Collaborative Research: Trophic Structure and Interactions of the Pelagic Nekton Associated with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

深海环境一度被认为是原始和未受干扰的，但现在正逐渐受到人类活动的影响。根据我们目前的知识水平，无法评估深海捕捞活动消除顶级捕食者的影响。最近的一项研究发现，在过去的50年里，所有海洋中海洋顶级捕食者的多样性下降了10%到50%，保护区域“热点”可能是阻止生态灾难的关键。了解营养相互作用是海洋管理政策的基本要求。这项研究将提供新的营养相互作用和生态调节力量，塑造海洋群落的信息。为该项目开发的国际合作，以及MAR-ECO计划的装运时间和设备贡献，从中获得了这次调查的机会和生态框架，代表了巨大的成本节约和附加值。要了解深海生态系统中食物网的结构和有机物的流动，就需要采取综合办法，以定量方式处理若干关键的群落要素。最近对大西洋中脊北方的深层沃茨进行了大规模勘探，取得了迄今为止最大的（如果不是最大的）多营养层深海水层（200 - 3 000米）样本采集，为了解深海食物网提供了前所未有的机会。利用这一收集的全面背景数据集，以及与世界上一些最重要的深海分类学、生态学和水声学专家建立的国际伙伴关系，该项目将包括利用定量显微镜营养分析、分子猎物DNA分析、和稳定同位素分析，以了解浮游游泳生物的营养结构和相互作用这项调查将提供一个主要的，但鲜为人知的营养相互作用在深海内部的初步特征-利用凝胶能源的生物量占主导地位的群体的深海鱼类。除了智力贡献外，本提案中所述的工作将大大有助于K-12、本科生和研究生层次的科学教育和人力资源开发，加强美国在海洋科学中的地位，并促进国际合作。将通过互动式实践辅导激发学生对深海科学的兴趣，学生将模拟正在进行的科学研究，并将其研究结果与模型研究的结果进行比较。本教程作为“深海食物网”的一个单元开发，将通过Ridge 2000 SEAS（学生海上实验）教育网站提供。该项目还将为几名研究生提供财政支持和参与实地和实验室研究。学生将分享出版物，报告的作者，并将通过在国家会议上的演讲获得经验。

Once considered pristine and undisturbed, the deep-sea environment is becoming progressively impacted by anthropogenic activities. The impact of removing top predators by deep-sea fishing activities cannot be assessed given our present state of knowledge. A recent study found that oceanic top predator diversity has declined between 10% and 50% in all oceans in the past 50 years, and that the protection of regional "hotspots" may be critical in thwarting what may be an ecological disaster. An understanding of trophic interactions is an essential requirement for ocean management policy. This study will provide novel information on the trophic interactions and ecological regulatory forces that shape oceanic communities. The international collaborations developed for this project, as well as the shiptime and equipment contributions of the MAR-ECO program, from which the opportunity and the ecological framework for this investigation is derived, represent a huge cost savings and added value. Understanding the structure of food webs and the flow of organic matter in deep-pelagic ecosystems requires an integrated approach in which several key community elements are addressed in a quantitative manner. A recent, large-scale exploration of the deep waters over the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) has resulted in one of the largest (if not the largest) multitrophic level, deep-pelagic (200 - 3000 m) sample collections ever obtained, presenting an unprecedented opportunity to understand deep-sea food webs. Utilizing this collection, a comprehensive background dataset, and an international partnership with some of the world's foremost experts on deep-sea taxonomy, ecology, and hydroacoustics, this project will comprise a coordinated investigation utilizing quantitative microscopical trophic analysis, molecular prey-DNA analysis, and stable isotope analysis to understand the trophic structure and interactions of the pelagic nekton (actively swimming fauna) associated with the MAR. This investigation will provide an initial characterization of a major but poorly known trophic interaction in the deep ocean interior - the utilization of gelatinous energy sources by biomass-dominant groups of deep-pelagic fishes. In addition to its intellectual contributions, the work described in this proposal will contribute significantly to education and the development of human resources in science at the K-12, undergraduate and graduate levels, strengthening American position in ocean science and furthering international collaborations. Interest in deep-sea science will be stimulated through hands-on, interactive tutorials in which students will simulate an ongoing scientific study, and compare their findings to those of the model study. This tutorial, developed as a unit on "Deep-Sea Food Webs," will be delivered via the Ridge 2000 SEAS (Student Experiments At Sea) educational website. The project will also provide financial support and participation in field and lab research for several graduate students. The students will share authorship on publications, reports, and will gain experience through presentation at national meetings.