外来物种的注入。例如，2012年6月，一个20米长的浮船坞从本州岛的三泽港移走，将近100种亚洲物种运送到俄勒冈州海岸。项目建议收集漂流生物群的物种特征、种群结构、繁殖条件、生长历史、遗传学和寄生虫/病原体存在等数据。这项工作不仅仅是对即将到来的东西进行评估，还将围绕评估一些参数进行组织，这些参数对于了解长途漂流和随后的入侵的可能性很重要。pi还将记录遗传多样性，为研究入侵提供另一种视角，并为检查新基因在新环境中的传播提供基线。在大多数情况下，成虫阶段在大片海洋上的分散是罕见的，因此很难研究。海啸留下的大片残骸为这些研究提供了一个独特的机会。更广泛的影响：生物入侵是群落和生态系统变化的主要驱动力。本研究结果将为研究入侵过程和入侵潜力提供有价值的信息，并在短期内提供与当前碎屑场相关的入侵物种组成、特征和丰度的快速、权威信息。这项工作将包括对可能威胁本地物种的寄生虫和病原体的评估。

This project will examine marine organisms arriving on the US West Coast in association with floating marine debris from the March 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in northern Japan. The volume of debris is large and has the potential to inaugurate a massive injection of foreign species. As an example, in June 2012, a single, 20 m-long floating dock dislodged from the port of Misawa on Honshu Island transported nearly 100 Asian species to the coast of Oregon. The PIs propose to gather data on species identity, population structure, reproductive condition, growth histories, genetics, and parasite/pathogen presence from the rafted biota. More than just an assessment of what is arriving, the work will be structured around evaluating a number of parameters important for understanding the potential for long-distance rafting and subsequent invasions. The PIs will also document genetic diversity, providing another perspective on invasions and, where the genes are novel to North America, providing a baseline for examining the spread of novel genes in a new environment. Under most circumstances, the dispersal of adult stages across large expanses of ocean is rare and therefore difficult to study. The large debris field from the tsunami provides a unique opportunity for these studies. Broader Impacts: Biological invasions are a major driver of community and ecosystem change. The findings of this study will provide valuable information on invasion processes and potential, and in the short term will provide rapid, authoritative information on the species composition, traits, and abundance of invaders associated with the present debris field. The work will include an assessment of parasites and pathogens which could threaten native species.