RAPID: Effects of the 2023-24 El Nino on Fish Disease and Population Dynamics in the Galapagos Islands

RAPID：2023-24 年厄尔尼诺现象对加拉帕戈斯群岛鱼类疾病和种群动态的影响

• 批准号: 2348548
• 负责人: Robert Lamb
• 金额: $ 20万
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-01-01 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2348548&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Effects; 2023; 24; El

Disease is a growing threat facing wild animals in a world increasingly dominated by humans. Marine fish diseases are poorly understood but have increased in recent decades in connection with ocean warming. In the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, extreme warm waters have led to ulcerative skin disease in several different species of fish. An outbreak of this skin disease is underway in association with a strong El Niño event. This project addresses the growing threat of wildlife disease and the current outbreak of skin disease in fish of the Galapagos Islands by determining what proportion of different species are affected and by examining infected fish from the wild. Infected fish are being assessed for microbes that might cause the disease, and ocean temperature are being monitored along with other factors that may foster skin disease. Isolated microbes are being used in lab tests to see if they cause the same disease seen in the field in order to confirm the cause of this ulcerative skin disease. This project includes training for students in the US and in Ecuador and development of a virtual teaching module for high school students in English and Spanish. The research team is working closely with the Galapagos National Park to address the threat of fish disease and associated population declines caused by the 2023-24 El Niño event, and to help modify fisheries policy to reflect species' vulnerability. Through public symposia and online learning materials, this work serves as a platform for teaching and engaging students of all ages and industry stakeholders on issues of climate change and wildlife disease. The research advances understanding of how and why these ulcerative skin disease outbreaks occur in the Galapagos, which is very important for marine reserve and fisheries management and can have far-reaching impacts for understanding and addressing diseases in wild fish as well as in aquaculture and aquarium industries.Climate change increases the frequency and severity of marine heatwaves, such as those experienced in the Tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean during extreme El Niño events. An extreme El Niño that began in summer 2023 and has facilitated an outbreak of an ulcerative skin disease in several species of marine fish. This project: 1) establishes the extent of ulcerative skin disease, species affected, demographic, environmental, and ecological correlates, and timing of disease progression relative to the development of the El Niño event; 2) determines the putative pathogen(s) responsible for ulcerative skin disease through histological and genetic analyses, pathogen cultures, and laboratory challenge trials; and 3) examines the effects of the El Niño event on fish populations by building a database of morpho-ecological traits for 165 species of reef fish and using multivariate ordination analysis to test the ability of these traits to predict El Niño-associated declines relative to an 8-year database of fish populations at 16 sites across the archipelago. The results advance understanding of a widespread emerging fish disease and reef fish populations dynamics in a warming ocean.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.

在人类日益主导的世界中，疾病是野生动物面临的日益严重的威胁。人们对海洋鱼类疾病知之甚少，但近几十年来，与海洋变暖有关的疾病有所增加。在厄瓜多尔的加拉帕戈斯群岛，极端温暖的海水导致了几种不同鱼类的溃疡性皮肤病。与强烈的El Niño事件有关的这种皮肤病正在暴发。该项目通过确定受影响的不同物种的比例和检查受感染的野生鱼类来解决日益严重的野生动物疾病威胁和目前加拉帕戈斯群岛鱼类中皮肤疾病的爆发问题。正在评估受感染的鱼是否存在可能导致这种疾病的微生物，同时正在监测海洋温度以及其他可能导致皮肤病的因素。分离的微生物正在实验室测试中使用，以确定它们是否引起在现场看到的相同疾病，以便确认这种溃疡性皮肤病的原因。该项目包括为美国和厄瓜多尔的学生提供培训，并为高中学生开发英语和西班牙语的虚拟教学模块。该研究小组正在与加拉帕戈斯国家公园密切合作，以解决2023-24年厄尔Niño事件造成的鱼类疾病威胁和相关的种群下降问题，并帮助修改渔业政策，以反映物种的脆弱性。通过公开专题讨论会和在线学习材料，这项工作为所有年龄的学生和行业利益攸关方就气候变化和野生动物疾病问题进行教学和参与提供了一个平台。该研究促进了对加拉帕戈斯群岛溃疡性皮肤病爆发的方式和原因的理解，这对海洋保护区和渔业管理非常重要，对了解和解决野生鱼类以及水产养殖和水族行业的疾病具有深远的影响。气候变化增加了海洋热浪的频率和严重程度，例如热带东太平洋在极端厄尔尼诺Niño事件期间所经历的热浪。始于2023年夏季的极端厄尔尼诺Niño促使几种海鱼爆发了溃疡性皮肤病。该项目：1)确定溃疡性皮肤病的程度、受影响的物种、人口统计学、环境和生态相关性，以及与El Niño事件发展相关的疾病进展时间；2)通过组织学和遗传学分析、病原体培养和实验室挑战试验确定溃疡性皮肤病的推定病原体；3)通过建立165种珊瑚鱼的形态生态特征数据库，并使用多元排序分析来测试这些特征相对于群岛16个地点8年鱼类种群数据库预测El Niño-associated下降的能力，研究El Niño事件对鱼类种群的影响。研究结果促进了对海洋变暖中广泛出现的鱼类疾病和珊瑚鱼种群动态的理解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。