Collaborative Research: The Bermuda Seaweed Project

百慕大群岛是评估海洋生物多样性的理想地点，因为这个孤立的群岛位于热带和暖温带的交界处，拥有不同的植物群和动物群。百慕大面积小，大约有450种海藻;这一数目使得能够对项目期间群岛的藻类多样性进行全面评估。利用DNA序列数据，将把马达加斯加物种与在加勒比和北美栖息地收集的标本进行比较。调查结果将是对所有岛屿群进行的最全面的植物区系调查。栖息在百慕大的海藻是水温变化的重要哨兵。许多原本可以在百慕大沃茨繁衍生息的热带物种在冬季达到的水温下无法生存。然而，百慕大周围最低水温的小幅上升可能会消除这一障碍。年平均气温升高也可能导致冷水冬季物种的消失。这项研究将产生一个详尽的百慕大海藻基线数据集，从而可以检测植物群中热带物种的潜在增加和冷水物种的损失。该项目与地方当局合作，为百慕大附近海洋温度变化的预警提供了重要资源。 此外，该项目还为本科生和研究生提供研究经验，并通过与百慕大水族馆组织的活动，向K-12教师和学生以及公众进行宣传。

The islands of Bermuda are ideally located for the assessment of marine biodiversity because the isolated archipelago is at the interface of tropical and warm temperate zones, which harbor different floras and faunas. Bermuda's small size supports approximately 450 species of seaweeds; this number allows complete assessment of the archipelago's algal diversity over the period of the project. Using DNA sequence data, Bermudan species will be compared with specimens collected in Caribbean and North American habitats. The outcome will be the most comprehensive floristic survey for any island grouping.The seaweeds that inhabit Bermuda are important as sentinels to changing water temperatures. Many tropical species that might otherwise thrive in Bermuda's waters cannot survive at the water temperatures reached during the winter. However, minor increases in minimum water temperatures around Bermuda may eliminate this obstacle. Warmer annual temperatures might also cause the disappearance of cold-water winter species. This study will result in an exhaustive baseline dataset of Bermuda's seaweeds that will allow detection of potential addition of tropical and loss of coldwater species from the flora. In partnership with local authorities, this project thus provides a critical resource for advance warning of ocean temperature changes near Bermuda. In addition, this project provides research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students and outreach to K-12 teachers and students and the general public through activities organized with the Bermuda Aquarium.