Functional traits inform ecosystem processes in marine systems

特征是通过对生长、繁殖和/或生存的影响来影响个人健康的特征。重要的是，特征同时受到生态进化梯度和人为影响的改变，这些改变可以独立于物种丰度或地理分布的变化来改变物种的功能角色。这些特点使得有必要进行基于特征的分析，以得出人口和生态系统动态的指标，并在从地方到全球的范围内测试其基本机制。这项研究计划的一个独特之处是，它应用当代经验特征变异来对已建立的生态系统模型进行参数化和挑战，这些模型未能捕捉到具有重要经济和文化意义的西北大西洋生态系统的最新动态。该研究计划的长期目标是开发、参数化和测试功能性的、基于特征的模型，以了解和预测海洋生态系统对开发和气候变化的反应。我将通过将群落大小结构、营养生态位和能量通量的分析联系起来，重点放在四个互补的目标上来实现这一点：(1)模拟低捕食者-被捕食者质量比(PPMR)对恢复多物种海洋大小光谱的影响；(2)量化正在恢复的生态系统内个体发生生态位的季节性变化；(3)测试耦合的底栖和远洋能量通路对底栖鱼类恢复的重要性；以及(4)计算气候驱动的入侵海洋物种的能量通量后果。这些分析将为基础科学和应用科学提供新的方法和成果。从根本上说，这项研究将检验观察到的海洋群落大小结构的空间差异是否可以通过关键性状(PPMR)的差异及其对食物链长度和最大身体尺寸的理论影响来解释。它还将重新提出最近的一个假说，解释在温带和亚北极水域基于特征的大型底层鱼类的优势地位，以询问缺乏海底-中上层结合目前是否阻碍了种群的恢复。最后，它将为气候变化驱动的海洋鱼类再分配造成的全球相关能量影响提供解决方案。作为一项应用贡献，所有组成部分都将贡献适用于渔业生态系统方法和评估的成果。人们一直要求采取这种办法，但在评估加拿大国内和全球的海洋生物资源时，基本上没有这种办法。将招募一名博士生、三名硕士研究生和两名本科生为这项研究计划做出贡献。每个人都将接受生态和进化理论、数据融合和可视化、统计分析、编码和科学交流方面的培训。因此，该计划将扩大加拿大在应用生态系统生态领域的高素质人才。

Traits are characteristics that influence individuals' fitness via impacts on growth, reproduction and/or survival. Importantly, traits are altered both by eco-evolutionary gradients and anthropogenic impacts, alterations that can change species' functional roles independently of changes in abundance or geographic distribution. These features necessitate trait-based analyses to both derive indicators of population and ecosystem dynamics and to test their underlying mechanisms at scales ranging from local to global. A unique feature of this research program is its application of contemporary empirical trait variation to parameterize and challenge established ecosystem models that have failed to capture the recent dynamics of economically and culturally important Northwest Atlantic ecosystems. The long-range goal of this research program is to develop, parameterize, and test functional, trait-based models to understand and forecast the responses of marine ecosystems to exploitation and climate change. I will achieve this by linking analyses of community size structure, trophic niche, and energy flux, with a focus on four complementary objectives: (1) modeling the implications of low predator-prey mass ratios (PPMR) for the recovery of multispecies marine size spectra; (2) quantifying seasonal variation in ontogenetic niche within recovering ecosystems; (3) testing the importance of coupled benthic and pelagic energy pathways to the recovery of demeral fishes, and; (4) calculating the energy flux consequences of a climate-driven invasive marine species. These analyses will contribute new methodologies and results applicable to fundamental and applied sciences. Fundamentally, this research will test whether observed spatial variation in marine community size structure can be explained by differences in a key trait (PPMR) and its theorized effects on food chain length and maximum body sizes. It will also re-cast a recent hypothesis explaining the trait-based dominance of large-bodied demersal fishes in temperate and sub-Arctic waters to ask whether a lack of benthic-pelagic coupling currently thwarts population recovery. Finally, it will provide solution to the globally relevant energetic impacts of marine fish redistributions driven by climate change. As an applied contribution, all components will contribute results applicable to ecosystem approaches to fisheries ecology and assessment. Such approaches are perennially requested but have been largely absent in the assessment of living marine resources within Canada and globally. One PhD student, three MSc students, and two undergraduate trainees will be recruited to contribute to this research program. Each will receive training in ecological and evolutionary theory, data amalgamation and visualization, statistical analyses, coding, and scientific communications. This program will thereby expand Canada's highly qualified personnel in the field of applied ecosystems ecology.