RAPID: Resilience of Coral Reef Ecosystems

在这个项目中，研究人员将利用NSF赞助的法属波利尼西亚Moorea珊瑚礁LTER地点的大规模自然干扰来探索珊瑚礁生态系统对一系列脉冲-压力干扰组合的弹性特征，这些组合改变了珊瑚礁生态系统的不同属性。恢复力是指生态系统在受到诸如气旋或温度漂移等脉冲干扰后恢复到以前状态的能力。鉴于与全球气候变化相关的干扰制度(脉冲事件)和环境驱动因素(新闻事件)的预测变化，了解影响复原力的因素正变得越来越重要。全球环境变化不仅改变了新闻事件的强度，也改变了脉冲干扰的频率和强度。鉴于这些复杂性，预测生态系统将如何应对脉搏和新闻事件的预测变化或从中恢复的能力是一项重要的科学挑战。莫雷亚珊瑚礁LTER地点目前正在发生的一次意想不到的自然干扰为解决有关复原力的几个关键问题提供了一个有利的机会，包括系统在影响生态系统不同组成部分的干扰后的轨迹，以及可能产生交替持久状态的正反馈的存在和强度。干扰的源头是莫雷亚周围珊瑚礁上的棘冠海星(Acanthaster Planci)的爆发，使大片地区的活珊瑚覆盖率从~60%减少到~5%。活珊瑚组织的广泛消除(珊瑚骨骼结构保持完好)为我们提供了机会来操纵额外的特征来模拟不同类型的干扰，并将这些治疗方法与其他环境应激源的各种组合进行交叉。研究人员将进行调查并进行大型野外实验，以探索结构异质性、放牧、珊瑚和微生物群落的组成如何以及为什么影响弹性。该项目的广泛影响将是深远的，因为科学界和公众对珊瑚礁生态系统的养护有着极大的兴趣和关切。结果将大大增加对这些系统的了解，并因此将向政府官员、资源管理人员和负责保护和管理珊瑚礁的其他人提供信息。该项目的科学发现和技术信息将通过MCR LTER网站(mcr.lternet.edu)、科学出版物和演示文稿以及媒体广泛传播。数据将由MCR LTER管理，并根据LTER网络的数据政策标准在MCR网站上提供。来自这项研究的信息将被包括在MCR LTER外联活动中，这些活动涉及南加州的K-12项目以及法属波利尼西亚的社区和学校外联活动。本科生和研究生，包括那些来自代表性不足的群体的学生，将参与研究、团队研究经验，以及开展跨学科、协作研究所需的技能发展。该项目还将进行博士后培训，并将在美国科学家和南太平洋岛国科学家之间建立国际联系。

In this project, investigators will take advantage of a large-scale, natural disturbance at the NSF-sponsored Moorea Coral Reef LTER site in French Polynesia to explore resilience characteristics of coral reef ecosystems to sets of pulse-press disturbance combinations that alter different attributes of the reef ecosystem. Resilience is the capacity of an ecosystem to return to its previous state following a pulse disturbance such as a cyclone or temperature excursion. Understanding what influences resilience is becoming ever more critical in light of forecasted alterations in disturbance regimes (pulse events) and environmental drivers (press events) associated with global climate change. Global environmental change not only is altering the intensity of press events, it also is changing the frequency and strength of pulse disturbances. Given these complexities, the ability to forecast how ecosystems will respond to or recover from projected changes in pulse and press events is an important scientific challenge. An unanticipated natural disturbance that is now occurring at the Moorea Coral Reef LTER site provides a propitious opportunity to resolve several key questions regarding resilience, including the trajectory of the system following disturbances that affect different components of the ecosystem, and the existence and strength of positive feedbacks that might produce alternate persistent states. The source of the disturbance is an outbreak of crown-of-thorns seastars (Acanthaster planci) on the reefs surrounding Moorea that has reduced the cover of living coral from ~60% to ~5% cover over large areas. The widespread elimination of just living coral tissue (with coral skeletal structure left intact) provides us the opportunity to manipulate additional features to mimic qualitatively different types of disturbances, and to cross these treatments with various combinations of other environmental stressors. The investigators will conduct surveys and carry out a large field experiment to explore how and why resilience is affected by structural heterogeneity, grazing, corallivory and composition of the microbial community. The broader impacts of the project will be far reaching because the scientific community and the public have tremendous interest in and concern about conservation of coral reef ecosystems. Results will greatly increase understanding of these systems, and as such, will inform government officials, resource managers and others charged with conservation and management of coral reefs. Scientific findings and technical information from the project will be broadly disseminated through the MCR LTER website (mcr.lternet.edu), scientific publications and presentations, and in the media. Data will be managed by the MCR LTER and made available on the MCR website in accordance with the data policy standards of the LTER Network. Information derived from this research will be included in MCR LTER outreach activities that involve K-12 programs in Southern California as well as community and school outreach in French Polynesia. Undergraduate and graduate students, including those from underrepresented groups, will be involved in research, team research experiences, and development of skills needed to carry out interdisciplinary, collaborative research. The project also will engage in post-doctoral training, and will build international linkages between US scientists and those in South Pacific island nations.