Do oceanographic characteristics and predator-prey behaviours define critical marine habitats?

海洋学特征和捕食者-被捕食者行为是否定义了重要的海洋栖息地？

• 批准号: NE/F001983/1
• 负责人: Beth Scott
• 金额: $ 28.24万
• 依托单位: University of Aberdeen
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2008 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FF001983%2F1
• 关键词: Do; oceanographic; characteristics; predator; prey

The role of how we manage our seas is changing rapidly. The past approach was that of single species management, devoid of many environmental aspects, and without direct input from the fishing industry. That approach has been found wanting with many stocks fished at unsustainable levels. The way forward has been to recognise that we need to manage using an ecosystem based approach while at the same time maintaining direct interaction with the fishing industry in management decisions. Such an ecosystem approach requires a more mechanistic understanding of the role the physical environment plays whilst also taking into account multiple species interactions. It is also clear, as more demand is put upon the space use of our marine systems (i.e. offshore renewable developments, Marine Protected Areas and fishing effort becomes managed more on a spatial basis), a better understanding of the role of marine habitat is essential. This is particular difficult as marine habitat can move in both space and time. However, any fisherman can tell you that there are some locations (and times) that are almost always better than others for good catches. The understanding as to why that may be is a fundamental challenge. In earlier studies involving both the PI and Co-PI, in the North and Celtic Seas, we have found that in locations where there are disproportionately high numbers of seabirds, marine mammals or fishing effort, there are also spatially limited patches of high levels of sub-surface primary production. The patches appear to be associated with topographically-driven internal waves whose physical effects may be responsible for localised increases of primary production and the physical aggregation of smaller marine organisms. Therefore these features could be responsible for the predicable areas of foraging due to complex links in the entire food web (Hypothesis A) or just enhance the ability of predators to capture prey (fish) in these locations (Hypothesis B). The sub-surface signature of these areas has meant that they have been overlooked in studies which have identified important surface features, such as thermal fronts, known to contain aggregations of many marine species. These patches therefore represent a newly-identified class of spatially important locations in shallow seas. In this project we propose to test between Hypothesis A & B using a new survey framework that incorporates all of those factors and defines the critical characteristics of the marine habitat where multi-species (predator-prey) interactions and fisheries operations are more likely to occur. This survey framework is based, to some degree, on the tried and tested method that fishermen have used for centuries: i.e. to observe seabird and marine mammal behaviour as a guide to locations of fishing grounds. Our aim is to take that practice forward with a multi-disciplinary approach between marine ecologists (U. Aberdeen), biological and physical oceanographers (POL), statutory agencies (FRS, CEFAS, JNCC) as well as fishermen (CFPO) and a range of skilled marine animal and fisheries observers (JNCC, MRAG). This project also represents a unique opportunity, to more fully utilise a NERC Oceans2025 Project. In this interdisciplinary approach we will combine the continuous physical and biological oceanographic features that will be studied in the Oceans2025 program with the additional collection of acoustic sonar backscatter, visual observations of seabirds and marine mammals, vocalisations of cetaceans, fishery observations, and longer term fisheries and marine animal survey data. With these combined data products, we will identify and define the characteristics of these sub-surface patches and the bio-physical mechanisms that may lead to the facilitation of predator-prey interactions. This research will greatly enhance the type of mechanistic understanding needed for implementing the ecosystem approach to sustainable fisheries management.

我们管理海洋的方式正在迅速变化。过去的做法是单一鱼种管理，没有考虑到许多环境因素，也没有渔业的直接投入。人们发现，这种做法是不够的，因为许多鱼类的捕捞量达到了不可持续的水平。前进的道路是认识到我们需要使用基于生态系统的方法进行管理，同时在管理决策中与渔业保持直接互动。这种生态系统方法需要对物理环境所起的作用有更机械的理解，同时还要考虑到多个物种的相互作用。同样清楚的是，随着对海洋系统空间利用的需求增加（即近海可再生发展、海洋保护区和捕捞活动更多地在空间基础上进行管理），更好地了解海洋生境的作用至关重要。这是特别困难的，因为海洋栖息地可以在空间和时间上移动。然而，任何渔民都可以告诉你，有一些地方（和时间）几乎总是比其他地方更好的渔获。理解为什么会这样是一个根本性的挑战。在早期的研究中，涉及PI和Co-PI，在北海和凯尔特海，我们发现，在海鸟，海洋哺乳动物或捕捞活动数量不成比例高的地方，也有空间有限的补丁高水平的次表层初级生产。这些补丁似乎与地形驱动的内波，其物理效应可能是负责本地化的初级生产和较小的海洋生物的物理聚集的增加。因此，这些特征可能是由于整个食物网中的复杂联系而导致的可预测的觅食区域（假设A），或者只是增强了捕食者在这些位置捕获猎物（鱼类）的能力（假设B）。这些地区的地下特征意味着，在查明了重要的表面特征，如已知含有许多海洋物种聚集体的热锋的研究中，这些地区被忽视了。因此，这些补丁代表了新确定的一类空间上重要的位置在浅海。在这个项目中，我们建议使用一个新的调查框架来测试假设A和B之间的关系，该框架包含了所有这些因素，并定义了多物种（捕食者-猎物）相互作用和渔业作业更有可能发生的海洋栖息地的关键特征。这一调查框架在某种程度上是基于渔民几个世纪以来使用的久经考验的方法：即观察海鸟和海洋哺乳动物的行为，作为渔场位置的指南。我们的目标是通过海洋生态学家之间的多学科方法来推动这一实践。这些专家包括英国皇家科学院（Aberdeen）、生物和物理海洋学家（POL）、法定机构（FRS、CEFAS、JNCC）以及渔民（CFPO）和一系列熟练的海洋动物和渔业观察员（JNCC、MRAG）。该项目也是一个独特的机会，可以更充分地利用NERC海洋2025项目。在这种跨学科的方法，我们将联合收割机，将在海洋2025计划与声学声纳后向散射，海鸟和海洋哺乳动物的视觉观察，鲸类动物的发声，渔业观测，以及长期的渔业和海洋动物调查数据的额外收集研究的连续物理和生物海洋学特征。有了这些组合的数据产品，我们将确定和定义这些次表面补丁的特点和生物物理机制，可能会导致促进捕食者-猎物的相互作用。这项研究将大大提高对可持续渔业管理实施生态系统方法所需的机械理解。

项目成果

Elevated alkaline phosphatase activity in a phosphate-replete environment: Influence of sinking particles

• DOI: 10.1002/lno.10572
• 发表时间: 2017-11-01
• 期刊: LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
• 影响因子: 4.5
• 作者: Davis, Clare E.;Mahaffey, Claire
• 通讯作者: Mahaffey, Claire

A storm in a shelf sea: Variation in phosphorus distribution and organic matter stoichiometry

陆架海风暴：磷分布和有机物化学计量的变化

• DOI: 10.1002/2014gl061949
• 发表时间: 2014
• 期刊: Geophysical Research Letters
• 影响因子: 5.2
• 作者: Davis C

Combined spatial and tidal processes identify links between pelagic prey species and seabirds

• DOI: 10.3354/meps10176
• 发表时间: 2013-01-01
• 期刊: MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
• 影响因子: 2.5
• 作者: Cox, S. L.;Scott, B. E.;Camphuysen, C. J.
• 通讯作者: Camphuysen, C. J.

Sub-surface hotspots in shallow seas: fine-scale limited locations of top predator foraging habitat indicated by tidal mixing and sub-surface chlorophyll

• DOI: 10.3354/meps08552
• 发表时间: 2010-06
• 期刊: Marine Ecology Progress Series
• 影响因子: 2.5
• 作者: B. Scott;J. Sharples;Oliver N. Ross;Jianjun Wang;G. Pierce;C. J. Camphuysen