U.S.-Sweden Cooperative Research: How Marine Organisms Adapt to Low Salinity Habitats

小行星9400199 这个为期三年的奖项支持美国-瑞典海洋生物学合作研究。缅因州大学、斯德哥尔摩大学和于默奥大学的研究人员、本科生和研究生将进行实地和实验室研究，研究海洋生物如何在进化的时间尺度上适应和入侵淡水栖息地。通过研究低盐度栖息地中的生物，研究人员建议将他们的发现扩展到淡水栖息地。 波罗的海是一个理想的地点，因为它是地球上最大的咸水体，并且有着广泛而著名的冰川后历史。 在波罗的海大量发现的墨角藻是这项研究的重点。 它已逐渐适应了微咸的沃茨，并成为海洋生物，包括一些经济上重要的鱼类的重要产卵场和育苗场。 该项目利用了美国调查员Susan Brawley和瑞典同行Lena Kautsky和Goran Samuelsson的互补专业知识。Brawley博士为这次合作带来了海藻生物学、生理学和遗传学方面的专业知识。 瑞典在生态学和生态毒理学方面的知识对此进行了补充。 这项研究将促进对海洋海藻的地理分布、物种形成和进化的了解，特别是目前受到污染威胁的物种。 ***

9400199 Brawley This three-year award supports U.S.-Sweden cooperative research in marine biology. Researchers, undergraduates and graduate students at the University of Maine, Stockholm University and University of Umea will conduct field and laboratory studies on how marine organisms adapt to and invade freshwater habitats over evolutionary time scales. By studying organisms in low-salinity habitats, the investigators propose to extend their findings to freshwater habitats. The Baltic Sea is an ideal site because it is the largest body of brackish water on Earth and has an extensive and well-known post-glacial history. Fucus vesiculosus, a fucoid algae found in abundance in the Baltic, is the focus of the study. It has adapted gradually to brackish waters and serves as an important spawning and nursery ground for marine organisms including some economically important fish. The project takes advantage of complementary expertise of U.S. investigator, Susan Brawley, and her Swedish counterparts, Lena Kautsky and Goran Samuelsson. Dr. Brawley brings to this collaboration expertise in biology, physiology and genetics of seaweeds. This is complemented by Swedish knowledge in ecology and ecotoxicology. The research will advance understanding of the geographical distribution, speciation and evolution of marine seaweeds, particularly a species which is currently threatened by pollution. ***