Molecular Tracers of Trophic Links in Pelagic Food Webs

一些浮游捕食者的食性使得肠道内容物分析的传统显微镜应用几乎是不可能的。该项目将探索使用生化标记电泳法检测猎物残骸的可行性。电泳法提供了一种快速而简单的方法来追踪食物网的关系，特别是与捕食者的关系，这些捕食者只消耗通过显微镜研究无法识别的软组织。目前，标准的染色方法已经被改进，以识别代表被捕食生物的生化标记，这些生物存在于直接来自自然的捕食者的肠道中。该方法可以潜在地应用于新的环境和新的生物组合，而只需最少的预先准备。该项目将通过使用可在1992年夏天与国家科学基金会赞助的研究一起辅助收集的标本来进一步发展该方法。

The feeding habits of some planktonic predators make conventional microscopic application of the gut content analysis almost impossible. This project will explore the feasibility of using electrophoresis of biochemical markers to examine prey remains. Electrophorectic techniques offers a rapid and simple means of tracing food web relationships, particularly with predators that comsume only soft tissues which cannot be identified by microscopic study. At present, standard staining methods have already been modified to identify biochemical markers representative of prey organisms which are present in the intestinal tracts of predators drawn directly from nature. The method can potentially be applied to novel environments and to novel biotic assemblages with minimal advance preparation. This project will develop the methodology further by using specimens that can be collected on a ancillary basis with NSF sponsored research during summer 1992.