"Individual, population and community-level effects of stress in a soft-sediment intertidal system: implications for the invertebrate community and foraging shorebirds."

热应力对软沉积物潮间系统的影响研究不足。这是一个问题，因为生活在这些系统中的动物经常经历与潮汐流有关的每日大的热变化。这些动物中的许多现在可能生活在它们的最大热耐受力附近，因此未来温度的升高可能会对有关物种和整个社区造成问题。因此，加拿大芬迪湾上游的泥滩社区很容易受到气候变化的影响。该地区的无脊椎动物群落以片足类Corophium volutator为主。此外，泥螺（Ilyanassa obsoleta）也很常见，它们通过各种相互作用对Corophium产生负面影响。迁徙的滨鸟，特别是半掌状鹬（Calidris pusilla），每年夏末都会在从北极繁殖地到南美越冬地的途中在该地区停留。该地区是它们的一个重要中途停留点，在此期间，它们广泛地以泥滩无脊椎动物为食，特别是Corophium。在此基础上，我建议调查，使用实验室和现场研究，温度和暴露于其他应力Corophium生存和繁殖的影响，无论是在个人生理水平和对人口的影响。我还将研究压力对Corophium和泥螺之间相互作用的影响。此外，我将实施一项为期5年的研究鹬运动和喂养整个芬迪湾。这项工作将涉及放射性追踪水鸟和采集血液样本进行稳定同位素分析，这将使我们能够估计饮食。我们将确定停留时间，不同饮食的体重增加（重要的知识，因为足够的体重增加是成功迁移的必要条件），以及访问该地区的鸟类的年生存率。总的来说，这项工作将提高我们对这个和类似系统中热和其他压力源影响的理解，并将帮助我们预测气候变化对泥滩和依赖于它们的鹬的影响。

Effects of thermal stress in soft-sediment intertidal systems have been under-studied. This is a problem because animals living in these systems often experience large daily thermal shifts related to tidal flow. Many of these animals may be living near their maximum thermal tolerance now, so increasing temperatures in the future could be problematic for both the species in question and the community as a whole. For this reason, mudflat communities in the upper Bay of Fundy, Canada, are vulnerable to effects of climate change. The invertebrate community in this area is dominated by the amphipod Corophium volutator. Also common are mudsnails (Ilyanassa obsoleta), which have negative effects on Corophium through a variety of interactions. Migratory shorebirds, particularly Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) stop in the region each year in late summer en route from their Arctic breeding grounds to South American wintering grounds. The area is a crucial stopover point for them, and during their time here they feed extensively on mudflat invertebrates, particularly Corophium. Based on this, I propose to investigate, using lab and field studies, the effects of temperature and exposure to other stresses on Corophium survival and reproduction, both on an individual physiological level and in term of effects on the population. I will also examine the effects of stress on the interaction between Corophium and mudsnails. Further, I will implement a 5-year study of sandpiper movement and feeding throughout the Bay of Fundy. This work will involve radiotracking shorebirds and taking blood samples for stable isotope analysis, which will allow us to estimate diet. We will determine residence time, weight gain on different diets (important knowledge because adequate weight gain is essential for successful migration), and annual survival of birds visiting this region. Overall, this work will improve our understanding of effects of thermal and other stressors in this and similar systems, and will help us to predict the implications of climate change for mudflats, and for sandpipers that depend on them.