Collaborative Research: A New Baseline for Antarctic Blue and Fin Whales

合作研究：南极蓝鲸和长须鲸的新基线

• 批准号: 1927742
• 负责人: Alyson Fleming
• 金额: $ 44.99万
• 依托单位: University of North Carolina at Wilmington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1927742&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; New; Baseline; Antarctic

Blue and fin whales are the two largest animals on the planet, and the two largest krill predators in the Southern Ocean. Commercial whaling in Antarctic waters started in the early 1900?s, and by the 1970's whale populations were reduced from thousands to only a few hundred individuals. The absence of data about whale biology and ecology prior to these large population reductions has limited our understanding of how the ecosystem functioned when cetacean populations were more robust. However, an archive of baleen plates from 800 Antarctic blue and fin whales harvested between 1946 and 1948 was recently rediscovered in the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History that will shed insight into historic whale ecology. As baleen grows, it incorporates circulating hormones, and compounds from the whale's diet, recording continuous biological and oceanographic information across multiple years. This project will apply a suite of modern molecular techniques to these archived specimens to ask how blue and fin whale foraging and reproduction responded to climate variability, changes at the base of the food web, and whaling activities in the early 1940s. By comparison with more modern datasets, these investigations will fill major gaps in understanding of the largest krill predators, their response to disturbance and environmental change, and the impact that commercial whaling has had on the structure and function of the Antarctic marine ecosystem. This project will improve stem education through annual programming for middle and high school girls in partnership with UNCW's Marine Quest program. Public outreach will occur through partnerships with the Smithsonian and the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators to deliver emerging research on Antarctic ecosystems and highlight the contemporary relevance and scientific value of museum collections. Examination of past conditions and adaptations of polar biota is fundamental to predictions of future climate change scenarios. The baleen record that will be used in this study forms an ideal experimental platform for studying bottom-up, top-down and anthropogenic impacts on blue and fin whales. This historic baleen archive includes years with strong climate and temperature anomalies allowing the influence of climate variability on predators and the ecosystems that support them to be examined. Additionally, the impact of commercial whaling on whale stress levels will be investigated by comparing years of intensive whaling with the non-whaling years of WWII, both of which are captured in the time series. There are three main approaches to this project. First, bulk stable isotope analysis will be used to examine the trophic dynamics of Antarctic blue and fin whales. Second, compound-specific stable isotope analyses (CSIA-AA) will characterize the biogeochemistry of the base of the Antarctic food web. Finally, analyses of hormone levels in baleen will reveal differences in stress levels and reproductive status of individuals, and inform understanding of cetacean population biology. This project will generate a new public data archive to foster research opportunities across various components of the OPP program, all free from the logistical constraints of Antarctic field work.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.

蓝鲸和长须鲸是地球上最大的两种动物，也是南大洋最大的两种磷虾捕食者。在南极水域的商业性捕鲸始于20世纪初的S，到了70年代的S，鲸鱼的数量从数千头减少到只有几百头。在鲸鱼数量大幅减少之前，缺乏关于鲸鱼生物学和生态学的数据，这限制了我们对鲸目动物种群更活跃时生态系统如何发挥作用的理解。然而，史密森国家自然历史博物馆最近重新发现了1946至1948年间收获的800头南极蓝鲸和长须鲸的须板档案，这将有助于深入了解历史鲸鱼生态。随着须毛的生长，它结合了循环中的荷尔蒙和鲸鱼饮食中的化合物，记录了多年来连续的生物和海洋信息。该项目将对这些存档标本应用一套现代分子技术，以研究蓝鲸和长须鲸的觅食和繁殖如何应对气候变化、食物网底部的变化以及20世纪40年代初的捕鲸活动。与更现代的数据集相比，这些调查将填补在了解最大的磷虾捕食者、它们对干扰和环境变化的反应以及商业捕鲸对南极海洋生态系统的结构和功能的影响方面的主要空白。该项目将通过与联合国儿童基金会的海洋探索计划合作，为初中和高中女孩制定年度计划，以改善STEM教育。将通过与史密森学会和国际南极旅游经营者协会的伙伴关系进行公众宣传，以提供关于南极生态系统的新研究，并突出博物馆藏品的当代意义和科学价值。对极地生物群过去条件和适应情况的研究是预测未来气候变化情景的基础。将在这项研究中使用的须记录形成了一个理想的实验平台，用于研究自下而上、自上而下和人为对蓝鲸和长须鲸的影响。这份历史档案包括气候和温度强烈异常的年份，从而可以研究气候变化对捕食者和支持它们的生态系统的影响。此外，商业捕鲸对鲸鱼压力水平的影响将通过比较密集捕鲸年份和二战非捕鲸年份进行调查，这两个年份都被记录在时间序列中。这个项目有三种主要的方法。首先，将使用大宗稳定同位素分析来研究南极蓝鲸和长须鲸的营养动态。第二，化合物特定稳定同位素分析(CSIA-AA)将描述南极食物网基地的生物地球化学特征。最后，对须毛中激素水平的分析将揭示个体应激水平和生殖状态的差异，并有助于理解鲸目动物的种群生物学。该项目将生成一个新的公共数据档案，以促进OPP计划各个组成部分的研究机会，所有这些都不受南极实地工作的后勤限制。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。