Collaborative Research: Extending the potential for hydrogen isotope tracers in ecology: experiments, biochemistry and field studies

合作研究：扩展氢同位素示踪剂在生态学中的潜力：实验、生物化学和实地研究

• 批准号: 1437845
• 负责人: Marilyn Fogel
• 金额: $ 12.28万
• 依托单位: University of California - Merced
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-02-01 至 2016-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1437845&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Extending; potential; hydrogen

The hydrogen isotopic composition of animal tissues has become as a valuable tool in the investigation of animal movements and the study of habitat use. However, the biochemical foundation needed for animal ecologists to apply isotopic analyses to ecological problems with confidence has yet to be adequately revealed. This project will address that knowledge gap by advancing our understanding of fundamental processes controlling isotopic composition in tissues of vertebrates. New methodologies will be applied to analyze compound-specific isotopes of individual amino acids in animal tissues and to determine whether hydrogen can be directly routed from dietary amino acids into tissues. Biosynthetic mechanisms responsible for determining hydrogen isotope patterns observed in bulk tissues will be explored in a series of laboratory experiments. Results from this research will address the magnitude and degree of variation in isotope discrimination for animal tissues, and the biochemical mechanism of hydrogen incorporation into an animal's tissue from its food and water. To accomplish this work, the fish species tilapia will be reared in tanks with water and food components having unique and controlled isotopic compositions. The isotopic composition of individual amino acids, particularly those that are indispensible for growth, will be measured to trace incorporation from dietary protein, carbohydrate, lipid, and water into fish tissues. The research will be extended to a population-based study of black-throated blue warblers, for which the hydrogen isotopic composition of individual amino acids from feather, bone, and liver tissues will be measured from three locations that span the continental range for this bird species in North America. Results from this project will advance a new methodology and provide foundational knowledge for isotopic approaches to the study of animal ecology and behavior. The project will develop and teach a graduate level course on isotopic ecology, involve undergraduate students in the laboratory research, and conduct outreach to high school biology classes to foster understanding of biochemical ecology. It will also support workshops designed to raise awareness of the potential uses of stable isotopes in the biological sciences and set the stage for future collaboration with researchers in several Latin American countries.

动物组织的氢同位素组成已成为研究动物活动和栖息地利用的宝贵工具。然而，动物生态学家信心十足地将同位素分析应用于生态问题所需的生化基础尚未得到充分揭示。这个项目将通过促进我们对控制脊椎动物组织中同位素组成的基本过程的理解来解决这一知识鸿沟。新的方法将被应用于分析动物组织中单个氨基酸的化合物特定同位素，并确定氢是否可以直接从饮食氨基酸传递到组织中。将在一系列实验室实验中探索生物合成机制，该机制负责确定在大宗组织中观察到的氢同位素模式。这项研究的结果将涉及动物组织同位素辨别的大小和程度，以及氢从食物和水进入动物组织的生化机制。为了完成这项工作，将在水箱中饲养罗非鱼，水箱中的水和食物成分具有独特和受控的同位素成分。将测量单个氨基酸的同位素组成，特别是那些生长所必需的氨基酸，以追踪饲料中蛋白质、碳水化合物、脂肪和水进入鱼类组织的情况。这项研究将扩展到以种群为基础的黑喉蓝莺的研究，为此，将在北美这种鸟类的大陆范围内的三个地点测量来自羽毛、骨骼和肝脏组织的单个氨基酸的氢同位素组成。该项目的结果将推进一种新的方法学，并为研究动物生态和行为的同位素方法提供基础知识。该项目将开发和教授一门关于同位素生态学的研究生水平的课程，让本科生参与实验室研究，并将推广到高中生物课堂，以促进对生化生态学的理解。它还将支持旨在提高人们对稳定同位素在生物科学中的潜在用途的认识的讲习班，并为今后与几个拉丁美洲国家的研究人员开展合作奠定基础。