Functional diversity in extreme marine environments

极端海洋环境中的功能多样性

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-03805
• 负责人: Tunnicliffe, Verena
• 金额: $ 2.7万
• 依托单位: University of Victoria
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=745920
• 关键词: Functional; diversity; extreme; marine; environments

There is growing concern over anthropogenic impacts on the deep ocean, home of the world's largest and most poorly known ecosystems. This programme will develop and apply functional ecology approaches in two ecosystems to assess responses to human activities and global changes. Functional diversity is a useful tool for comparing communities in different habitats and regions. The animals endemic to hydrothermal vents on tectonic spreading ridges are adapted to extreme habitat conditions. A Canadian company plans to start deep-sea mining in 2017 in the South Pacific targeting the metal-rich chimney deposits that form much of the habitat at long-lived sites. My work has amassed decades of data on hydrothermal vent diversity and animal characteristics, especially off the Canadian coast. Our work will develop functional trait approaches to compare abundance-based diversity indices at vent sites along the Juan de Fuca/Explorer Ridges. With funded cruises at vent sites off Tonga (one a mining prospect), we will use the refined methods to examine functional diversity between high versus low “quality” mine targets. A third field site lies in another biogeographic region (Mariana) where the same techniques will support a pan-Pacific functional diversity comparison. Studies on key species, particularly the large animals that host symbionts, will extend known functional traits and facilitate inter-region comparisons. We collaborate with other researchers to amass data and test analyses; it will be the first to make a full functional assessment of the hot vent system with an open access trait database. One important objective is to assess the functional methods in stressed communities. We will also use another rich dataset to test the same approaches in a different low oxygen/high sulphide setting: a hypoxic basin. Here, intolerant species are at a metabolic disadvantage as hypoxia rises and habitat compresses. We will examine the transition of functional and diversity components of the epibenthos and seek break-points where functions change or disappear. Despite the greater threat of expanding low oxygen/low pH zones on the west coast, relatively little work is available on northeast Pacific species to predict responses to the changes brought by a warming ocean. Overall, the programme will help marine ecologists to apply functional approaches by expanding trait databases and testing analytical methods. A better understanding of functional losses in stressed habitats will support selection of management tools. Vent work will contribute to an international effort to develop methods for assessing likely mining effects, particularly in the context of preserving functional and connectivity components in these fragmented habitats.

人们对世界上最大，最鲜为人知的生态系统的故乡人为影响的人为影响越来越关注。该计划将在两个生态系统中开发并应用功能生态学方法，以评估对人类活动和全球变化的反应。功能多样性是比较不同栖息地和地区中社区的有用工具。这些动物在构造山脊上吸热到水热通风孔适合极端栖息地条件。一家加拿大公司计划于2017年在南太平洋进行深海开采，以富含金属的烟囱矿床，这些烟囱矿床在长寿地点构成了许多栖息地。我的工作已经积累了数十年的水热通风多样性和动物特征，尤其是在加拿大海岸附近的数据。我们的工作将开发功能性状方法，以比较Juan de Fuca/Explorer Ridges的通风口的基于抽象的多样性指数。借助汤加（Tonga）的通风口巡游（一个采矿前景），我们将使用精致的方法来检查高“质量”矿山目标之间的功能多样性。第三场现场位于另一个生物地理区域（Mariana），相同技术将支持泛太平洋功能多样性比较。对关键物种的研究，尤其是托有符号的大动物，将扩展已知的功能性状并促进区域间比较。我们与其他研究人员合作积累数据和测试分析；这将是第一个使用开放访问性状数据库对热通风系统进行全面功能评估的人。一个重要的目标是评估压力社区中的功能方法。我们还将在不同的低氧/高硫化物设置中使用另一个丰富的数据集测试相同的方法：低氧盆地。在这里，不耐受的物种在缺氧和栖息地压缩时处于代谢劣势。我们将研究表象的功能和多样性组成部分的过渡，并寻求函数变化或消失的突破点。尽管在西海岸扩大低氧/低pH区域的威胁更大，但东北太平洋物种的工作相对较少，可以预测对变暖海洋带来的变化的反应。总体而言，该计划将通过扩展性状数据库和测试分析方法来帮助海洋生态学家应用功能方法。更好地了解压力栖息地中的功能损失将支持选择管理工具的选择。排气性工作将有助于国际努力，以开发评估可能采矿作用的方法，尤其是在保留这些碎片栖息地中的功能和连通性成分的背景下。