RAPID: A comparison of acute heat stress and fish abundance influencing coral survival.

RAPID：急性热应激和鱼类丰度影响珊瑚生存的比较。

• 批准号: 2347805
• 负责人: Michael Childress
• 金额: $ 9.11万
• 依托单位: Clemson University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-11-01 至 2024-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2347805&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; comparison; acute; heat; stress

Rising global temperatures continue to place coral reefs in severe peril. The symbiotic relationship between corals and their algal symbionts breaks down under extreme temperatures leading to the expulsion of these protective algal cells, a process known as coral bleaching. Without these algal symbionts, transparent bleached corals are vulnerable to elevated UV light exposure which can be lethal, yet some corals show higher resilience and recovery of their algal symbionts after the extreme heat has passed. One potential reason for increased resilience may be positive interactions with reef fishes that associate with corals. Many reef fish graze directly on coral polyps or on harmful fleshy algae that compete with corals for space and nutrients. As these reef fish establish territories on and around coral, they have the potential to benefit corals through increased movement of water, fecal deposition of nutrients and algal symbionts, and in some cases even shading from direct sunlight. This research leverages a mass coral bleaching event in the Florida Keys to investigate how reef fish-coral associations influence coral survival and recovery from bleaching, increasing our understanding of the importance of reef fish populations for survival of corals in a warming world. The project includes training for undergraduate and graduate students and incorporation of the research into an ongoing marine science STEAM program for children. The results of this research have implications for coral management and restoration.Exceptionally warm waters off the southern tip of Florida in summer 2023 initiated a mass coral bleaching event in the Florida Reef Tract, the third largest barrier reef in the world. Herbivores (parrotfishes and damselfishes), corallivores (butterflyfishes), and cleaner gobies play critical roles in modulating coral-macroalgae competitive interactions. This project tests the hypothesis that reef-fish coral interactions influence the recovery of bleached corals, thereby affecting coral reef community structure. A total of 240 individual corals across 15 sites in the middle Florida Keys are being marked and photographed to measure their degree of bleaching. Underwater camera deployments record the species and number of reef fish present, allowing for quantification of fish behaviors and coral association times. Pre-bleaching observations and data from four timepoints following the bleaching event are being compared to examine the relationship between fish-coral associations, abiotic factors, and fate of individual corals. The results will advance understanding of coral resilience to bleaching events and the role of reef fishes during the recovery period.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.

全球气温上升继续使珊瑚礁处于严重危险之中。珊瑚与藻类共生体之间的共生关系在极端温度下破裂，导致这些保护性藻类细胞被驱逐，这一过程被称为珊瑚漂白。如果没有这些藻类共生体，透明的漂白珊瑚很容易受到紫外线照射的影响，这可能是致命的，但一些珊瑚在极端高温过后表现出更高的弹性和藻类共生体的恢复。复原力增强的一个潜在原因可能是与珊瑚相关的珊瑚鱼的积极互动。许多珊瑚鱼直接吃珊瑚虫或有害的肉质藻类，这些藻类与珊瑚争夺空间和营养。当这些珊瑚鱼在珊瑚上和周围建立领地时，它们有可能通过增加水的流动，营养物质和藻类共生体的粪便沉积，甚至在某些情况下遮挡阳光直射来造福珊瑚。这项研究利用了大规模的珊瑚漂白事件在佛罗里达键调查珊瑚礁鱼类珊瑚协会如何影响珊瑚生存和恢复漂白，增加我们的珊瑚礁鱼类种群的重要性的理解珊瑚生存在一个变暖的世界。该项目包括对本科生和研究生的培训，并将研究纳入正在进行的儿童海洋科学STEAM计划。这项研究的结果对珊瑚的管理和恢复有影响。2023年夏天，佛罗里达南端异常温暖的沃茨引发了世界第三大堡礁佛罗里达礁区的大规模珊瑚漂白事件。食草动物（鹦嘴鱼和豆娘鱼），珊瑚（蝴蝶鱼），清洁虾虎鱼在调节珊瑚，大型藻类竞争的相互作用发挥关键作用。该项目检验的假设是，珊瑚礁-鱼类-珊瑚的相互作用影响漂白珊瑚的恢复，从而影响珊瑚礁群落结构。在佛罗里达群岛中部的15个地点，共有240个珊瑚个体被标记和拍照，以测量它们的漂白程度。水下摄像机的部署记录了珊瑚礁鱼类的种类和数量，从而可以量化鱼类的行为和珊瑚的关联时间。漂白前的观察和漂白事件后的四个时间点的数据进行比较，以研究鱼类珊瑚协会，非生物因素和个别珊瑚的命运之间的关系。研究结果将促进对珊瑚对漂白事件的恢复力的理解，以及珊瑚礁鱼类在恢复期间的作用。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。