RAPID:Collaborative Research: Micro- and macro-ecological succession in anchialine habitats during creation via volcanism

熔岩流创造了新的，最初是贫瘠的栖息地。这些栖息地的最初殖民者的身份，随后的入侵者，以及这个过程的可重复性对于理解生态系统过程的建立，如营养循环，是很重要的。确定栖息地成熟的步骤也会影响濒危物种和稀有环境的保护策略。近岸生态系统由受淡水和海洋沃茨影响的沿海和内陆水体组成，在近岸生态系统中，这些过程几乎是未知的。安恰林的栖息地在世界范围内是罕见的，但集中在夏威夷。夏威夷的无脊椎动物栖息地是各种动物、植物和微生物的家园，其中许多在其他地方都找不到。2018年，来自基拉韦厄火山的熔岩流在夏威夷东海岸创造了几个新的海洋生物栖息地，为研究海洋生物生态系统中的生态学提供了一个难得的机会。研究人员将利用这个机会详细说明这些不寻常的栖息地如何随着时间的推移而变化。微生物和动物群落将在建立时进行表征。这项研究将促进我们对海洋生态系统，特别是其微生物的了解，这可能对未来的医学或商业应用有用。STEM中代表性不足的群体（包括夏威夷土著人和太平洋岛民）将在这项研究中发挥积极作用。 数百个微生物样本将在一个时间序列中收集在正在发展的近岸栖息地。将使用DNA测序技术分析微生物群落结构。这些“年轻”的社区将比较以前的特点，从其他“成熟”的夏威夷近海栖息地。这项研究将解决的可重复性的浮游生物群落的形成，以及新的栖息地是否收敛于微生物群落类似于那些在既定的栖息地。为了补充这些微生物分析，还将评估新的无脊椎动物栖息地中关键虾种的存在和丰度。种群基因组工具将用于测试殖民虾的起源，因为熔岩流可能导致该物种的局部灭绝。还将进行虾的生理学实验，以研究火山活动引起的温度升高所产生的热适应。由于虾作为微生物群落的重要食草动物，虾丰度和微生物群落组成之间的相关性也将被探讨。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是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的支持。

Lava flows create new, initially sterile habitats. The identity of the initial colonizers of these habitats, subsequent invaders, and the repeatability of this process is important for understanding the establishment of ecosystem processes like nutrient cycling. Identifying steps in habitat maturation also shapes conservation strategies for endangered species and rare environments. These processes are virtually unknown in the anchialine ecosystem, which consists of coastal, landlocked bodies of water influenced by fresh and oceanic waters. Anchialine habitats are rare worldwide but are concentrated in Hawaii. Hawaiian anchialine habitats are home to a diverse array of animals, plants, and microbes, many of which are found nowhere else. In 2018 lava flows from the Kilauea volcano created several new anchialine habitats on the east coast of Hawaii, presenting an exceptional chance to examine how ecology emerges in the anchialine ecosystem. The researchers will leverage this opportunity to detail how these unusual habitats change over time. Microbial and animal communities will be characterized as they become established. This research will advance our understanding of the anchialine ecosystem, especially its microbes, which may prove useful for future medical or commercial applications. Underrepresented groups in STEM (including native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders) will take an active role in this research. Hundreds of microbial samples will be collected during a time series in anchialine habitats undergoing development. Microbial community structure will be analyzed using DNA sequencing technology. These “young” communities will be compared to ones previously characterized from other, “mature” Hawaiian anchialine habitats. This research will address the repeatability of anchialine community formation and whether new habitats are converging on microbial communities similar to those in established habitats. To complement these microbial analyses, presence and abundance of a keystone shrimp species in the new anchialine habitats will also be assessed. Population genomic tools will be used to test the origins of the colonizing shrimp, as the lava flows may have caused local extinctions in this species. Physiological experiments in shrimp will also be performed to examine thermal adaptations stemming from elevated temperatures due to volcanic activity. Because shrimp act as important grazers on the microbial communities, correlations between shrimp abundance and microbial community composition will also be explored.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.