SGER: Chemical Ecology of Oceanic Holoplankton: Implications in Energy Flux and Mixed-Species Assemblages

这个SGER(探索性研究小额赠款)项目涉及浮游动物群落中的化学防御及其在食物网动态中的作用。它涉及吉姆·麦克林托克博士(海洋无脊椎动物化学生态学家)、比尔·贝克博士(天然产品化学家)和黛比·斯坦伯格博士(生物海洋学家)之间的合作。具体的研究将集中在确定对特定种类的浮游植物具有威慑作用的化学物质。该项目将研究百慕大附近常见的23种海洋浮游植物的化学防御方面。它将在标准的摄食生物测试中使用与生态相关的捕食者(鱼和虾)，以确定从全浮游生物中分离出来的化学提取物是否起到威慑摄食的作用。这些信息对于全面了解生物活性化合物在全浮游群落生态中的作用至关重要。

This SGER (Small Grants for Exploratory Research) project pertains to chemical defense in zooplankton communities and its role in food web dynamics. It involves a collaboration between Dr. Jim McClintock (a Marine Invertebrate Chemical Ecologist), Dr. Bill Baker (a Natural Products Chemist) and Dr. Debbie Steinberg (a Biological Oceanographer). The specific research will focus on identifying chemicals responsible for deterrence in a defined subset of holoplankton. The project will examine aspects of chemical defense in 2 3 common oceanic holoplankton species that occur near Bermuda. It will employ ecologically relevant predators (fish and shrimp) in standard feeding bioassays to determine whether chemical extracts isolated from holoplanktonic organisms serve as feeding deterrents. This information will be critical to the development of a comprehensive understanding of the roles of bioactive compounds in the ecology of holoplanktonic communities.