Biodiversity Survey of Hawaiian Mesophotic Algae

该项目将记录生活在夏威夷群岛周围深珊瑚礁上的海藻（藻类）。在热带和亚热带清澈的海洋沃茨中，可见光可以到达100到500英尺的深度。因此，这个被称为中光区的深海区域的珊瑚礁包括海藻物种，为许多海洋动物提供食物和栖息地，包括游戏鱼。然而，这个地区是具有挑战性的探索，因为它超出了传统的水肺潜水的限制。因此，生活在深海珊瑚礁上的海藻物种没有得到很好的记录。研究人员将识别过去10年收集的数百种海藻标本，并将广泛分享这些数据。新物种将获得科学名称，承认海藻在夏威夷土著文化中的长期重要性。该项目的结果还将揭示深珊瑚礁如何帮助浅珊瑚礁在受损后恢复。浅水珊瑚礁是旅游和渔业收入的重要来源，但容易受到干扰。该项目将培训本科生和研究生，包括代表性不足的群体的成员，并支持早期职业研究人员的专业发展。研究人员将通过一个教育性的巡回博物馆展览和一个电视节目与公众分享海藻在文化、生态和经济上的重要性。这个项目将汇集几位专门研究热带太平洋海藻的研究人员的分类学和系统发育学专业知识。研究人员将发现和分析该地区的中光海藻植物群，并测试有关深礁生态系统生物多样性模式的假设。一种DNA条形码方法将用于初步表征已经掌握的近1,800个中光藻类标本。形态学数据将补充这一方法，以标记一个物种子集或物种群，进行更深入的研究。选择物种的叶绿体基因组的比较将允许浅和中光海藻，经历不同的光环境之间的差异的分析的额外水平。该项目的成果将包括提高对夏威夷中光海藻的生物学和植物地理学的理解，描述60-80个新物种，并长期存档标本。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

This project will document seaweeds (algae) living on deep coral reefs around the Hawaiian Islands. Visible light reaches a depth of 100 to 500 feet in the clear ocean waters of the tropics and subtropics. As a result, coral reefs of this deep region, called the mesophotic zone, include seaweed species that provide food and habitat for many marine animals, including game fish. However, this region is challenging to explore because it is beyond the limits of traditional SCUBA diving. As a result, seaweed species that live on deep coral reefs are not well-documented. Researchers will identify hundreds of seaweed specimens collected over the past 10 years and will share these data widely. New species will receive scientific names that recognize the long-standing significance of seaweeds in Native Hawaiian culture. Results of the project will also uncover how deep coral reefs may help shallow coral reefs recover after damage. Shallow coral reefs are important sources of tourist and fisheries revenue but are prone to disturbance. The project will train undergraduate and graduate students, including members of under-represented groups, and support the professional development of an early-career researcher. Researchers will share with the public the cultural, ecological and economic importance of seaweeds through an educational, traveling museum exhibit and a television program that will be accessible online to K-12 educators.This project will bring together the taxonomic and phylogenetic expertise of several researchers who specialize in algae of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Researchers will discover and analyze the mesophotic seaweed flora of this region as well as test hypotheses regarding patterns of biodiversity in deep-reef ecosystems. A DNA barcoding approach will be used to initially characterize the almost 1,800 mesophotic algal specimens already in hand. Morphological data will complement this approach to flag a subset of species or groups of species for more in-depth study. Comparison of chloroplast genomes of select species will allow an additional level of analysis of the differences between shallow and mesophotic seaweeds, which experience different light environments. Outcomes of this project will include improved understanding of the biology and biogeography of the Hawaiian mesophotic seaweeds, the description of 60-80 new species, and long-term archiving of specimens.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.