Energetic Consequences of Feeding in a Patchy Environment: Possible Limitations to Jellyfish Production in Coastal Ecosystems

9733441 Graham这个职业奖的研究部分集中在墨西哥湾北部的大型水母，它们是浮游动物、幼鱼和鱼卵的贪婪捕食者。水母繁殖率的生理限制是由单个水母遇到并在集中食物块之间移动时的能量平衡决定的。本研究的目的是了解在猎物生产力、猎物斑块分布和水母行为的背景下，沿海生态系统中水母生产的可能限制。为了实现这一目标，将为墨西哥湾北部的主要水母物种（主要是Aurelia aurita）构建一个基于个体的能量学模型。该模型将纳入情境决定的行为，作为对增强觅食的适应，以及水母能量学的实验室和现场特征。计划在墨西哥湾北部进行的一系列研究巡航将用于改进自然喂养条件下的能量参数，并测试模型的预测能力。这个职业计划的教育和推广部分广泛针对所有年龄段的人。其中包括“K-12发现”部分，重点关注高中教师在科学过程中的培训，少数民族本科生暑期指导计划，以及在海豚岛海洋实验室的新教育“河口馆”的公共宣传展示，说明胶质浮游动物在构建海洋食物网中的作用。

9733441 Graham The research component of this CAREER award focuses on large jellyfish as voracious predators of zooplankton, larval fish and fish eggs in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Physiological limitations of jellyfish production rates are set by energetic balance as individual medusae encounter, and move between, patches of concentrated food. The aim of this research is to understand possible limitations to jellyfish production in coastal ecosystems in the context of prey productivity, prey patch distribution, and medusa behavior. To accomplish this, an individual-based energetics model will be constructed for key jellyfish species of the northern Gulf of Mexico (primarliy Aurelia aurita). The model will incorporate in situ-determined behavior as an adaptation for enhanced foraging, and laboratory and field-based characterization of the jellyfish energetics. A series of planned research cruises in the northern Gulf of Mexico will be used to refine the energetic parameters under natural feeding conditions and to test the model's predictive capacity. Educational and outreach components of this CAREER program are broadly targeted at all ages. These include a `K-12 Discovery' component focussing on high-school teacher training in the scientific process, a minority undergraduate summer mentoring program, and a public outreach display at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab's new educational `Estuarium' illustrating the role of gelatinous zooplankton in structuring marine food webs.