U.S.- New Zealand Cooperative Research: Effects of Larval Recruitment, Hydrography, and Predation on the Subtidal Zonation of Suspension Feeders in Fiordland, New Zealand

该奖项将提供为期六个月的访问支持， 东北海洋科学中心的乔恩·维特曼博士 新西兰大学新西兰西南部的峡湾 代表了一种独特的具有重要科学意义的海洋生物 环境包含脆弱的社区， 稀有和不寻常的物种。目前的理解 支持生物群落的环境过程 在峡湾是非常有限的，阻碍了能力， 管理该地区。奥塔哥大学海洋系 科学已经做出了长期的承诺， 并促进峡湾的海洋研究。 教授 来自奥塔哥大学的菲利普·姆拉德诺夫将担任 新西兰合作者 峡湾的潮下带岩壁提供了绝佳的 有机会调查物理和 维持群落结构的生物过程， 固着无脊椎动物的明显地带性和高度 成层峡湾水柱两个主要区域已 一个较浅的贻贝-serpulid多毛类动物区和一个较深的 悬浮液进料区具体而言，这一合作 研究项目将调查这些区域的界限是否 由幼虫供应和/或海星星星捕食决定。

This award will provide travel support for a six-month visit by Dr. Jon Witman of the Marine Science Center, Northeastern University to New Zealand. The fjords of southwestern New Zealand represent a unique and scientifically important marine environment which contains fragile communities dominated by many rare and unusual species. Present understanding of the environmental processes that support the biological communities in the fjords is very limited and is hindering the ability to manage the area. The University of Otago's Department of Marine Science has made a long-term commitment to participation in, and facilitating marine research in the fjords. Prof. Philip Mladenov from Otago University will serve as the New Zealand collaborator. The subtidal rock walls of the fjords provide an excellent opportunity to investigate the relative roles of physical and biotic processes in maintaining community structure due to the conspicuous zonation of sessile invertebrates and the highly stratified fjord water column. Two primary zones have been identified, a shallow mussel-serpulid polychaete zone and a deep suspension feeding zone. Specifically, this collaborative research project will investigate if the limits of these zones are determined by larval supply and/or sea star predation.