Physiological Ecology of "Herbivorous" Antarctic Copepods

极地海洋中的动物已经适应了白天长度、食物可获得性和冰盖的戏剧性季节变化，以及持续的寒冷水域。这个项目的重点是桡足类动物的适应--生活在水柱中的小型动物，是许多不同捕食者的重要食物来源。实地研究将在南极半岛西部进行，那里的环境和生态系统正在迅速变化。南极的桡足类已经制定了特殊的摄食和行为策略，以在它们非常季节性的环境中生存，然而，这些物种中的每一个将如何应对环境变化尚不清楚。该项目的总体目标是检查和比较不同物种之间的这些适应，并了解每个物种如何应对食物供应的短期变化。该项目包含三个主要目标：第一个目标是比较不同物种的基因集，特别是寻找与储存食物能量有关的基因。第二个目标是衡量和比较桡足类对食物可获得性变化的反应。第三个目标是确定南极半岛西部栖息地的变化如何影响桡足类的摄食条件。为了使这些数据对更广泛的研究界更有用，将开发一个数据库，以便能够轻松地比较桡足类物种之间的遗传信息。该项目将为研究生和本科生提供实践培训机会，并将寻求从代表性不足的群体中招收学生。成果和科学概念将通过外展活动分享，包括探险博客、一系列互动动画和公开演示。极地海洋生物已经适应了光周期、光照强度和冰盖的戏剧性季节变化，以及寒冷但稳定的热环境。作为实地考察的重点地区，南极半岛西部经历了快速变暖和冰川融化。虽然很难准确预测该地区的自然条件将如何变化，但对物种分布的影响已经有了记录。大型南极桡足科和犀牛科是中生浮游生物的主要组成部分，它们使用不同的代谢和行为策略来优化它们对高度季节性食物供应的利用。这个项目的总体目标是利用分子方法来检查个体和物种水平上的生理和代谢适应。该项目侧重于三个主要目标：第一个目标是在进化的背景下描述南极桡足类的基因互补和特定阶段的基因表达模式。第二个目标是测量和比较幼年桡足类对不同摄食条件的生理和分子反应。第三个目标是描述天然桡足类种群内的代谢变化。代谢多样化的南极桡足类也提供了一个很好的机会来比较调节能量储存和利用的机制，并检验关于特定基因作用的假说。实地研究将旨在利用正在进行的长期研究计划(帕尔默长期生态研究)的信息，该计划是对正在进行的计划的补充，并为该项目提供广泛的背景。为了使这些数据对研究界更有用，将开发一个数据库，方便比较桡足类物种之间的转录本。该项目将为研究生和本科生提供实践培训机会。努力招收代表性不足的少数民族学生。结果和科学概念将通过探险博客、一系列互动动画和公开演示广泛传播。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Animals in the polar oceans have adapted to dramatic seasonal changes in day length, food availability, and ice cover, as well as to consistently cold waters. This project focuses on the adaptations of copepods - small animals that live in the water column and are an important food source to many different predators. The field studies will take place in the western Antarctic Peninsula, an environment and ecosystem that is rapidly changing. Antarctic copepods have developed particular feeding and behavioral strategies to survive in their very seasonal environment, however it is not known how each of these species will respond to environmental change. The overall goal of this project is to examine and compare these adaptations across species and to understand how each species responds to short-term changes in food availability. The project contains three main objectives: the first objective is to compare the sets of genes across species, especially looking at genes related to storage of energy from food. The second objective is to measure and compare the responses of copepods to changes in food availability. The third objective is to determine how variation across the western Antarctic Pensinsula habitat affects the feeding condition of the copepods. To make the data more useful to the broader research community, a database will be developed enabling easy comparison of genetic information between copepod species. This project will provide hands-on training opportunities to graduate and undergraduate student and will seek to recruit students from underrepresented groups. Results and scientific concepts will be shared through outreach activities, including an expedition blog, a series of interactive animations, and public presentations.Polar marine organisms have adapted to dramatic seasonal changes in photoperiod, light intensity, and ice cover, as well as to cold but stable thermal environments. The western Antarctic Peninsula, the focal region for the field studies, has experienced rapid warming and ice melt. While it is difficult to predict exactly how physical conditions in this region will change, effects on species distributions have already been documented. Large Antarctic copepods in the families Calanidae and Rhincalanidae are dominant components of the mesozooplankton that use different metabolic and behavioral strategies to optimize their use of a highly seasonal food supply. The overall goal of this project is to leverage molecular approaches to examine the physiological and metabolic adaptations at the individual and species level. The project focuses on three main objectives: the first objective is to characterize the gene complement and stage-specific gene expression patterns in Antarctic copepods within an evolutionary context. The second objective is to measure and compare the physiological and molecular responses of juvenile copepods to variable feeding conditions. The third objective is to characterize metabolic variation within natural copepod populations. The metabolically diverse Antarctic copepods also provide an excellent opportunity to compare mechanisms regulating energy storage and utilization and to test hypotheses regarding the roles of specific genes. The field studies will aim to utilize information from an ongoing long term research program (the Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research), which complements the ongoing program and provides extensive context for this project. To make the data more useful to the research community, a database will be developed facilitating comparison of transcriptomes between copepod species. This project will provide hands-on training opportunities to graduate and undergraduate students. Efforts will be made to recruit students who are members of underrepresented minorities. Results and scientific concepts will be broadly disseminated through an expedition blog, a series of interactive animations, and public presentations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.