Tracking the Seasonal Contribution of Algal Fatty Acids to the Arctic Marine System

白令海是北极地区季节性海冰最多的地区之一，也是观测到的变化速度最快的地区之一。预计海冰季节性变化的级联效应将影响北极的初级生产，并通过海洋生态系统传播。为更好地跟踪白令海北极海洋初级生产与北极海洋食物网组成部分之间复杂的季节性相互依赖关系，提供了资金支持一种变革性方法。主要研究人员将追踪从两个主要的主要生产者——海冰藻类和开放海洋浮游植物——中提取的特定生物标志物的季节性、比例贡献，进入白令海的更高营养水平（共生、远洋和底栖无脊椎动物和冰海豹）。本提案的总体目标是通过以下方式提供卓越的生态细节：1)利用复杂的脂肪酸谱和新型化合物特异性稳定同位素分析（CSIA），通过海洋食物网追踪来自海冰藻类和开放海洋浮游植物的特定脂肪酸生物标志物的季节性输入；2)追踪这些生物标志物在北极共生、中上层和底栖海洋无脊椎动物中所占比例的季节（春季和夏季）变化；3)它们是该地区阿拉斯加土著社区重要的生存资源。他们详细和季节性的观点将有助于白令海正在进行的食物网研究（例如，由美国国家科学基金会和北太平洋研究委员会资助的白令海生态系统研究和白令海综合生态系统研究计划- BEST/BSIERP），包括阿拉斯加土著健康研究中心（CANHR）正在进行的关于阿拉斯加土著社区使用的海洋生存资源的研究。

The Bering Sea has one of the highest seasonal sea ice regimes in the Arctic and one of the highest rates of observed change. Cascading effects of seasonal changes in sea ice are expected to influence primary production and propagate through marine ecosystems in the Arctic. Funds are provided to support a transformative approach to better track the complex seasonal interdependencies between arctic marine primary production and arctic marine food web components in the Bering Sea. The Principal Investigators will track the seasonal, proportional contributions of specific biomarkers derived from the two main primary producers, sea ice algae and open ocean phytoplankton, into higher trophic levels (sympagic, pelagic and benthic invertebrates and ice seals) in the Bering Sea. The overall goal of this proposal relates to providing an exceptional level of ecological detail by: 1) tracing the seasonal inputs of specific fatty acid biomarkers deriving from sea ice alga and open ocean phytoplankton through the marine food web using sophisticated fatty acid profiling and novel compound-specific stable isotope analyses (CSIA); 2) tracing the seasonal (spring and summer) changes in the proportions of these biomarkers in sympagic, pelagic and benthic arctic marine invertebrates; 3) which are an important subsistence resource to Alaskan Native communities in the region. Their detailed and seasonal perspective will contribute to ongoing food web studies in the Bering Sea (e.g., the Bering Ecosystem Study and Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program - BEST/BSIERP, funded by the NSF and North Pacific Research Board), including research being conducted by the Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR) on marine subsistence resources used by Alaskan Native communities.