EAPSI: Japanese Diversity and Ecological Survival Limits of the Fluffy Sea Anemone, Metridium Senile

在北冰洋，物种的分布和多样性受到冰川极大的严重影响。分布广泛的温带海葵属海葵是一种海底无脊椎动物，曾受到过去冰川的影响。通过研究Metridium当代种群的环境适应性和种群遗传学，可以构建冰川后的重新殖民化历史，并追溯到原始的避难种群。该项目将调查Metridium的生存极限，以了解物种分布模型，同时更深入地了解它们的潜在分布和过去的分布。该项目的研究将在Akkehi海洋站(北海道大学)与海洋底栖生态专家Masahiro Nakaoka博士合作进行。本项目将专注于在水族箱中利用温度、盐度和溶解氧进行活体衰老的实验。从南部避难所扩散到北海道的种群预计会耐受更高的温度和盐度波动，而来自更深水域的种群对温度和盐度波动的容忍度预计会更低。此外，研究人员将在日本北部地区收集老年分枝杆菌的标本进行分子分析，与整个太平洋地区的其他标本相比，这将表明日本是否曾是北太平洋的避难所。这些数据将被用于对北大西洋和太平洋老年分枝杆菌系统地理的更广泛研究，以检查分布变化如何随着大气变化而进行和转移，并告知它们可能如何应对未来不断变化的气候条件。该奖项由东亚和太平洋暑期学院项目资助一名美国研究生的暑期研究，由NSF和日本科学促进会共同资助。该奖项根据东亚和太平洋夏季学院计划，支持一名美国研究生的暑期研究，由NSF和日本科学促进会共同资助。

In the northern oceans, the distribution and diversity of species has been heavily impacted by glacial maxima. Sea anemones in the widespread temperate genus Metridium are benthic invertebrates that have been affected by past glaciations. Recolonization histories post-glaciation can be constructed and traced back to an originating refugial populations by studying the environmental adaptations and population genetics of contemporary populations of Metridium. This project will investigate the survival limits of Metridium to inform species distribution models while providing a deeper understanding of their potential and past distributions. The research for this project will be conducted at the Akkeshi Marine Station (Hokkaido University) in collaboration with Dr. Masahiro Nakaoka, an expert in marine benthic ecology. This project will be focused on performing experiments of live Metridium senile in aquaria with manipulated variables of temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen. Populations that dispersed to Hokkaido from a southern refugium are expected to tolerate greater higher temperature and to salinity fluctuations, whereas populations originating from deeper water are expected to show lower tolerance for fluctuations in temperature and salinity. Additionally, the researcher will be collecting specimens of M. senile throughout their northern range in Japan for molecular analysis, which, when compared with others throughout the Pacific, will indicate as to whether Japan served as a refugium for the Northern Pacific. These data will be applied to a wider study on the North Atlantic and Pacific phylogeography of M. senile to examine how distributional changes have proceeded and shifted as a response to atmospheric changes and inform how they might respond to future shifting climate conditions. This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. This award, under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program, supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.