From Pattern to Process: Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning

生态学家凭直觉认为物种很重要，但除了渔业崩溃之外，有证据表明生物多样性的重要性是有限的，尤其是在海洋生态系统中。该计划解决了两个相互关联的目标，即解决了地球上最广泛的栖息地海洋沉积物中现存动物群的这一差距。我们的研究小组结合实验室和实地实验来了解生物多样性模式，以及最近生物多样性与海洋保持健康的关键方面之间的关系，如沉积物的氧化作用、新生物量的产生和营养物质的再生。我们还研究了幼虫的供应、行为和物种的相互作用，以阐明为什么模式在自然界中是不同的，以及为什么蛤和龙虾等物种只出现在某些环境中。但是这种模式对海洋健康的重要性是什么呢？从历史上看，沉积物化学阻碍了重大进展，因为它挑战了操作和测量。我们小组的定位是利用测量关键沉积物变量的微型传感器的新进展，使我们能够探索海洋深度的机器人水下航行器，以及使我们能够“看到”并实时采样海底的海洋观测站，如VENUS。这些工具可以在了解哪些海底环境在发挥关键功能方面最重要，在评估生物多样性和不同生物群体在发挥关键功能方面的作用方面，以及在评估与自然（甲烷渗漏、滑坡）和人为（氧气减少、拖网捕捞、溢油）干扰有关的物种损失影响方面取得重大进展。海洋直接影响到所有三个海岸的加拿大人的经济和社会福祉，并间接影响到每个加拿大人（气候调节，粮食供应安全）。加拿大拥有世界上最长的海岸线，但它的科学界很小。这些障碍对加拿大履行我国《海洋法》中关于可持续海洋的重大承诺和对《生物多样性公约》的承诺的能力构成挑战。尽管海洋资源的压力不可避免地增加，但我们仍然缺乏可持续利用海洋的科学依据。这里提出的工作将有助于尽量减少这些不同压力的影响，并为明智的海洋政策提供建议。

Ecologists intuitively sense that species matter but other than fisheries collapses evidence that biodiversity matters is limited, particularly in marine ecosystems. This program addresses two interrelated objectives that address this gap for living fauna in marine sediments, the most widespread habitat on Earth. Our research group combines laboratory and field experiments to understand biodiversity patterns, and more recently the relationship between biodiversity and key aspects of how oceans stay healthy, such as oxygenation of sediments, production of new biomass, and nutrient regeneration. We also study larval supply, behavior, and species interactions to elucidate why pattern varies in nature and why species such as clams and lobsters occur only in some environments. But what is the importance of this pattern for ocean health? Historically, sediment chemistry has hindered significant advances because it challenges manipulation and measurement. Our group is positioned to utilize new advances in tiny sensors that measure key sediment variables, robotic underwater vehicles that allow us to explore the ocean depths, and ocean observatories such as VENUS that allow us to "see" and sample the seafloor in real time. These tools allow significant advances in understanding which seafloor environments are most important in delivering key functions, in evaluating the role of biodiversity and different groups of organisms in this delivery, and in assessing impacts of species loss associated with natural (methane seeps, landslides) and human induced (reduced oxygen, trawling, oil spill) disturbances. Oceans directly affect the economic and social well-being of Canadians on all three coasts and indirectly affect every Canadian (climate regulation, secure food supply). Canada has the longest coastline in the world, but a small science community. These obstacles challenge Canada's capacity to fulfill major commitments on sustainable oceans in our Oceans Act and commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Despite inevitable increase in pressure on ocean resources, we still lack scientific grounding for sustainable ocean use. The work proposed here will help to minimize the impacts of those diverse pressures and to advise wise ocean policies.