Marine biodiversity in rocky subtidal habitats:Spatio-temporal dynamics, controlling factors and conservation

沿海海洋生境和生物正以前所未有的速度受到人类活动的破坏，而大多数影响却没有引起人们的注意，因为没有投入足够的资源来描述我们海洋中的生物。在这个项目中，我们建议开发一个工具和监测程序，以协助管理芬迪湾最近被支持组织渔业和海洋部（DFO）确定为生态和生物重要区域的地区。本项目将测试使用沉降笼（收集器）作为监测潮下岩石生境中底栖海洋无脊椎动物和小型底栖鱼类生物多样性的工具。收集器提供了一种方法，以标准化的方式比较地点和地区之间的生物多样性，对环境的影响很小。物种鉴定将基于形态特征和DNA条形码。在新不伦瑞克省西南部的5个地区，采用空间嵌套研究设计，利用收集器研究生物多样性的时空格局，以及这些格局与物理因素（温度、盐度、底部类型）的关系。收集器中发现的物种组将与站点底部样本中的物种组进行比较，以校准该监测工具。野外试验将量化捕食对幼虫定居和定居后早期死亡率的影响。除了为监测和管理一般的生物多样性提供有用的科学资料外，这个项目还将审查具有特别生态和/或经济意义的物种的定居模式，例如美洲龙虾。拟议的研究预计将提供科学数据，这些数据将立即有助于DFO对芬迪湾生态和生物重要区域的管理，并预计将导致DFO能够在未来继续监测这些和其他重要海洋区域的生物多样性的标准化工具和协议的发展。

Coastal marine habitats and organisms are being compromised at an unprecedented rate by human activities and most effects are going unnoticed because insufficient resources are invested in describing what lives in our oceans. In this project, we propose to develop a tool and monitoring program to assist the management of regions in the Bay of Fundy that have recently been identified as Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas by the supporting organization, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). This project will test the use of settlement cages (collectors) as a tool for monitoring biodiversity of benthic marine invertebrates and small benthic fishes in rocky subtidal habitats. The collectors offer a method for comparing biodiversity among sites and regions in a standardized way with low impact to the environment. Identification of species will be based on morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding. Collectors will be used to examine spatial and temporal patterns of biodiversity using a spatially nested study design in 5 areas in southwestern New Brunswick, and the relationship of these patterns to physical factors (temperature, salinity, bottom type). The group of species found in the collectors will be compared to those in bottom samples from the sites to calibrate this monitoring tool. A field experiment will quantify the impact of predation on larval settlement and early post-settlement mortality. In addition to generating useful scientific information for the monitoring and management of biodiversity in general, this project will examine settlement patterns of species with particular ecological and/or economical significance, such as the American lobster. The proposed research is expected to provide scientific data that should immediately contribute to DFO's management of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas in the Bay of Fundy and is expected to result in the development of a standardized tool and protocol DFO will be able to use to continue monitoring biodiversity in these and other significant marine areas in the future.